Albert Fausel has been digging the riverbeds of Placerville for decades in search of gold. But after the torrential rains that swept through California this winter, the amateur prospector’s task has never been easier. “There are many new places (to find gold) this year,” said the forty-something, armed with a diving suit, a snorkel, and a small shovel. “Mother nature has done a good job with all these floods… she has moved new materials.”
After just 10 minutes exploring the bottom of the torrent downstream from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, small shiny particles suddenly appear in the clayey soil, which he sifts on a small plastic plate. These few flakes aren’t enough to make millions, and local prospectors call them “fly poo.” There may be about fifty dollars worth, just enough to put a little butter on the bread. But the treasure hunt has begun. “This is a good stash,” rejoices Fausel, collecting the bounty with a kind of suction pump before diving back in. “In the middle of the river, there will probably be bigger and heavier pieces that will have found their way.”
The state of California has had an unusually rainy winter, with many storms, sometimes very close together, causing precipitations close to record levels in some regions. In addition to the immediate damage and flooding caused, billions of liters of water falling from the sky have permanently swollen many rivers and torrents that have been greatly diminished by the drought that has plagued the American West for 20 years. This has caused the remaining gold in the soil to trickle down and rekindle memories of the gold rush of the 19th and 20th centuries, in search of the precious metal. “We now talk about flood gold,” explains Barron Brandon, who runs the Cosumnes Ranch near the eponymous river. “When the rains are abundant, they clean the riverbanks and flow downhill, bringing the gold,” he explains as a geologist. This year, Placerville, located in El Dorado County about 70 kilometers from Sacramento, is once again tapping into the vein that made its reputation. In the city, all businesses play on this promise of gold: there is “Gold Insurance,” “Gold Artists Nation Gallery,” and “Antique Gold Jewelers.” One of the main hotels still retains the saloon ambiance of the pioneers’ era and their dreams of fortune.
This memory allows the region to still thrive on tourism. Local amateur prospectors are far from fearing competition. “Come to California! Give yourself a chance to find gold, there is enough for everyone here,” says Fausel, who runs a hardware store where they also sell small personalized gold bottles as souvenirs. Most of the precious metal has already been extracted in the past, but recent rains are bringing in new curious individuals to town, according to Mark Dayton, a professional prospector with over 20,000 subscribers on YouTube. “We were all fascinated by the treasures of pirates when we were children,” he says, recounting how some of his followers took the plunge “because they heard about the rains and the coming gold.”
Frequented by dozens of school groups, the museum in Placerville, however, reminds children and adults alike that the quest for Eldorado has never been easy. Many immigrants died penniless in the region, amid violence, alcohol, and scams. “We try to tell them the true story, not the Hollywood version of the gold rush,” smiles guide Pat Layne, who has worked in the mining sector for a long time. But beyond a hypothetical fortune, amateur prospectors discover other treasures: the shades of green and blue formed by the rivers at the foot of the Sierra Nevada peaks. As Mr. Brandon sums up on his ranch, “the real treasure is being here.”
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À la découverte des trésors d’automne dans les banlieues de Pékin
Alors que l’automne s’approfondit, explorons ensemble les trésors cachés de l’automne dans la banlieue de Pékin pendant
