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Kids wash pans to strike it rich

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Contributed by: Skot Latona on 8/3/2007

Getting kids to help with dishes may be tough, but on August 11th, the kids will be begging for another dirty pan. By pan, we mean gold pan, of course - and the dirt is soil from the river containing gold kids can take home! South Platte Park is once again offering its annual free gold panning day as part of the STAMPEDE! for Open Space during Western Welcome Week.

Goldpanning is responsible for the settlement of our cities along the Front Range. Almost 150 years ago, in July 1858 a man named William "Green" Russell was the first to announce finding a significant amount of gold in Colorado. He had led a group of men from Georgia to seek out gold starting at the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek (today's Confluence Park). They eventually found 20 ounces of gold at the mouth of Little Dry Creek and the South Platte, leading to the eventual "Pike's Peak Gold Rush" and later hardrock mining in places like Central City, Cripple Creek, and Idaho Springs.

"Today, when kids come to South Platte Park to try their luck, they find the same amount of gold that led to the big gold rush," says Karen Parker, Park Interpreter. "Ok, to be honest, it's 'flour' gold , like one to two specks of color in every other pan; but the joy comes in the thrill of discovery."

Kids squat on the edges of the creek, using water to sort the gold and garnets from rock and soil. All ages can participate, though younger kids need a hand to heft the heavy pans, so park naturalists, volunteers, and parents go from pan to pan to help refine the skills.

"Gold is easy to find," said Parker. "It is much more dense than anything else in the gravel bar." To demonstrate, Parker holds up a wooden cubic foot used to illustrate river flows. "If this was filled with water, it would weigh about 62 pounds . . . filled with rock, maybe 130 pounds. If we were lucky enough to fill it with gold, this same box would weigh over 1,200 pounds - as much as a small car!" The trick, she says, is to make the gold settle to the bottom of the pan, then wash away anything on top of it!

If goldpanning loses its appeal after 10 or 15 pans, the rest of the Stampede is full of fun for the family. A complete trail through time allows visitors to listen to stories in a tipi, watch the techniques of a fur trapper, play farm games from the 1880's, or recreate the flood of 1965. All the activities are free.

The Stampede is coordinated by South Metro Land Conservancy, and all donations made during the event go to protect open space land in the region. Previous Stampedes have helped purchase land north of the nature center including part of the Newton Trust property where Aspen Grove sits today, and the Superchi property, bordering the recent controversial Wal-Mart site. Many more stretches of the Park borders are open to development, so South Metro Land Conservancy is hoping for another big turnout to the Stampede this year.

Events begin at 9:30 and end with a door-prize drawing at 1 pm. The event is centered near the Carson Nature Center, just west of the Mineral Light Rail Station. For more information visit www.sspr.org/nature or call 303-730-1022.

Did we mention you get to keep any of the gold you find?

Become a Naturalist

Satisfy that inner desire to study the great outdoors! South Platte Park is offering its annual "Become a Naturalist" course, starting August 23rd. Participants will spend 32 hours over 6 weeks learning to track wildlife, identify birds, recognize plants, capture insects, and explore the river. The course runs from 6 - 9 pm on Thursdays, Aug 23, Sept 6 and Sept 20 with lab/lecture type classes using hands-on activities with nests, pelts, and bones; and from 8 am - 2 pm on Saturdays August 25, Spt 8, and Sept 22 for hikes and field work. Study with South Platte Parks naturalists and develop skills you can use for the rest of your life through Colorado and anywhere in the world you may travel! The best part is if you volunteer at the nature center for 4 hours per month for just 6 months to practice the skills you learn, your fee is completely refunded! For more information call 303-730-1022 or visit www.sspr.org/nature.

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