History of Sluice Mining

History of Sluice Mining. . California became flooded with hopeful pioneers in 1849, who earned the nickname “forty-niners.” Newly discovered gold attracted tens of thousands of gold seekers from lands far and wide with dreams of gaining riches. , Forty-niners often faced hardships along the way. At first, gold nuggets could be found and picked up off the ground. As more and more miners poured into California and gold continued to be found, they developed new techniques for extracting gold, such as panning and sluice mining. Eventually even more sophisticated methods were developed., The Gold Rush changed the face of California, turning small settlements into boomtowns. Roads and new towns were established, a state constitution was written, and a governor and legislature were chosen. In 1850, California became the 31st state., Case de Fruta’s Sluice and Gem Mining is a continuation of a classic mining technique used by forty-niners in California’s early settlement history. Here you will use a stream of water from the water wheel to sift through sand to find hidden gemstones and minerals.