I had no idea there had ever been any gold mining to speak of in New Hampshire until I ran across this little gem by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. 

It says that New Hampshire gold mines delivered a little over $50,000 dollars worth of gold to the Philadelphia meant between 1864 and 1878.   In 1864, because of the Civil War, gold prices rose briefly to an all time high of $57.052 an ounce, but as Grant moved South prices fell back and throughout most of the period the price was between $27-24.  However, production may have ceased in 1878 because the price fell to the government supported bottom of $20.67, which amounts to an inflation adjusted price of about $440.00.    

Just for comparison according to the inflation calculator I used the claimed that the $57.05 would amount to $776.85 in 2008 dollars (I couldn’t find 2009 numbers) which puts the current price you can get on your gold into real perspective. 

Even when you add the additional gold that was delivered to jewelers and other buyers and figure for inflation it’s not exactly the Klondike, but still production was about 2,500 ounces or so and I don’t think anyone would sneeze at that.

So, if you live in New England and you are interested in a little weekend gold mining this document might help you wash more than dirt if you do your research.

So, check out gold-in-new-hampshire

Strike It Rich!

I’m always intrigued by stories of Spanish mines, because there are stories of Spanish and Mexican mines stretching from North Georgia to California.  Some of these are obviously more myth than fact, but some, like one in Southern Colorado, apparently existed, but has been completely lost to history.

There is no doubt that the Spanish were able to establish and run successful mines from Columbus on, but nailing down the location of Spanish mines in the United States is always problematic and I am always dubious about these “lost” mines.  For one thing, knowing how much the Spanish conquistadors loved gold, it is hard to imagine that they would not have been able to fight and defeat the native peoples anywhere that they really discovered rich Gold deposits.   Conquistadors didn’t take kindly to lost gold flakes much less lost gold mines.   

However, this classic essay on the early days of the California gold rush by Donald Cutler discusses how little attention the pre-Sutter gold strikes in Mexican California actually generated.   I knew that their had been some significant finds in what is today Los Angeles County, but I never realized how large the strikes actually were. 

 Anyhow, here is the-discovery-of-gold-in-california 

 Strike It Rich!

Charlie