Southwestern Prospectors & Miners Association
About Us
Welcome. The SPMA is a prospecting association for people of all ages who would like to try their luck at prospecting in the mountains and deserts of San Diego, Riverside and Imperial Counties.
Please take a look at our website, or better still, come to one of our monthly meetings. We meet on the third Tuesday evening of each month.
Who We Are
The Southwestern Prospectors and Miners Association was first organized in San Diego in 1934 and is affiliated with the San Diego Mineral and Gem Association.
We are a non-profit organization whose initial purpose was to promote prospecting and mining during the depression years and to protect the mining laws of the west.
Today, the bulk of our members are weekend prospectors and miners who take advantage of the latest equipment available and the knowledge passed on by old-timers.
The primary goal of the SPMA is to teach the rapidly disappearing arts of prospecting and mining to those who want to learn.
Unless the historical techniques involved in searching for gold, gemstones, and other valuable minerals are passed on to the next generation, they could be lost forever.
To enjoy the SPMA you should have a love of nature and an interest in prospecting.
How We Can Help You
- Meetings with guest speakers
- Field trips to gold bearing areas
- Access to our mining claims
- Newsletters & online forums
- Help filing a claim of your own
Instruction in:
- Basic gold panning
- Dry washing for gold
- Dredging for gold
- Sluicing & high banking
- Prospecting techniques
- Electronic Metal Detecting
- Equipment evaluation
- Rock & mineral identification
Where We Meet
We hold our meetings at the North Clairemont Community Center, Building #2, Meeting Room #2. It is just behind the Cathy Hopper Clairemont Friendship Center. The address is 4421 Bannock Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117. The doors open at 6:30 P.M. on the third Tuesday of each month.
Upcoming Events
Red Mountain claim club outing and Mormon Flats prospecting
April 25, 2025