A wooden covered bridge spans a river surrounded by trees and a rocky shoreline. — **Plate I.** South Yuba River SP gold panning. From parks.ca.gov

South Yuba River SP gold panning

Penn Valley, Nevada County, California. Gold panning.

Details

Map. Penn Valley, Nevada County, California. Larger map

Where: 17660 Pleasant Valley Road, Penn Valley, CA 17660. Directions
When: Gold Panning: 12 P.M. - 2 P.M. Fridays and Saturdays. Meet by the Visitor Center.
Getting there: South Yuba River State Park is located off Highway 49, north of Nevada City. The park is accessible from Edwards Crossing, Purdon Crossing, Highway 49 and Bridgeport.
Fees: $10/Per Vehicle.
Hours: Open 7 Days a Week – Sunrise to Sunset.
Access: For gold panning, the only tool allowed is a gold mining pan and your hands.
Phone: (530) 432-2546

Modern-day gold seekers can play out the story of the gold rush using only bare hands and shallow gold pans. Visitors may keep any gold they find.

Notable Events

1848Gold was discovered on the South Yuba River in June of 1848 at Rose's Bar. sierragoldparksfoundation.org
1850Bridges built in 1850 crossed the South and Main Yuba River branches near their confluence, and the 1851 Sparks Bridge crossed the South Yuba, giving the district the name Bridgeport. southyubariverstatepark.org
1862After the January flood destroyed most Yuba River bridges, David Wood built the covered bridge at Bridgeport, completed by about mid-1862; it combined a Howe truss and a Burr arch. southyubariverstatepark.org
1901The Virginia Turnpike Company collected tolls over the bridge until 1901, when Nevada County declared the route toll-free. southyubariverstatepark.org
1971The bridge was listed on the National Register July 14, 1971. southyubariverstatepark.org
1997Extreme flooding in 1997 matched 1862 levels and damaged the bridge; further repairs were made. parks.ca.gov
2011In 2011 the bridge was closed to pedestrian traffic due to deterioration of structural members; the Save Our Bridge campaign won state funds and stabilization was completed in early 2015. southyubariverstatepark.org
2019Free docent-led gold panning demonstrations at the troughs by the South Yuba River State Park Visitors' Center began, held on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. theunion.com
2021After a decade closed over safety concerns, the bridge reopened to the public following a Save Our Bridge campaign that raised $6.9 million and a Spectra Company rehabilitation that spanned mid-2019 through fall 2021. parks.ca.gov

People

David John Wood, Bridge builder; Virginia Turnpike Company proprietor (1851–1862).
Perkins Lafayette Hutchinson, Toll taker at the Sparks and Covered Bridges (1856 to 1864).
David Wood, bought two bridges from the Nye Brothers and began charging tolls; built a home at Point Defiance (from 1851).
John Rose, Scotsman placer miner who mined the Yuba after hearing of Spect's discovery, giving Rose's Bar its name and leading to Sucker's Flat, Timbuctoo and Smartsville; built a trading post and corral near today's Pleasant Valley Road and Piper Lane (mid-1849).

Details

Notable Events

People

Sources