Crime | gold rush $2M in Gold, Gems Stolen From Calif. Gold Rush Museum But robbers left behind 14-pound gold nugget By Mary Papenfuss Posted Oct 2, 2012 12:22 AM CDT Updated Oct 2, 2012 12:50 AM CDT Copied Hooded robbers armed with pickaxes burst into the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa, Calif. (AP Photo/California State Parks, John Palmer) Police are hunting a pair of brazen "ninja" robbers in black wielding pickaxes who burst into a Sierra Nevada Gold Rush Museum in broad daylight and escaped with $2 million in gold and gems. No workers or visitors were injured, and the crooks failed to grab the biggest prize—a 14-pound crystalline gold "nugget"—at the Mariposa museum. “There’s just a lot of irreplaceable things that we’ll never get back that have been around since the Gold Rush days in this town,” a resident told CBS-TV in Sacramento. Earlier this year thieves grabbed large chunks of gold on display in a Siskiyou County courthouse. Read These Next Mark Zuckerberg's 'list' has Silicon Valley buzzing. Tillis, who opposes Trump bill, won't seek reelection. IAEA chief downplays damage to Iran nuclear sites. Musk renews attack on Trump's bill. Report an error