There's Gold Up Them There Hills EarthCache
There's Gold Up Them There Hills
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The natives once called this place "Sna-za-ist" - the Striped Rock Place - named for the coloured and striped cliffs on both sides of the canyon.
This earthcache will take you to the grounds of the Hedley Heritage Museum.
If you would like more information on the museum visit www.hedleybc.ca It only costs 2 dollars to visit if you are intrested in some more history of the area.
I have always been amazed when driving past Hedley to see how high up the mine was. Could you imagine working up there, let alone getting up that high?
The town of Hedley was named after, Robert R. Hedley who was a mining engineer and the manager of the Hall Smelter in Nelson, BC.
The town was born after gold was discovered in 1897. Hedley became one of the richest factions in BC mining history. The town boomed, and there was even a 3 km long aerial tramway constructed to bring the ore down the mountain.
The two major mines in the area were the Nickel Plate and Mascot Mines. The Nickel Plate mine produced more then 50,000 ounces of rich ore per year. The Mascot Mine joined in 1936 and increased production to more then 1.5 million ounces of gold and 4 million pounds of copper.
In 1956 and 1957 there were some horrible fires in the town of Hedley which destroyed many of the historical buildings and hotels. In the 1970s the Stamp Mill buildings also burned to the ground.
It is still possible to visit the mine sites, but you need to take the paying tour available through www.mascotmine.com or get special permission (and I don’t even know where you get that).
Gold and Copper are both formed thorugh volcanic activity. They are often found together. The moltan rock (magma) intrudes on solid rock, then eventually cools and hardens.
Copper is a rose red transition metal element which occurres in nuggets, oxide ores, and sulphide ores. Copper is a metallic element, which has a characteristic reddish-brown colouration. When pure is very malleable and ductile and can be rolled into sheets, hammered into thin leaves, and drawn into wire. It is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity.
Gold is a soft yellow malleable transition metal element which occurs in nuggets, Quartz veins, and on alluvial gravels. Gold is a bright lustrous metal which has a characteristic yellow colouration. It is highly malleable and ductile (extremely thin sheets have been made). Gold is also an excellent conductor of heat and electricity.
Now to earn your smiley:
Please email me the answers to the following questions. The first 2 are found on a sign at ground zero, the last 2 you have to figure out on your own. ;)
1. How much gold was mined in dollars?
2. What date was the mine exhausted?
3. How many buildings are still visible on the mine site above you?
4. How high above you is the mine site (guesstimate)?
5. Post a picture of you in front of either the museam, or with the mine site in the background.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ernq gur fvatf, gura ybbx hc, JNL HC