HISTORIC COLUMBIA GOLD PANNING

My entourage visited the historic mother lode town of Columbia. The ranger there gave us a taste of what life was like during its hey dey, 1854 to 1895. Above, Marie tried on a bonnet from the dry goods store. It was a good way to keep her out of one of the 40 saloons that lined the short streets of Columbia.
I tried to put them all in jail again, but no dice. The jails are just a wee bit small. They didn't really have much crime in those days, mostly drunks and, well, stabbings.
Richard looked so good in the typical beaver hat, we would have bought one except they don't sell them anymore.

I told them they have gold panning for the kids, here. The made-for-the-trade flumes are filled with gold bearing gravel, well, maybe not. You might see a fleck of gold dust, but the kids don't care. They pan away, keeping cool for hours and return home with dozens of tiny gem stones. To my surprise, the big kids enjoyed it just as much. We bent to the task, hands in the cool water and searched for gems.
But, gold was hauled out of this area by the stage load. Wells Fargo was then a transportation system much like a modern UPS.
This original set of Wells Fargo assay scales measured 2 1/2 million ounces of gold.
And there is still gold in them thar hills.
Pat has a golden twinkle in her eye. She wants to go for the pot of gold.