Downtown Oronoco Gold Rush Days
Before the Downtown Oronoco Gold Rush Days came into being, in 1857 gold was discovered along the banks of the Zumbro River near Oronoco, Minnesota. The gold rush was short-lived as two damaging floods in 1859 washed away the equipment of those hoping to strike it rich. It was determined that there wasn’t enough gold to be found to make it worthwhile to resume working. Things remained quiet in Oronoco until 1972 when Earl Berg established another Gold Rush in Oronoco. Although the rush for gold along the banks of the Zumbro River had died out over a hundred years earlier, Earl recognized that there was gold to be found in antiques, so he invited 38 vendors to come to Oronoco to exhibit their wares. The event was a real family affair with the entire Berg family volunteering their time and talents. Although Mr. Berg died in 1997, Mrs. Berg continued to own and operate Berg’s Antiques.
Mission
The mission of Downtown Oronoco Gold Rush Days, Inc. is to promote an antique show of the highest quality that showcases the vendors, relying on volunteers from the community to support and staff, for the purpose of creating funds that can be re-invested back into our community to improve the lives of our residents.
