The evidence of gold in Ohio is very old. Gold was discovered in glacial drifts and old miners said that they saw a marked resemblance in the channels and general occurrence of gold here to those of California, the floor of gravel beds often being rough and in most part covered with considerable depth of gravel. In 1868, gold was recovered from the drift north of Brownsville in Bowling Green Towship. The largest particles were the size of wheat grains.

Regarding gold in Licking County, it was reported the presence of small quantities of gold, but quite uniformly distributed, as nearly every pan showed different colors of gold. The gold came mainly from the clay, sands, and gravels of small streams that cut a range of terraces, extending along the Licking River. In 1868, gold dust was obtained from several points in Licking County.  It also stated that gold was found in quartz. According to some old prospectors, a few years since the Clermont gold mines attracted a short lived notoriety, Clermont County had no monopoly of the gold bearing formations of Ohio. This formation was considered a drift gold field.

Gold was found at Bellville, in southern Richland County, while about 1898, gold was discovered at Malvine, Carrol County, in an old Indian cave. Here the gold occurred in yellow sandstone. The discovery of gold in this state was very excitement for many people.