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Prospecting for gold
in the western United States helped to bring settlers into the region.
In the 1800's easterners and Europeans heard of the unbelievable wealth
west of the Mississippi. Dreams of instant wealth drove hundreds of
thousands of people to the promised land to prospect for minerals.
Gold is a heavy, malleable, yellow metal. Since gold is mainly
found in granitic rock, the weathering of granite plays an important
part of mining "placer" deposits Miners used these
properties to "pan" for gold. This technique allows the denser
gold flakes to settle to the bottom of a pan. This technique is still
used today.
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