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Tuesday, 15th November 2005 (4111 views)

In Colorado, the original gold rush state, you don't have to look too far to find people who are still convinced there is gold in the hills.

After working as a computer engineer for most of his life, Chuck Cummins has given his life over to chasing the yellow metal.

Talking to the Windsor Tribute, the 66 year-old Windsor resident said he now spends his free time sifting through his local gravel pit for flecks of the precious commodity.

But the retiree is also keen to pass on his enthusiasm – which was sparked by a family member just eight years ago – to other people.

After spotting a design flaw in a fellow prospector's pump, the gold-lover drew on his design know-how to whip up an improved model.

Now he sells about 800 of the pumps a year through a local store and the Gold Prospectors magazine.

The gold-sifter lists his favourite locations as Clear Creek in Golden and the Arkansas River.

But he also admitted the art of do-it-yourself gold prospecting is as much about luck as it is about equipment or application.

"This equipment will not find gold for you. It will get the gold for you if you find it. It's all a matter of luck," he said.

Still, there are no limits on where perseverance may get you. Colorado gold-miner John Gregory's first pan netted him just $4 – but in 1859 he became one of the richest men in the US after discovering 450,000 ounces of the stuff.

 

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