NOTE: This post was formerly part of the JEEP-HERDERS MOVIE and EL DORADO JEEPHERDERS post, but I’ve split that post into three, each updated with some new info and/or pics.

Over the last decade, I occasionally saw vintage jeeps with bronze casted placer gold miners on the hood. For years I’ve wondered about where these originated. They turn out to have an interesting history. Moreover, different castings over the years has led to slightly different designs.

It was a member of the El Dorado Jeepherders who first began selling them. From Ken Hower on Pirate 4×4:

Gold Miner Hood Ornament History:
In 1970, Mike Arnold opens Arnolds For Awards in Shingle Springs, CA (Acrylic Awards | Crystal Awards | Glass Awards | Corporate Plaques).

– In 1970, Mike Arnold goes to Alaska to a Gold Rush Event, since the history of gold mining in California looking for a tie in for his business. At the event, Mike finds an artist who has cast these Gold Miner statues. Mike buys a handful and returns to California.

– 1971, Mike installs the Gold Miner on his hood for the Jeepers Jamboree. Mike is a member of the El Dorado Jeepherders, the first organized 4-wheel drive club in the United States. He brings a few statues on the Jamboree to sell, and a few are bought.

– El Dorado Jeepherders adopt the statue for their club and nearly every member of the club, now has a Gold Miner statue hood ornament.

– Ken Collins is the owner of Placerville Jeep. He is also, one of the founders of the Jeepers Jamboree, along with Mark Smith. Ken buys statues from Arnolds Awards and begins giving them away to customers who buy a jeep.

– Chuck Walker. Yes, the Walker behind the famous Walker Hill on the Rubicon, is a sales man at Placerville Jeep. He is there, when Ken Collins is giving them away. Chuck decides to split from Placerville, and open his own dealership in Sacramento, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. He also begins buying the statues and giving to his customers, this is why you see them on Dodge and Jeep around Sacramento.

Back in the day, the retail cost of the statue was $20. It costs far more than that now, simply to make them.

Merlin Scott (a Rock Award winner for lifetime achievement of service on the Rubicon Trail had his Dodge truck stolen a long time ago. They recovered the vehicle. The only damage, his Gold miner was ripped off the hood of his truck.

I want to thank Kevin Arnold and Mike Arnold of Arnolds Awards for telling the story this morning. I want to thank Merlin Scott for telling me who to call. So many of the old timers that pioneered wheeling are passing away, so I think it’s important to preserve that history and those stories. Also thank John Arenz, President of RTF for filling in the names that were forgotten.

I put the link already, but Rubicon Trail Foundation has taken it upon ourselves to be the custodian of that history. Spend some time and go to the website and read through the history of the Rubicon Trail.

VARIATIONS:

After posting this original post a couple days ago, I began looking more closely at the photos of miners I had. Moreover, Mike shared a photo of his miner that includes “Placerville Hardware” on the rear. That got me thinking: given the miners have been produced and sold over the past 50 years, there could be several variations. Then, I found a reference from Jim Allen that some special promo miners had been produced. Here’s what I found among the miners I have documented:
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In 1945, a movie called the Jeep-Herders was released. Not long after that (most likely between 2 to 6 years), several folks formed the El Dorado Jeepherders jeep club in the Placerville area of California. My assumption is that the name of the club came directly from the movie.

The internet claims that the El Dorado Jeepherders is the oldest jeep club in existence, however I could find no dates to confirm this. One claim puts the club’s roots in early 1950. By the early 1950s, there were several clubs in existence in the West, including the two earliest that I know of: the Yakima Ridge Runners and the Hemet Jeep Club. A copy of the club’s original bylaws can be found on eBay. Here are pics of them:

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