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Donning overalls, a plaid long-sleeve shirt and a beat-up old miner’s hat, this 74-year-old prospector from New Mexico looks exactly the way one would think he would.
Stan Gurley has panned for gold for 14 years in Colorado, from Silverthorne to Grand Junction, to Leadville and Breckenridge. And he doesn’t just pan for gold - Gurley goes back in time as he shares the history of panning while he shovels and sifts through gravel, rock and sand.
“[Gold panning] gives me a rush,” he said.
Gurley first dabbled in gold panning in the Mojave Desert, where he claims there is still much gold to be found. For this member of the Gold Prospectors of Colorado, which has existed since 1974, gold panning is more than a hobby - it is a ritual that takes him back to the days of the Gold Rush.
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