2023-09-03 15:19:01
Panning for gold in the Valais Alps was still a reality more than a century ago. In Gondo, more than 500 men were trying to get their hands on the precious metal in the mines. Today, a last miner invites the public to relive this gold rush.
In the mountainous region of Gondo, on the border between Switzerland and Italy – far from the famous gold rush in North America in the 19th century – hides a century-old gallery. This is where the program Couleurs locales went to meet Rolf Gruber, also known as “Gondo’s last gold digger”.
The former border guard, now retired, works with his hammer and chisel in a mine that was closed more than 120 years ago. “I am preparing the already rusty auriferous pyrite. In there, there is gold”, he explains at the time of his meeting with the cameras of the RTS.
Pulled out by the force of the wrist, the small bits of rock unfortunately do not allow you to obtain much. “We’re going down to the river below and we’re going to get the precious ore. There are already polished, already shiny flakes,” explains Rolf Gruber.
“Easier to find gold at Bahnhofstrasse”
The auriferous gravel bars are found in the Zwischbergental river. Exit the helmet, hello the boots. In the water, the gold panning technique is a little different. In the middle of the rocks, the Haut-Valaisan swaps his hammer for a shovel, which is more practical for extracting the silt.
First step: remove leaves and large stones. With his miner’s basket, Rolf Gruber then begins a four-beat waltz. “At the end, instead of a girlfriend, we have gold,” he laughs.
After several minutes, with a little patience, only fine sand particles remain at the bottom of the sieve. At first glance, the hope of finding gold flakes among them is almost dashed. “It’s true that it’s much easier to find gold at Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich,” jokes the gold miner from Gondo, who specifies that his biggest catch in the region was a small nugget heavy six grams.
The work will have paid off. “There is a micronugget,” points out Rolf Gruber, “but it’s not the quantity that counts.”
Ainhoa Ibarrola/jfe
1693756753
#search #gold #Gondos #miner #rts.ch
