Boylston Gold Mine EarthCache
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Historic Boylston gold mine area, on the southeast side of Forge Mountain, just southwest of Mills River.
DO NOT BLOCK THE DRIVEWAY! Stay on the road shoulder.
History
In the late 1800s, Boylston Mining Company operated a profitable gold mine just upstream from here. This area was not systematically prospected until the winter of 1885-86, but the results were encouraging, so a small mill was installed. Commercial mining began in 1886, but the abandoned mine had fallen into disrepair by 1894. (North Carolina Geological Survey Bulletin No. 3, Gold Deposits of North Carolina, Nitze and Hanna, published in 1896, p. 184 - 185.)
Description of Geology |
Gold-bearing quartzite
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Quartzite
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Schists
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Four veins containing gold-bearing quartzite run roughly parallel to the length of Forge Mountain, fairly evenly spaced between the foot of the mountain and the top of the ridge. The one- to four-foot veins hold the rusty-tinted quartzite in ½- to two-inch thick lenses interlaminated within the body of crumpled schists.
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Deposition
Where a gold-bearing vein of rock is exposed at the surface, erosion causes small bits of the gold to break loose from the bedrock. Gravity and waterflow take the bits downhill and then downstream. Since gold is considerably heavier than most minerals, the waterborne gold bits drop out of suspension first and collect in areas of slower stream flow, such as behind boulders or on the inside of stream bends.
Discovery
Considering the miles and miles of nearby mountains of western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina, how did anyone know which areas had gold and which didn’t? Occasionally, as in the case of the fabulous Reed Gold Mine near Kannapolis, NC, the discovery of gold was sheer luck. |
Prospector
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Gold dust and nuggets
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Gold pan and sluice
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But most times a knowledgeable prospector moved through an area looking for signs of gold. He carefully and methodically checked larger streambeds in a chosen area hoping to find concentrations of gold dust and nuggets. This was generally done with either a gold pan or a sluice. In the case of the Boylston deposits, sluicing was used.
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Determination of Source
Once a small occurrence of gold was located in a stream, the prospector moved methodically upstream, checking for more deposits. When the gold ”show” failed in the stream, he searched the last tributary passed. If gold was found in the tributary but not upstream in the main stream, the prospector moved up the tributary. This method led him closer and closer to the origin of the gold. When gold was no longer found in the smallest tributary, the prospector checked the soil on both banks at the last point where gold had been found in the stream. By following the eroded gold bits uphill, the original vein was eventually found.
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Gold "show" in pan
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Development
Open-pit mine
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At this point larger-scale mining methods came into play. If the gold-bearing vein remained close to the surface for a good distance, open-pit mining took place. Manpower and machinery were used to dig out the gold-bearing soil and rock, creating an open borrow area similar to a quarry. |
However, if the auriferous rock dipped deeply underneath the surface, tunneling was the more efficient method of extraction. This required careful engineering to address problems of drainage, ventilation, and roof support.
Both open-pit and short tunnel mining were used at Boylston. |
Mine tunnel
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Debris
Stamp mill
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Once the gold-rich ore was mined, it was sent through a nearby stamp mill which pulverized the rock and recovered the gold. The tailings (leftover crushed rock and diggings) were dumped below the mill and below the excavation sites.
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Mine tailings
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Documentation
To log this earthcache, find a piece of the quartzite tailings in the streambed. Email me (rkclimber4Jesus@bellsouth.net) a close-up photo of your hands holding the rock and your GPSr. If your photo doesn’t show discernible quartzite, your log will not be allowed. In the unlikely event that you find any gold, show me that, too. No fakes! (Please leave the quartzite for the next person to find.) The land beyond the highway right-of-way is private. Do not trespass!
2010 |
Additional Hints
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Treasures
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