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The Great Gold Mining Adventure of 1840, Yucaipa, CA

Inland Empire Life - East Valley

Inland Empire Lifestyle and Real Estate

The Great Gold Mining Adventure of 1840, Yucaipa, CA

by

Table Of Contents
  1. First Place Gold Was Discovered
  2. Actual Gold Mines
  3. Not Exactly Caves
  4. Gold Was Found In Yucaipa in 1939
  5. The Lost Padre Mine
  6. The Coverup
  7. How to Get the GOLD
  8. USDA Gold Panning Areas
  9. Shopping: Gold Panning Kits and Accessories
  10. Local Gold Mining Adventures

First Place Gold Was Discovered

Did you know that a little gem in the Inland Empire – East Valley area, known as Yucaipa, was the very first place gold was discovered in California?  This was in the early 1840s, before the rush at Sutter Mill. Yucaipa still has 2,933 mines nearby and 378 are actually active or accessible.

Actual Gold Mines

You can find the mines on the many trails in the open and wooded hills surrounding Yucaipa. Actual gold mines! 

Not Exactly Caves

When I first stumbled across one, I did not know what I had found. It was, what looked to be a cave, off one of my nearby hiking trails. I was able to almost stand up straight inside of this cave.  I stuck my head in and, thinking that a coyote might decide I was dinner, I quickly pulled my head out. When I looked back in, I realized the walls were smooth and there was water dripping at the end of a well-built tunnel.

Gold Was Found In Yucaipa in 1939

This sent me on a quest!  In my research, I found that gold had been found around 1839 in Yucaipa, several years before Sutter’s Mill and the Gold Rush Boom that propelled California to statehood in 1850.  The gold find was minimal but it did bring prospectors to the area and people dug mines everywhere in the foothills of Crafton Hills and the surrounding area. You never know what a walk in your Yucaipa neighborhood can bring!

The Lost Padre Mine

Since my stroll through history piqued my interest, I continued to dig into the gold saga of the Yucaipa area.  What I discovered was that in 1931 an article was written about the possibility of a gold mine in Crafton Hills that the indigenous people of the area had hidden. It is known as the “Lost Padre” mine which actually has various iterations in New Mexico of mines of the same name.

In 1931, a man by the name of Crilley stated an old Native American  man appeared on his land and pointed to the hills, and kept repeating “Naza, Naza.”  The saying meant “God of the North” and the old man was supposedly renewing a vow. Of what, I do not know.  During this time, he revealed the location of the mine to his godson, Cruz Falcon. Cruz’s godfather had been a water boy and worked at the mine.  He was sixteen years old at the time, according to the article. This would have been in the early 1830s.

The Coverup

The Native Americans were made to work the mine and recover gold for the Spanish Missionaries. This was a common and unjust practice of the times. The mine was covered up in the early 1840s to hide it from the approaching Mormans and Mojave Indians. Truly fascinating bit of history right in our backyard. I hike Crafton Hills all the time and now, my eyes are always peeled.

How to Get the GOLD

That leads us to people and their continual fascination with gold mining. My favorite thing to do at Knott’s Berry Farms as a kid was panning for gold. I chose that every time over Thunder Mountain!  If you are truly going to head out and foray into a gold-seeking adventure, here are some tips that may help. 

  1. Find out where gold panning is allowed; the San Gabriel River at East Fork is a good place. Also, Lyle Creek, Cucamonga Canyon, Cajon Pass, and City Creek areas.
  2. Get yourself some gold panning equipment that includes the pans, rock chipper, strainers,  vials, and solutions that check authenticity. 
  3. Make sure you are on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and not on private property.
  4. Prospecting rules in the USDA Forest Service Prospecting on the San Bernardino National Forest

USDA Gold Panning Areas

Shopping: Gold Panning Kits and Accessories

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Local Gold Mining Adventures

Gold Rush Mining Company Adventures

40016 Big Bear Blvd, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315, (909)866-5678

https://www.goldrushminingco.com/

 

Eagle Mining Co.

2320 C St, Julian, CA 92036 (760)765-0036

https://theeaglemining.com/home

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Comments

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