Gold Panning

Gold fever—locally known as Sweetwater Fever after the Sweetwater River that drains much of South Pass—continues to flourish in Wind River Country. In fact, just a few summers ago, a Rock Springs prospector using a metal detector found a 7.5-ounce gold nugget in an old tailings pile left by miners from the 1800s. The nugget is estimated to be worth as much as $11,000.

Few of today’s prospectors expect to make their fortune from their hobby, however. In fact, for many the main attraction is just being outside and enjoying time with family and friends. Panning for gold requires patience and perseverance but little else. You stand in the current, dip in your pan, bring up some dirt and water, and slowly swish the pan back and forth in a rhythmical motion letting the water slop over the sides and the heavy dirt and gold collect on the bottom. It’s a meditative exercise, where the sound of the wind and water and the rhythmic swaying of the pan help lull you into a state of peace and contentment far from the stresses of modern life.

Riverton prospector H. Jean Baker says that one of the best things about gold panning is that anyone can do it. “We had one old boy out there who had arthritis real bad and he was getting about a quarter ounce every two hours. That ain’t bad.”

Baker is president of Orphan Boy Development, a company that owns several mining claims on South Pass. One of the claims is located along Rock Creek, only steps from the spot where 67 Mormon pioneers died in 1856 after being caught unprepared by an early winter storm. Baker has leased the claim to the Gold Prospectors Association of America and recommends that anyone interested in experimenting with gold panning join the organization. Membership entitles you to pan on a number of gold claims around the country, including Baker’s. You also receive a basic gold panning set-up and a manual that contains everything from how-to articles on gold panning to maps for association claims where you are free to try your luck.

For those who just want to dabble in gold panning, South Pass City State Historic Site offers demonstrations throughout the summer as well as during their annual Gold Rush Days in July.

Would-be gold panners should check in with the Bureau of Land Management to find out if there are any restrictions to gold panning on public lands in the area. It’s also a good idea to pick up the BLM’s surface management maps for Fremont County’s gold country. Two maps, South Pass and Lander, cover the gold mining district and indicate the boundaries of private and public lands.