Forget the California gold rush of 1849...did you realize Michigan has it's own cache of gold throughout the state? IT'S TRUE. And some people have been lucky enough to find gold by panning along the beaches of the Great Lakes.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula has two old 1800's gold mines on record...but there's only ONE gold mine on record in the lower peninsula...and it's been lost for a long time.

Getty Images
Getty Images
loading...

The mine was (is) around the vicinity of Harrisville, Haynes Township in Alcona County. It's said to be somewhere near Black River in the Section 8 portion of Haynes Township where gold nuggets were found in 1912 on the farm of a Mr. Fleming. A mine shaft was dug out but the continued search for more gold came to a complete stop when the steam equipment exploded.

Getty Images
Getty Images
loading...

According to Michigan Ghost Towns of the Lower Peninsula, one man in the early 1900's kept hauling dirt from the river banks back to his shack and it's said he found enough gold within the dirt to sustain him for the rest of his life.

Others claim the lost mine is closer to Harrisville, along Mill Creek. Why? Because the mine was said to be near a CREEK, not a RIVER. Either way, the actual deeds to the property to where this mine was (is) located say the location is in the northwest corner of Section 8 in Haynes Township which is closer to Black River.

In the photo gallery below, I've tried to pinpoint - as best I can - where the lost gold mine could be, culled from the information I've discovered. Hopefully, this will help any prospectors or adventure seekers who read this.

Other Michigan prospectors have discovered gold bits and flakes just by panning the black sand found on the countless Great Lakes beaches. Check out the video below and see one guy who found gold this exact way in Alcona County!

So get your pans and stamina geared up, if you wanna go panning for Pure Michigan gold! AND GOOD LUCK!

 

 

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

More From 99.1 WFMK