JOSEPH — “There’s gold in them thar hills!”

At least that’s what’s being offered in Joseph, along with gemstones, fossils, arrowheads and more at Minecart Panning, a new attraction run by the owners of the Joseph Branch Railriders.

“Folks can come and pan for gemstones, fossils and gold, and things from petrified forests, arrowheads and all kinds of stuff,” said Robert Nichols, who was building a ramp for wheelchair accessibility to the sluice box Tuesday, April 11. “Anything they find they get to keep.”

The facility is right next to the terminal for the Railriders across Alder Street from the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo Grounds. Railriders features tandem pedal carts with a full electric assist system that makes use of part of the old rail line that ends in Joseph. Nichols and wife Tia bought the system in January 2020 after Robert managed it for three years.

“I grew up doing this as a kid and I’m pretty sure I still have the stuff I got when I was 10 and did it,” he said of the panning operation. “I’ve talked to other people who’ve done it when they were kids and they were, like, ‘Hey, I still have those things.’ That’s kind of neat to know that they held onto it.”

Something for everyoneNichols said his own experience with panning for treasure as a child leads him to believe it’s something that would appeal to others.

“I thought it was special when I was a kid and I thought it would be a cool thing to share with the county — our visitors and our locals,” he said.

In addition to the accessibility ramp for wheelchairs, the sluice box where people pan for their treasure is sloped so the lower end is just the right height for kids.

“Our goal is to make it really approachable,” he said. “That’s pretty important to us.”

It also requires no reservation — just walk up and get in line.

“It’s a walk-up attraction that you don’t have to make a reservation,” he said. “Just come in while we’re open.”

He said that once it opens May 20, the hours of operation will roughly coincide with those of the Railriders. The hours may expand if there’s enough interest, he said.

Simple processThe sluice at Minecart Panning is built upon what resemble old-fashioned mining carts sitting on the rails next to Railriders. The sluice catches water from a tower and it runs down in front of customers who place their sifting boxes or pans in the water and sift out the debris to reveal the treasure.

“One consequence of the funky shape (of the sluice) is that it makes it more functional for the little ones,” he said, referring to how the sluice box is lower at one end.

The water is pumped back into the tower and recycled.

CostNichols said a bucket of sand containing treasures and the use of a sifting box starts at $12.

Cost for those who pan for gold is a bit higher. They will get a 9-10-inch pan, a “snuffer” bottle used to suck up the gold out of the pan once it’s separated from the sand, a shovel and other equipment.

“They get to keep these so they can try panning in their own backyard stream if they want,” Nichols said.

He said the primary cost to him is obtaining the gold and the gems.

“They come from all over the world,” he said. “That was the biggest challenge and expense, finding them and the freight to get them here. But we still managed to keep it affordable.”

But it’s worth it.

“We want to guarantee that people will find something,” he said.

Local traditionNichols believes having a panning attraction in Joseph fits in with Wallowa County’s history.

“This area’s pretty popular for gold rushes, Baker City and the Sumpter Valley with a dredge,” he said.

In fact, placer gold — gold dust found in streams as opposed to hard-rock lode gold veins — can still be found in many of the streams that drain the Wallowa Mountains and the Blue Mountains. The Sumpter areas and the upper part of the Powder River have historically been fairly good locations to recover gold, according to rockseeker.com.

What: Pan for treasure

Who: Robert and Tia Nichols

Where: 501 W. Alder St. Joseph

Email: info@minecartpanning.com

Online: minecartpanning.com

Hours: May 20–Oct. 1, Thursday-Monday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.