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The Stonewall Jackson Mine, San Diego County, California
July 2001 by Richard H. Peterson, PhD
For obvious reasons southern California is not known historically for its gold mines. Gold production was concentrated heavily in the Sierra Nevada foothills in the northern part of the state. However, the high mountainous region of eastern San Diego County was the site of a number of productive hardrock gold mines, notably in the late 19th century.Historical Mining Methods
The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 started the great gold rush to California. The account that drew national and worldwide notice was a small, two-inch item at the bottom of the front page of the March 15, 1848 issue of the “Californian,” published in San Francisco. The article was attributed to B.R. Buckelew, and mentioned quantities of gold just being “gathered.”
Melman on Gold & Silver
Clearly, the single-most important reason for the latest decline in gold is the recently announced auctions by the British Central Bank. However, other news stories this past month also had negative implications for the yellow metal.
Picks & Pans: Confessions of a Small Miner—Part II
People always ask me how much gold I'm getting? I remind them that after 27 years digging in that same mountain, I'm still a small miner. But my wife hasn't divorced me—probably because the lawyer wants all the money up front.
BLM Cancels 10-Million-Acre Sage Grouse Mineral Withdrawal
The very way it was done at the time didn’t give one much confidence in the objectivity and honesty of the BLM study.
Basic Geology for the Independent Miner—Part VI Geology of Placer Gold Deposits
Placer deposits are the focus of many small-scale prospectors, as they can be worked with comparatively inexpensive equipment. In this conclusion of a six-part series, we will take a look at the geology and formation of placer deposits...
Update On “Special Rock” Kicking
Bob “Neverquit” Abendschein’s article on his “Special Rock” in the December 2006 issue was short and to the point. As Neverquit and I are old friends, I sent him e mail:
The Other Minerals of Mt. Diablo
Although it is now known that Mount Diablo, located in Contra Costa County in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, was the site of the largest coal mining operation in the state during the last half of the 19th century... this majestic focal point... also was the source of other minerals.
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