♪
>> I mean, it goes back over 150 years, I mean, in terms of
the first observations of gold in Indiana.
Gold is something that is not found in Indiana
in the bedrock itself.
It's derived from Canada from Ontario, the area around
Hudson Bay and James Bay.
We know there have been multiple advanced of ice into Indiana,
and actually, the most common areas for gold in Indiana,
so Morgan and Brown Counties, those were actually glaciated
not the most recent glaciation, but prior glaciations.
In those areas, generally the glacial sediment is thinner
and so it kind of has been reworked by water.
And so there's a greater chance of finding gold in those areas,
and that's partly the reason why Brown County and parts of
Morgan County work for gold prospecting.
♪
>> I got into gold prospecting by watching the gold shows.
That's basically what started me into this.
I basically did some research and found out there was
gold in Indiana!
Most of us, we have jobs.
So we're just doing it for fun.
I think it's probably a little bit of bragging rights,
any of that kind of thing that makes the fun.
Here in the Midwest, that's all it's going to be about.
♪
Gatesville is one of the places where it's freely accessible.
All you have to do is go in and talk to the owner in the store,
and she has no issue with letting you go out there and prospect.
And it's gold there.
That's probably one of the first places where gold was
really kind of picked up at on South Creek.
That's why a lot of people go there.
♪
There's lots of people that come that never get in the creek.
People like to camp.
People like to get together.
And especially with the clubs.
The clubs, we kind of make it an event.
The kids, they stay in the water which is great.
I think it's fantastic.
They get them out of the house, and they get them outdoors.
I think that's one of the best things in the world.
>> Nope.
No gold yet.
♪
>> You start at panning.
From there, you use a stream sluice, which is you are letting
the creek flow that material off as opposed to panning.
From there, most people go to a high banker,
which now you are using motorized stuff.
You have a motor which is now using that water.
It's doing the same thing as the creek doing.
You just got a motor now using the water to do it.
And then dredging, of course, is a big vacuum that is sucking up
material from the bottom of the creek to run through
a sluice box.
Everything is in a sluice box from that point on, usually.
For me, I just enjoy it all.
♪
Modern day flood gold, you look for that in the bends
of the creek.
Where the creek makes a hard bend, at the head of that bend
and through the middle of that bend is where
the new gold will be.
And that's the gold that's just washing out.
If you want to look for some of the older stuff,
which may have bigger pieces, you need to actually kind of
look to see where the older trees are.
Because there where the older trees are is probably where the
creek was at one point.
It takes a little bit of looking.
Black sand is iron sand, basically.
About the second heaviest thing before you get gold.
So you want to work your material down to your black sand.
>> Kind of doing some test pans now.
You can see all the black sand in there.
>> No gold in there, but it's a good indicator that we are
definitely in the right spot, right where Mike is at over there.
You're out in the wilderness.
You got your feet in the water and hanging out with good people.
Get away from the phones and TV.
That's the big thing.
>> If you are here in the Midwest, it's strictly for fun.
You are not going to get rich.
Don't think you are going to get rich.
You are not going to get ounces and ounces.
I don't have an ounce of Midwest gold yet, and I have been doing
it since 2014, but it's fun to just go out and look and to camp
and to get to know people.
And if you are lucky, you get a little bit of gold.