WOLF CREEK— Mickey Woodrow and her husband have been panning for gold for almost 12 years in both the Colorado mountains and Arizona’s high desert plains. The two partnered with the Ute Bluff Lodge in South Fork and the Rio Grande National Forest to host a demonstration last Friday for the public near Park Creek and helped a group of about 20 people pull gold out of Park Creek located just off of Highway 160 up Wolf Creek Pass.
The art of panning for gold dates back to the early 1800s when pioneers learned that gold weighed more than sand and that there was a fair share to be found in the creeks running off from mining sites around the globe. Woodrow gathered the curious crowd and showed them how to fill shallow pans lined with ridges with dirt from the nearby stream and swish the contents in the swift running water until all that remained was black sand and a sparkle of gold pellets at the bottom of the pan.
Eager participants grabbed their gear and set out along the stream to take a chance and find some gold as Woodrow wandered among guests to help them with their techniques. Along with the gold panning demonstrations, Woodrow and her crew also had a motorized sifter placed in the water that used a pump to suck up sand from the bottom of the stream and run it through the machine, where screens did the work of separating the gold from the rest of the debris.
Throughout the years, Woodrow and her husband have collected several vials of gold and plan to pass it on to their children. “We don’t do this to make any money. We do it for the fun of the find,” said Woodrow. People of all ages were successful in finding gold on Friday, and Woodrow hopes to continue to offer demonstrations to guests for years to come.
“We got to talking one day and someone said to me, ‘you know people around here would love to know how you do it, they just don’t know where to go to learn,’ so we decided to see if there was an interest and judging by today, I would say there is,” said Woodrow.
Forest Service Geologist Patrick Moran was on site to help answer any questions people had regarding permits the Forest Service or BLM might require before heading out on their own. Moran explained that for the most part, people can gold pan pretty much anywhere as long as it is not on private land. The only time a permit is required, is when a machine or mechanical device is going to be used.
“We want to make sure that people are not using a pump in an endangered fish habitat or in a wilderness area. The permits are free and take about a week to process,” explained Moran. The day was a great success and everyone enjoyed their time with Woodrow and plan to head out again as soon as possible.
Woodrow comes up for the summer and stays at the Ute Bluff Lodge which is under new management this year. The lodge has undergone some changes with more to come soon; Woodrow urges fellow travelers to come out and see for themselves and perhaps stay for a golden adventure!