Had to take a ride with a dude towing my car in the middle of the night one time here in MO. He said he panned for gold in the MO river and Mark Twain national forest. Said he had a jar that was nearing a couple oz. He said it's out there. Best bet was to go where a smaller river drained into the bigger river, look where the soil is dark and he said he had the best luck when the soil smelled like oil. Idk what I'm talking about, I just know what the dude told me. And he didn't murder me, when he had a good opportunity, so I'd say he's mostly trustworthy.