Tucked away in the Eastern Sierras of California, Bodie is a gold-mining ghost town preserved in a state of arrested decay. Yet, in its hey day, Bodie hosted one of the richest gold strikes in California with a peak population of nearly 10,000 people. Gold and silver extracted from the Bodie Hills totaled in the millions.
The Cullen Hall of Gems And Minerals in Houston, Texas’s Houston Museum of Natural Science sports a world class collection of 750 gem and mineral specimens. The darkened room sets off brilliant crystalline gold samples, along with a 2000 carat crystal emerald, the largest found in North America.
Kerbyville Historical Museum offers a rare glimpse into the history of Josephine County, Oregon. Exhibits span the culture of the local Takelma Tribe, timber industry, Illinois Valley pioneer settlers, and local gold mining history.
