Elk Creek

Claims

Dredging Season

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IT IS A REGION REMARKABLY RICH IN GOLD

The year was 1862. Gold had just been discovered in the Boise Basin. Almost overnight Idaho City became the largest town in the territory. Within three years of its founding, the city had surpassed Portland, Oregon, as the most populous in the Northwest. And no wonder: during the gold rush more than 3,000,000 ounces worth of the precious yellow metal was taken from the Boise Basin, and in today’s values that totals over $2,000,000,000. This basin produced more gold than the California 49er and of the Klondike in Alaska.

There are only two real rivers that feed into this rich gold Boise Basin, Elk Creek is one of those. You could wait years or longer to get a claim in this prized location. Next to this claim location you will find some gold load claims (some of the possible sources for the gold that was distributed in this area). The old timers worked up the water sources until they could find the source for the gold. The old times also knew that has you got closer to the source you will find bigger pieces and more gold. However, this area was further up the mountain and the old mining operations could not get their big dredge equipment in here, leaving it LOADED WITH VIRGIN MATERIAL.

Historically, this area is one of the richest gold producers in Idaho...

DREDGE, DREDGE, DREDGE!

Enjoy your summers sampling and sucking up gold on your own gold claim property with a fun little tool called a dredge! They're small, portable, easy to maneuver and suck up loads of high-grade placer gold. There are only a few rivers in Idaho that you can use a dredge on, and this is one of them. To find an area so rich and in gold and be able to dredge is truly rare. With your own claim you don’t have to worry about any one else getting in your great gold paying streaks. You can dredge and work your own claim at your own pace and never have to worry about some else getting your gold.