IONIA COUNTY, MICHIGAN

ABOUT IONIA COUNTY

This county has numerous placer deposits.

Grand River

The Grand River Below Lyons is said to contain gold and diamonds.

Reported by: Rudy Evonich

The Grand River runs through the Portland State Game Area which is located south of Portland off of Charlotte Highway. The gold here is a result of glaciers and where it can be found is often unpredictable. I have found a couple of spots that produced up to 3 colors per pan (don't laugh, in Michigan that's not bad). The biggest flake I have found yet in this are was about 3mm. I use my 4" Bazooka and enjoy dredging there, but Michigan has no dredging permits (not yet), so you need to keep a low profile. I have never heard of anyone being fined for panning or sluicing, but when using a dredge you need to use some common sense and find an out of the way spot where no one is likely to stumble by.

Mapre River

Along the Mapre River there have been numerous placer gold deposits discovered.

• ADD INFORMATION ON A GOLD BEARING LOCATION