Located approximately 10 miles east of Sixes, Oregon, the Sixes River is a prime place to pan for gold. The only drawback that presented itself, was age. You'll drive past both clearcuts and gold mining claims, and there are two BLM recreation areas offering camping, picnicking, and river swimming. In 1856, the discovery of gold on the Sixes River caused a flurry of gold mining and settlement on the southern Oregon Coast. Preliminary development has taken place such as surface trenching, adits, shafts, drill holes, geophysics, geochemistry, or geological mapping. Today, the Sixes River is still a place where you can try your luck panning for gold. In 1856, the discovery of gold on the Sixes River caused a flurry of gold mining and settlement on the southern Oregon Coast. Eastern Oregon was the other major gold producer in Oregon, with nearly 2/3 of the total production coming from a few counties in the northeastern section. In 1871 "Nugget Tom" had a small gold claim in Star Gulch near the headwaters of the Sixes River in Curry County. Later, it can be found in Josephine Creek on the rivers of Applegate, Illinois, and Rouges, including the adjacent area of Gold Beach on the Coast. This page looks at its upper reaches, following Sixes River Road for 16 miles. According to local legend, the place was a mining town in the 1800s, but the inhabitants were terrorized by a "wildman." This is a somewhat isolated site and gets less pressure than other areas since it is quite a ways from the major population centers of Southern Oregon (Grants Pass, Roseburg, etc.) The gold mining story started in 1851 when prospectors found gold in Southern Oregon and the Gold Rush, which made the gold search fever sweep through the whole State. Slowly the town's people left the remote site, not wanting to deal with the strange, hairy creature(s) living there. Gold stream placers. Sixes River Mining District, Curry Co., Oregon, USA : 78 miles SW of Dothan. The campground offers a rustic camping experience in an old-growth forest setting. Sharps Creek Recreation Site (Lane County) Flickr/Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington. The public gold prospecting area is located at the confluence of the Sixes River and the South Fork Sixes River. The Hydro Sixes Mining Company Gold Prospect is near Sixes, Oregon. The Sixes River on inside of Cape Blanco, in section 4 of township 32S and range 15W, you will find the Madden Mine which was a large lode gold producer. This is a very remote spot, between Powers, Myrtle Point, and Sixes, Oregon. Historically the site has been associated with the Sixes River Area which is now part of the Siskiyou National Forest. There is also a camping site open during the summer months if you want to make a weekend of it. On north side of Cape Blanco, the beach deposits of black sand on both sides of mouth of the Sixes River contain placer gold and platinum. Recreational gold miners on the Sixes River reported recovery of free mercury during hydraulic/suction dredging of river bottom sediments. Mining on the Sixes River will yield gold, and the Oregon beaches in this area also yield very fine gold. Look for black sand deposits. The area is also popular with people looking for a more rustic camping experience in an off-highway location. The Sixes River on the inside of Cape Blanco, in section 4 of township 32S and Range 15W, you will find the Madden Mine which was a large lode gold producer.On the north side of Cape Blanco, the beach deposits of blacksand on both sides of the Sixes River contain placer gold … This road has stretches both beautiful and dramatic — and not always at the same time, as this river is highly exploited. If there was, and he could find it, he would be a rich man, indeed. For a long time he had been wondering if there wasn't a ledge up above him that all his placer gold had come from. Recreational miners still camp at the Sixes River campground during certain times of the year. Mercury is thought to be associated with the historic gold mining … (3/2/2001 SAN/SAS) Sixes River Placers are located on the main fork and south fork of the Sixes River. 3.