What was the pan used for in the gold rush?

The gold pan was used as a tool to separate the gold from the other river gravels. Gold is more dense than the gravel and will works its way down through the gravel under the right conditions. The gold pan helps provide these conditions. A miner would fill the pan with gravel and water. He or she would then agitate the material in the pan by shaking it side to side or in a circular motion. This would loosen up the gravel and allow the gold to sink to the bottom of the pan while the litter gravel was washed out of the pan by the moving water.