Thursday, 8th May 2008 (570 views)

A 100-year-old gold miner who started out on journey to hunt for gold in 1935 has opened his California gold camp for another season of summer cookouts and gold prospecting, according to reports.

The Ledge-Dispatch reports that Elton Rodman arrived in the western US state after an epic two-year journey on foot and via boxcar from northern Minnesota.

He mined enough gold to buy what is now the Roaring Camp in 1939 - shelling out a deposit of around $10 (£5) for the property.

The area was previously used by the 49ers of the gold rush era but because it was largely inaccessible at the time, much of its gold deposits remain.

Today, the camp is still an operating gold mine - and the centurion miner has no plans to retire. Instead, he is opening the property up to visitors from around the world for the annual Roaring Camp Saturday Night Cookout season.

According to the newspaper, visitors to the camp can even pay for their dinner by getting their hands dirty first and searching for gold using its old and new equipment.

With its rustic cabins, store, dining hall and nearby river, Roaring Camp is "right out of a Hollywood set", it adds.

 

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