Years of below average flows have exposed caches of sediment, and gold, that have been inaccessible for years.
The Sacto Bee shares the story:
At Placerville Hardware, founded in 1852, four years after James Marshall discovered gold in the American River in nearby Coloma, modern prospectors now drop in to show off flecks they’re harvesting from other high-country creeks. Some bring in old coins and other historic relics found in drying stream beds
My daughter and I love panning for gold when camping near Downieville and Placerville.