From Our Blog
Alabama Gold Camp in Cragford, AL
Dave Milton
December 2nd, 2015
Last week I visited the Alabama Gold Camp in Cragford, AL. The Camp is a one of a kind, old-timey Gold prospecting camp at the confluence of Wesobulga and Crooked Creeks in rural Randolph and Clay Counties. The Camp has an rustic general store and rustic cabins on the edge of one of the big creek bottoms. I had a great time talking to one of the managers, Blaze Brooks about everything that the camp has to offer. You can check out my interview with Blaze, along with pictures at thelandshow.com.
Blaze told me about how his friend, Jeff Landrum started the camp around eight years ago. Jeff is a businessman in Valley, Al. One of Jeff’s favorite hobbies was prospecting for gold in some of Alabama’s most remote places. Jeff started the camp as a place for he and his friends to have a place to stay while they were prospecting on the creeks in this part of Randolph and Clay Counties. More and more friends came and soon they built cabins and a store and opened the camp to the public.
I really felt like I stepped back in time as Blaze told me about the history of the Alabama Gold Rush in this part of Alabama. Back in the 1830’s folks came from all over the eastern U.S. to this part of Alabama to prospect for Gold. Many of the early settlers to California came straight from this part of Alabama when they heard that California had more Gold than the Alabama hills did that they were mining.
Blaze showed me the many different techniques that one could use at the camp to mine gold from low tech panning to mechanized high-banking and dredging. Jeff, Blaze and the rest of the team at the Alabama Gold Camp have a full line of prospecting equipment to sell or rent and they won’t leave you in the dark; they will train you on how to prospect for gold.
Many different types of groups and individuals rent the cabins at the Alabama Gold Camp. Some come to enjoy the land and creeks while choosing to not prospect. While I was visiting the camp, I met Jerry Bouldin, who along with his friends were renting cabins and riding there horses through the many trails in and around the camp. That is Jerry on the Horse in front of the General Store in the picture. Also, Crooked Creek, the larger creek that runs through the camp is a great place to canoe through nice shoals and small rapids while fishing for spotted and redeye bass. I know that for a fact, Crooked Creek was one of my favorite canoe/fishing spots many years ago when I used to canoe and fish the creeks in this part of the state.
If you are looking for something really unique and fun to do with your family, the Alabama Gold Camp may be your destination and who knows you may find “the mother lode” that those early prospectors were looking for almost two hundred years ago. Give the good folks at the Alabama Gold Camp a call at 256-396-0389 or check them out at alabamagoldcamp.com.