WELCOME TO . . .
Back in the fall of 1978, I gave a ride to a hitchhiker who started telling me about
mining gold and got me interested enough that I changed my plans and went to
Northern California to an old mining town -- Downieville.

I am not capable of putting into words the feeling I got when I arrived in town, but I
knew that I would spend some time there, so I rented a kitchenette by the month.

The next day I went to the local mining shop where the owner, Dick and Jim Yoho,
sold me a book on basic prospecting and a gold pan.

Dick Yoho and I went down to the Yuba River, which flows through town, and he
showed me how to pan.

It didn't take long to learn. The first pan I had color. The second pan I had a little
clinker that I put in a little bottle they sold to me to put gold in. That is when the
"gold bug" bit me and I have been infected ever since.

The next day, I bought a sluice box and "oh boy" what a difference! I wound up
spending the winter there, partly because of the gold, but mostly because I enjoyed
the town and the people.

While I was there I sluiced almost everyday -- sometimes even when it snowed. One
day I was sluicing and Dick Yoho came down to see how I was doing. A few minutes
before he arrived, I had found a large nugget in my sluice box -- the largest I have
ever found. But, afraid that I might lose it, I had picked it up with my fingers, since
the water was cold and I was wearing rubber gloves. I put the nugget in my pocket
for safe-keeping. When I reached in my pocket the nugget wasn't there. Apparently, I
had dropped it while trying to put it in my pocket.

I sure was disappointed, but a few minutes later, I found another nugget. Although
not nearly as large as the first one, it was large enough to have Dick Yoho put it on a
ring for me, along with a couple little "clinkers" that I found downstream.

So that is how it all started -- me, alone on a stream infected with "the fever." But
fortunately for me, just a few short months later, the Lord gave me a mining partner
and life partner -- we have been married nearly 27 years now. Karen is a super
writer, so I will let her tell some of our mining experiences elsewhere.

I just want to say that there is nothing like getting outdoors and enjoying God's
creation while looking for gold, platinum and rocks.

On this website we want people of all ages to learn how to find various treasures
and add new dimension to enjoying the outdoors.

Remember to always be respectful of the land and other people and their right to use
our natural resources. When you dig a hole and are finished with it, fill it back up
before leaving, thus protecting animals and people from stepping in it. Remember to
leave nothing behind when you leave.

Something we would like to do here is to provide an avenue for others to tell about
their mining and prospecting adventures. Send us pictures that we can publish on the
website and, in the future we will offer a way to upload your videos as well.

We hope that you enjoy the website, we want this to be a site for the whole family.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so we can keep you up to date on new
developments and happenings.
Welcome to Gold Getter News: My Story
Author: John Green, Publisher of GGN