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Gold Prospecting Clubs in California

If you believe there's still gold to be found in California's rich terrain, you're not alone. California is home to a host of gold prospecting clubs populated by members who haven't given up striking it rich. From the rugged terrain of the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the lush Sacramento Valley, panning for gold is a time-honored pastime that club members have shared for decades.

Mother Lode Goldhounds
- Don Robinson and Ron Stockman founded the Mother Lode Goldhounds in 1988. As of May 2010, the organization boasted over 400 members hailing not only from California, but Nevada, Arizona and Oregon as well. The Club engages in an array of activities such as field trips and camping expeditions to Bear River, Iowa Hill and Nevada. They also participate in state gold panning championships. In addition, the club holds monthly meetings.
  
  All of the club's activities strive to promote the public's awareness of recreational gold mining, professional gold mining and gold prospecting.
  
  Mother Lode Goldhounds
  P.O. Box 149
  Foresthill, CA 95631
  (530) 367-2891
  http://www.goldhounds.com
The Prospector's Club of Southern California
- Founded in 1966, the Prospector's Club of Southern California is an incorporated non-profit organization. Touted as the "largest and oldest" prospector's club in America, the diverse membership enjoys treasure hunting, gold prospecting, gold panning, metal detecting and underwater dredging--just to cite a few of their interests. The group hosts monthly field trips to venues such as state parks and beaches, deserts, sites in the San Bernardino Mountains and public garbage collection areas. Members display their "Find of the Month" on the club's bustling website.
  
  The club's Crime Search Unit consists of a group of volunteers who aid law enforcement associations in locating weapons such as guns, knives and bullets, as well as illegal substances.
  
  The Prospector's Club of Southern California
  5618 Bonfair Ave.
  Lakewood, CA 90712
  (562) 633-8681
  http://prospectorsclub.org/
United Prospectors
- The United Prospectors bill their organization as being "dedicated to the enjoyable, relaxing, and potentially profitable activities of rock hounding, metal detecting, gold prospecting and mineral hunting." To that end, the club holds mineral claims on over 1200 acres in the California counties of Mariposa, Tuolumne, Siskiyou and Plumas, on which members may prospect for gold, metals, gems and minerals at their leisure. Jack Douglas, also known as "The Old Miner," founded the United Prospectors in 1947. The organization, which was incorporated in 1949, boasted nine chapters across the state as of May 2010.
  
  United Prospectors
  2401 East Orangeburg Avenue, Ste. 675-237
  Modesto, CA 95355
  (925) 932-4288
  http://www.unitedprospectors.com

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