The Fraser River was the site of the first gold discovery in British Columbia. This started what was referred to as the Fraser River gold rush which brought in miners from California and other places across the world. Today the river and its creeks still have gold waiting to be discovered by prospectors.

Quite a number of recreational gold panners still find placer gold along the river using simple methods such as sluicing and panning.

It is important to note there are several places across British Columbia that are rich in gold. This is a great place for small-scale gold prospectors.

The rich gold mining history of the Fraser River and the surrounding hills makes it a perfect starting place for anyone looking for gold nuggets.



 

The Gold Rush on the Fraser River

 

The initial Californian gold rush of 1849 brought in thousands of miners who worked several mines and led to the growth of settlements in the area. As the years passed the gold deposits began to get depleted and many of these miners began to move into new areas in search for gold.

Soon gold was discovered in Oregon and Idaho encouraging the prospectors to keep moving northwards. It wasn’t long before gold was found along the banks of the Fraser River.

The first gold discovery in British Columbia was along the Fraser River in 1858. This triggered a major gold rush and in less than one year there were more than 30,000 miners along the banks of the Fraser River between Lillooet and Hope trying their luck.

Today, some of the early mining centers along the river still have some gold that prospectors can discover. Most of the gold here is finer textured, although sometimes a nice gold nugget can be found.

Some of the richest places to search for gold on the Fraser River include:

 

1. Boston Bar

 

Boston Bar was one of the earliest mining centers to be established in the Fraser River. It was a rich gold mine both along the river and in the nearby hills but once the gold rush died most of the miners left.

Today it is marked by a small town of less than a thousand people. Although mining is no longer the major economic activity of this small town, the Fraser river and the surrounding hills present a great opportunity for gold seekers and treasure hunters to find some placer gold and other valuables from the past.

 

2. Yale

 

Yale is one of the most popular places for gold panners along the Fraser River. This small town of about 200 people was among the first settlement centers to be established along the river during the early days of the Fraser river gold rush. There were rich gold deposits on the river at the site of the town and thousands of miners worked to mine it. When the gold in the river was depleted many of the miners moved to other places in search of other opportunities.

Because of its rich history and great sceneries, Yale is a great tourist center along the Fraser River. Here you can pan for gold along the river banks with a decent chance of finding some gold. You can also learn more about gold mining in the region from the Yale Museum.

 

3. Tranquille Creek

 

This is another productive place that you can find some gold along the Fraser River. Located near Tranquille Kamploops, the Creek was one of the earliest places where gold was discovered in British Columbia. Gold was discovered here in 1852 about seven years before the gold rush. Many of the miners here were the locals but once the gold rush of 1859 begun; the mining was taken over by foreigners who were well equipped to do the mining.

Today the creek is well known in the gold panning circles with a number of gold prospectors reporting rich finds.



 

4. Lytton

 

Lytton was established along Fraser River by some of the first people to arrive in British Columbia during the early days of the gold rush. Located just near the Confluence of the Fraser River and the Thompson River, the mining town was an important gold mining center during the Fraser River gold rush days. However, once the excitement of the gold rush died, the mining came to an end as most of the gold deposits around the center had been exhausted and many of the miners moved to other places.

Today Lytton is a popular fishing and rafting spot. However, gold panners have found gold along the Fraser River in this area too. The most found gold is in form of fine deposits within gravel bars although some large gold nuggets have also been found here.