Friday, 30th May 2008 (446 views)

The current high price of gold brings back memories of the Californian gold rush when hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the US state in search of the precious metal.

This is the view of Colleen Stanley Bare who, in her column for the Modesto Bee, points out that panning for gold has become what is described as a "hot recreational activity".

Indeed, hovering at around $1,000 an ounce, gold prices have encouraged many people to set out in search of their own fortune just as they did in 1849.

The Californian gold rush began when James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. After news of his discovery spread around 300,000 people arrived in California from across the world to pan for gold in streams and riverbeds.

Brent Shock, who runs gold-panning tours in Jamestown, told the BBC that because of the high price of gold there is a "tremendous" amount of interest from people looking to follow in the footsteps of the so called forty-niners and take part in gold prospecting.

 

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