The southwest part of Colorado was the last area properly explored by US gold prospectors as they migrated across the state. Many towns such as Ouray, Telluride, Silverton, Durango, Rico, Dolores and Placerville owe their existence to the early prospectors.
While my book (learn more about it here) and various other articles on this website, describe the towns and where to dig legally, you may be interested in learning more. If so, this excerpt from the doctoral dissertation of Ben Parker (Colorado School of Mines, 1960) may be interesting. It provides plenty of hints and details for modern prospectors to follow in their search for dig sites.
https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/downloads/19/19_p0168_p0184.pdf
This treatise is especially helpful to those who may want to explore for areas where they can file a productive federal mining claim. To learn more about filing a mining claim, be sure to read my article on how to do that here.
IF you are not interested in filing a mining claim, please be careful with the information in Professor Parker’s writing. He highlights many areas that include private property and active mining claims. These areas need to be avoided by the casual prospector unless permission is first obtained to prospect. That said, many ranchers and mining claim owners WILL grant permission if asked. Persistence is often rewarded; this is especially true in the field of gold prospecting right?!!?
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