A river in California gold country is a destination for any level of adventurer, from those looking for Class V rapids to others who want a historical stroll.

They all have dollar signs in their eyes. Gold mining permits, or claims, on file with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for California have shot from 15,606 in 2005 to 23,974 this year.

On the Stanislaus River at Melones decaying gold-mine buildings and trestles are still standing. Near the bridge (left) in 1850 an enterprising ferryman collected $10,000 in tolls in six weeks.

California gold rush towns are booming again. Here’s what to see and do. In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, former mining hamlets appeal to hikers, historians, and foodies.

California California winter rainfall sparks renewed gold rush: reports Gold seekers say more gold will be found once river levels recede By Stephen Sorace Fox News Published April 23, 2023 2:01pm EDT ...

And it was.” Kevin Bell, California director of Gold Prospectors of America, holds a vile of gold flakes he collected on Moore Creek near Buck Meadows, Calif., Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

A few days earlier, the New York Times wrote up a feature of their own on the same subject, in the same town: “Eureka! After California’s Heavy Rains, Gold Seekers Are Giddy.” ...

During the peak years of the gold rush, the population of indigenous people in California dropped from some 150,000 to roughly 31,000, according to the International Indian Treaty Council.

It’s a long time coming.” An estimated 300,000 settlers arrived during the Gold Rush, which peaked in 1852.

California officials plans to spend about $60 million to build a channel along the Yuba River so that threatened fish species can get around a Gold Rush-era dam.