If your looking for some color and have been wondering if there is anything out near the Oakridge area, the answer is yes. There is gold twelve or so miles north of Oakridge, Oregon.

Oakridge is a very scenic area

The Fall Creek District had very low historical production numbers, but when I visited the area I did find some color after several minutes of sampling. The gold I found was very small, but got my attention enough to want to return at a later time; when I have more time to prospect.

The Fall Creek District is located in sections 13, 18 and 19. A good creek to check for placer gold is Christy Creek, besides Fall Creek itself. Two historical mines in the area were the Ironside Mine and the Golden Eagle Mine.

Gold mining began in Lane County in 1858 and continues today. Gold has not been an important commodity in Lane County and only about 50,000 ounces have been reported. All this came from two locations. The Blue River District is actually in Lane and Linn counties, but it’s only productive mine, the Lucky Boy Mine, was located between the Calapooia and Blue River systems. It produced about 10,000 ounces, all from lode deposits. About 40,000 ounces came from the Bohemia District about 35 miles southeast of Cottage Grove.

Most forestry campgrounds are “Mineral Withdrawal Sites” and may be used for gold panning, nugget hunting with a metal detector. The larger “Mineral Withdrawal Sites” within the Forestry Service have plainly marked boundaries to indicate the “Free Use Sites” where dredging, gold panning, sluicing and nugget sniping can be done.

BLUE RIVER

Well east of Springfield on U.S. 126, this district overlaps into Linn County. The total production between 1887-1959 was 10,200 ounces of lode gold. The Lucky Boy Mine is 14 patented claims lapping into Linn County. See Linn County for more information.

COTTAGE GROVE

Southeast of Cottage Grove 35 miles on a divide between the Willamette and Umpqua Rivers is the Bohemia mining district. This was the largest and most productive gold district in the West Cascade Mountians. Along Sharps Creek, Martin Creek, and Steamboat Creek, placer gold is located in the gravel bars and benches. There are many lode mines in the area. The Champion (Evening Star) Mine had an 18,000 foot underground tunnel with a by product of gold from copper zinc ores. The Music Mine (14 claims) along Sharps Creek had a rich history and produced about $300,000 in gold from 1891-1949. The Crystal (Lizzie Bullock) Mine had a by product of gold from copper ore. The Helena Mine produced $250,000 in gold from 1896-1950. The Mayflower mine on Horseheaven Creek also has a good history. Other mines in the area are the Star, Captian, President, Grizzly, Leroy, Shotgun, Carlisle, all of which produced lode gold.

BRICE CREEK

Parts of Brice Creek are open to the public through Mineral Withdrawal as a “Free Use Site.” Brice Creek can be reached by travelling from Cottage Grove exit 174 on 1-5 and turning east past Dorena lake for 18 miles. Follow the Row River on the Brice Creek Road past Culp Creek to Disston, turn right onto County Road #2470 and Forest Service Road #22 which leads to Champion Creek. There are patented mining claims in the area. Stay off the private property. Brice Creek and it’s tributaries share heavily in the distrubution of flood gold particles after each new spring thaw and summer thunderstorms. It also has easy access.

Edwin Waters (webmaster of OregonGold.net) on the GPAA claim "Golden Cat" located on Brice Creek.