Panning For Gold In Georgia

Mr. Billy Earnest Byrd, 69, of Buchanan

Mr. Billy Earnest Byrd, of Buchanan, GA, passed away on July 15, 2011 at the age of 69.

Mr. Byrd proudly served his country as an infantryman in the United States Army serving time in Berlin. Following his military service, he began a career as a commercial fisherman, eventually owning his own boat, the Stanley Butler. His experience repairing diesel engines on fishing boats along with his natural mechanical abilities, eventually led him to a 28-year career as a diesel mechanic, retiring from Yancey Bros. Caterpillar as a heavy equipment mechanic. He was just as talented in the kitchen as he was tearing down an engine, preparing most things from scratch. His “Hummingbird Cake” and barbecue still brings back fond memories to those lucky enough to get a taste. Billy was an animal lover who enjoyed being outdoors; camping, hiking, and panning for gold in the desert. He was a down to earth person who was a hard worker, and a loving father and grandfather.

He is survived by his son, Wayne Byrd and his wife Luann of Villa Rica; daughters Katherine Barao and her husband Kevin of Taunton, MA, Cynthia Hogeland of Fayetteville; grandchildren Trevor Barao, Joseph Barao, Colton Barao, Catherenne Hogeland, Charys Hogeland; sister Betty Colangeli of Palm Bay, FL; brothers Joseph Brown Byrd and his wife Johnnie, of Buchanan and Richard Byrd and his wife Evelyn, of Devine, TX.

Funeral services will be held at the Inman United Methodist Church on Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 11:00 AM with Reverend Steve Swafford and Reverend Chip Daniels officiating.The body will be in the state of the church from 10:30 until time of service. A private internment is planned for the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia. There is no other public visits scheduled at this time.

Carl J.

Panning for Gold in GA | Articles

By: Hubert Crowell

I have estimated that when I am working the streams in North Georgia for gold, I can earn about $0.50 an hour at the current price of gold. I understand completely how hard it was for prospectors to make a living looking for gold. However, there is something exciting about finding that shiny speck of metal in the ground. The gold of North Georgia has a deep golden color and is the purest found anywhere. The thrill of that gold appearing in the bottom of a pan of black sand can be addictive. Don’t expect to get rich looking for gold, but you can easily collect some color for you home collection and maybe even a bragging nugget or two.

You may have heard the story about the man in Africa who went off looking for diamonds only to return home after many years to find a large diamond in his own back yard. My wife kept telling to check out the creek behind the house for gold, but I kept looking in the gold fields more to the north and even tried to find some out west. My best success was from buying dirt from a mine in Dahlonega which resulted in paying about what the gold was worth after panning it out.

Most of the gold in Georgia can be found along a line from Clayton in the northeast to Buchanan near the Alabama line. Along this line is Dahlonega, Canton, Allatoona, and Acworth. The gold belt is not well defined and spread out in places. We live just north of Marietta along a ridge that divides the waters of the Chattahoochee and the Etowah rivers. I like to think of it as our little continental divide. Behind our home we have a stream that flows toward the Etowah. The rock formations here are turned up on edge and at about midpoint along the back of our lot is a quartz vein that is being cut away by the stream.

I started panning for gold on the corner of the lot at the down stream end and planned to work my way up the stream and clean out all the gold I could find. On one of our trips to Colorado for a caving convention, my friend and I left a week early to pan for gold and bought a small 2 inch dredge. I set up the dredge in the creek and worked the sand all the way down to bed rock. The gold was very rough and beautiful. Nothing large just small pickers and flakes. I did fill a small locket with gold for a neckless that my wife wears and a small amount for a display case.

I have not yet worked the creek up to the quartz vein where I suspect the gold is coming from. It has not moved far in the water or the edges would be more rounded off. I guess I am saving the rest of the creek for the future.

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