Has gold ever been found here?

[PatrickD]

Hi Everyone,

I was down in southern Colorado near Trinidad and saw the Purgatory river. I test panned a little but did not find anything.

The area is full of legends about Spanish gold mines and I know there are coal mines in the area.

My question is if anyone has ever found alluvial gold in the Purgatory?

(A follow up question just popped in my head... Historically speaking, was there ever nuggets found regularly in Colorado by the original prospectors or is that just legend?)

Thanks,

Patrick

 

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[KevinInColorado]

The cluster of mines in the NW of this map were hard rock so you might find a little placer gold just downstream of them (worth looking if you are in the area). As you can see, nothing else up to the ridge line on the west edge of this map.

The largest placer nuggets have all come off of Pennsylvania Mountain northwest of FairPlay. Small nuggets were (and occasionally still are) real in the major gold placer areas. Many are sitting on bedrock of course...happy digging!

 

[ecmjamsit]

You can find some gold near Summitville. Colorados largest nugget recently found there in 1976.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summi...Mountains,_Colorado,_USA)_4_(16422301144).jpg

 

[KevinInColorado]

That one is what's called 'float gold'. A Chunk of ore with gold in it sitting on a hill site on its own.