Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine

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Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine
National Register of Historic Places
Historic District
"Glory Hole" of the Consolidated Gold Mine

"Glory Hole" of the Consolidated Gold Mine

Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine, Georgia
Paris plan pointer b jms.svg
location Dahlonega , Lumpkin County , Georgia
Coordinates 34 ° 32 '12.9 "  N , 83 ° 58' 22.9"  W Coordinates: 34 ° 32 '12.9 "  N , 83 ° 58' 22.9"  W.
NRHP number 80001111
The NRHP added February 27, 1980

The Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine has been the largest and best-known show mine in Lumpkin County in the American state of Georgia since 1991 . The mine is located east of the town of Dahlonega on Yahoola Creek . Gold was mined underground from 1897 to 1906. In 1980, the mine was as a Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places of the USA added.

History of the Georgia Gold Rush

1829-1840

There are many legends surrounding the dated discovery of gold in Georgia. It was not until the newspaper report on two gold mines in Habersham County on August 1, 1829 in the Georgia Journal reliably confirmed the gold deposits in this region. Soap gold , which is easy to mine , triggered the first gold rush in Georgia. Thousands of miners, prospectors and settlers invaded the Dahlonega area in northern Georgia to illegally extract gold by simply panning for gold in the Cherokee land. In 1838/39 the violent expulsion of the Indians took place, who were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma on the " path of tears ". The gold rush was at its first peak at this point. In recognition of the mining activities, the mint in Dahlonega opened a branch in 1838, which remained in its headquarters until the outbreak of the civil war in 1861, but was subsequently closed forever as a result of the war riots. The former bank building, which was partially destroyed by fire in 1878, has housed the North Georgia Agricultural College since 1891, from which the North Georgia College and later the University of North Georgia emerged .

By 1840 the great boom of the gold rush ended. The easy-to-develop secondary soap gold deposits were depleted and the miners relocated to California and Colorado for gold mining. In the middle of the 19th century gold could be won through the use of new hydraulic pressure processes. Water was used under high pressure to flush gold-bearing material from the mountain slopes or from deeper layers of the earth in order to later enrich it. This process required the construction of canals, pipelines and other infrastructure.

1870-1906

From 1870 onwards, the cities expanded very strongly, which resulted in massive investments in mining. With the construction of tunnels and shafts, the extraction of gold from the quartz veins was promoted. In particular, the area around Dahlonega experienced a second major gold rush after the civil war, from 1899–1906. In addition to a favorable climate, fuel, hydropower and proximity to railroad tracks, telegraphs and telephone lines, the city also offered cheap labor, which enabled the use of new chemical methods to enrich gold. In 1900 there were 100 active gold mines within a radius of approximately 3 km.

The end of gold mining

However, mining remained largely unprofitable until 1930. In addition, the entry of the United States into World War II increasingly weakened the mining industry due to the withdrawal of workers and a lack of dynamite. The Crisson Gold Mine produced gold until 1982.

Gold tourism

Today gold tourism is an important economic factor for the city. In 1970, the Crisson Gold Mine was opened as a visitor mine for tours. The Lumpkin County Courthouse, built in 1836, is now the city's gold museum. Since 1991 the upper mine of the Consolidated Mine has been open to touristic tours all year round as a show mine.

The Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine

Geographical location

The Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine was located approximately 1.6 km northwest of the town of Dahlonega on the southwest side of the Yahoola Creek Valley. The mine area, which originally only covered 0.36 km², was largely spread over hilly land with some flat areas. The quartz veins converged on the mountain side of the mine and formed a 6.7 m thick gold-bearing quartz layer, which until then had formed one of the largest vein systems in the world. At an angle of 45 degrees this vein bent into the subsurface below the water table. This main shaft, which was created after the quartz vein was dismantled, formed the central corridor with the glory hole , from which side tunnels branch off.

Establishment of the Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mining Company

The Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mining Company, founded in 1895, owned a total of 28,000 km² of land in and around Lumpkin County after purchasing 10 additional gold mines. Among these advanced mining installation: the hand Mine (20 stamp mills ), the Yahoola Mine (20 stamp mills), the Findley mine (40 stamp mills), the Lawrence cartridge (10 stamp mills), the Upper Cane Creek Mine, the Lower Cane Creek Mine, the Barlow Mine (40 stamp mills), the Ralston Mine (10 stamp mills), the Gordon Mine and the Ward Creek Mine. The mining company also owned the Etowah Canal and the Hand Canal for process water management, connected properties and a tannery on the main site.

In the spring of 1899 the construction of the largest stamping mill plant with 120 stamping mills and the most modern chemical processing plant, a chlorination plant, began. Thus, the processing of ores with a low gold content could be mined profitably. One year later, on May 1, 1900, the Consolidated Gold Mine went into operation. In 1901 this mine with laboratory facilities, workshops and an administration building was one of the best equipped facilities in the region. In addition, a few private and public buildings in the city, all of which were electrified, belonged to the mining company. Although the Consolidated Gold Mine had operated successfully at the beginning and significant profits had been made, the investment costs presumably exceeded the actual income. Incorrect bookkeeping and falling gold prices meant that the company had to close in 1906.

Shutdown

The property has been sold. The tamper mills and the chlorination plant were dismantled and changed hands together with the machine hall. The entire gold deposit has now been idle for a few years. At the northeast end of the complex there are still two tunnel openings that are partially overgrown. Most of the underground shafts have collapsed and filled with rubble.

Visitor mine

The mine has been a show mine since 1991. At a depth of 200 m, visitors can take a tour of the famous Glory Hole, dig for gold themselves and learn important information about the technical development of gold mining.

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ H. David Williams: Origin of the North Georgia Gold Rush ; accessed February 8, 2019.
  2. ^ Edward A. Johnson, David Williams, "Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills," Georgia Gold History ; accessed February 7, 2019.
  3. ↑ Edward A. Johnson: Dahlonega . In: New Georgia Encyclopedia, September 9, 2014; accessed February 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Edward A. Johnson, David Williams, "Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills," Georgia Gold History ; accessed February 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ City of Dahlonega: History of Dahlonega ; accessed February 7, 2019.
  6. ↑ David Williams: Gold Rush . New Georgia Encyclopedia, September 12, 2018; accessed February 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Edward A. Johnson, David Williams, "Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills," Georgia Gold History ; accessed February 7, 2019.
  8. ↑ Kenneth H. Thomas, Helen Lynn, Richard Cloue: Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine , National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Atlanta 1979; accessed February 7, 2019.
  9. ^ Edward A. Johnson, David Williams, "Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills," Georgia Gold History ; accessed February 7, 2019.
  10. ↑ Kenneth H. Thomas, Helen Lynn, Richard Cloue: [1] Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine , National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Atlanta 1979; accessed February 7, 2019.
  11. ^ Edward A. Johnson, David Williams, "Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills," Georgia Gold History ; accessed February 7, 2019.
  12. ↑ Crisson Gold Mine: History ; 1st March 2019.
  13. ↑ Kenneth H. Thomas, Helen Lynn, Richard Cloue: Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine , National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Atlanta 1979; accessed February 7, 2019.
  14. ^ Edward A. Johnson, David Williams, "Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills," Georgia Gold History ; accessed February 7, 2019.
  15. ↑ Kenneth H. Thomas, Helen Lynn, Richard Cloue: Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine , National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Atlanta 1979; accessed February 8, 2019.
  16. ^ Edward A. Johnson, David Williams, "Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills," Georgia Gold History ; accessed February 7, 2019.
  17. ↑ Kenneth H. Thomas, Helen Lynn, Richard Cloue: Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine , National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Atlanta 1979; accessed February 8, 2019.
  18. ↑ Kenneth H. Thomas, Helen Lynn, Richard Cloue: Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine , National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Atlanta 1979; accessed February 8, 2019.
  19. ↑ Announcement of the Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mining Company, Dahlonega, Ga. , Dahlonega, Georgia 1899, accessed February 7, 2019.
  20. ↑ Kenneth H. Thomas, Helen Lynn, Richard Cloue: Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine , National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Atlanta 1979; accessed February 8, 2019.
  21. ↑ Kenneth H. Thomas, Helen Lynn, Richard Cloue: Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine , National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Atlanta 1979; accessed February 8, 2019.
  22. ↑ consolidatedgoldmine.com , website of the mine operator, accessed February 7, 2019.