Californians Keep Finding Leftover Loot From The Gold Rush

Californians Keep Finding Leftover Loot From The Gold Rush — 1 man even bought a home with his spoils. How to cash in

Jing Pan  Sat, October 25, 2025

It’s been more than 170 years since California’s Gold Rush — but locals are once again finding gold dust, flakes and even nuggets glittering in the state’s rivers.

“Gold’s all around,” said Manny Goza, a prospector sifting through the Bear River, in an interview with FOX40 News. (1) The low water levels during the fall make it easier to reach stretches of the river that are usually inaccessible.

For Goza, a builder by trade, panning for gold has paid off.

“I did it every day. I've been here since 2005, bought a house in 2010 because I could pay my bills off the gold,” he said. “When I’m not contracting, I’m here digging gold.”

With gold prices up more than 50% over the past 12 months, the precious metal is drawing renewed attention from locals looking for opportunity in their own backyard.

Goza said an “amateur” prospector can expect to make around $50 a day, while a more serious one might bring in “anywhere from $100 to $15,000.”

Just like the original gold rush nearly two centuries ago, striking it big often comes down to luck. One prospector recalled a moment when a golden nugget “just rolled out — it was completely round like a baseball and it was half gold.”

Still, the work can be grueling. As another prospector put it, gold “doesn’t jump into the pan.”

And payday is never a sure thing.

“It’s emotional, some days you find $15,000, some days you don’t find anything,” Goza said.

TO READ MORE:  https://finance.yahoo.com/news/californians-keep-finding-leftover-loot-123300020.html