There aren’t high concentrations of gold in Nebraska, but the gold that is found here comes primarily from two distinct sources. From the west, rivers that drain the rich gold bearing lands in Colorado and Wyoming that flow through Nebraska carry very fine placer gold. And in the eastern portion of the state, there are glacial gold sources.

The gold in the western portion of Nebraska is extremely fine and has been carried vast distances from the gold country primarily in Colorado. Because the distance is so great, only extremely fine gold is able to move this far and large nuggets and even sizable flakes of gold are almost nonexistent.

Fine placers are found by prospectors at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers in Lincoln County. There is probably fine gold that can be found all throughout both of these rivers, but the best concentrations are likely better as you go west toward the Colorado and Wyoming borders.

Prospectors have reported gold occurrences in the Little and Big Nemaha Rivers in Lancaster County. There is also decent probability that Blue River and Missouri River also contain some fine gold deposits.

Gold has been found in Muddy Creek in southeastern Nebraska south of Stella in Richardson County.

Also Read: Gold Mining Areas in Wyoming

And: The Lost Cabin Mine of the Bighorn Mountains

Since gold occurrences in Nebraska are extremely fine, prospectors should take great care to retain these fine particles. While the glacial gold that was carried down to the eastern parts of the state can occasionally have some size to it, it is extremely rare to find large pieces. Areas that were once covered by past glaciers almost always contain flour gold.

Generally it is a good idea to get down to bedrock and clean out bedrock cracks to find gold, but in Nebraska it is common for compacted clays to act as a false bedrock which will stop gold and cause it to accumulate. Cleaning out the fine material just above the hard clay layers will generally be more productive than beneath it, because these fine gold deposits will rest upon the false bedrock.

Next: Finding Fairburn Agates in South Dakota

U.S. Gold Map