It began at the opening of the 19th century, shortly after Conrad Reed, a 12-year-old son of a Hessian deserter, made the first documented gold find in 1799 in Cabarrus County, near Charlotte. Farmers in surrounding counties soon started panning, and foreigners and investors from South America and Europe arrived to work in nearly 300 mines.
Between 1804 and 1828, North Carolina remained the only producer of domestic gold in the country, and the state remained the highest producer (even after gold was discovered in Georgia) until 1848, when gold was discovered in California.
James Logan, a pre-Revolutionary War settler, harvested a substantial amount of gold from sifting the sands of one or more small streams. In the winter of 1770 Mr. Logan and his family was warned of Indians lurking nearby. He buried his gold and he and his family took refuge in the Pleasant Gardens Fort. Later while looking for food James Logan was killed by Indians and the buried gold was never found.
In the early 1800's, gold was found on Brindle Creek in the southwestern corner of Burke Co., near the present boundary line, which separates Burke and McDowell Counties. This begins the McDowell Co. gold rush.
Gold deposits in McDowell Co. was found in streambeds, on the banks of South Muddy Creek, the Second Broad River and their tributaries. Gold was, also, found in pockets on hillsides, in old stream channels or gulches, and numerous quartz veins on Vein Mountain, Huntsville Mountain, and Brackettown.
"One stream in McDowell Co. had 3,000 miners at work in 1848 but in 1850 was practically deserted." Mining activities in McDowell Co. and all of N.C. gradually diminished from 1835 to the turn of the century. Most miners, by 1849, were ready to join the California Gold Rush.
In the late 1850's, Dr. Marcus H. Van Dyck, introduced hydraulic mining in Brindletown and Brackettown. Many of the old locations were re-mined once or twice by the hydraulic method with resulting profits.
Joseph McDowell Carson bought extensive acres of property in Brindletown when gold was discovered in that area. His operations met with much success and he took more than a million dollars worth of gold from Brindletown. In another story, Samuel Martin, took off with more than $10,000 in gold from Brindletown.
McDowell Co. mining area is part of what geologists call the South Mtn. Belt. A series of as many as 33 parallel gold-bearing quartz veins cross Vein Mtn. in a belt of not over ¿ mile in width. There was a wide variation in the value of gold ranging from anywhere $2.50 to $70.28 per ton and silver closely following at $15.43 per ton. The Geological Survey of North Carolina stated, "on the western slope of Huntsville Mtn. In a narrow mud seam at the head of one of the gulches a nugget weighing 5 pounds was found."
There were many mining operations in Huntsville Mtn. by Col. John C. Horton. Gen. Thomas H. Hubbard had mining operations in Vein Mtn. The Marion Bullion Company did the most extensive mining at Brackettown. The last organized gold mining operations in McDowell Co. was on Huntsville Mtn. under the direction of Col. J.C. Horton. Earliest gold mining activities in this area was surface mining or panning. Rockers or long troughs and sluice boxes were developed for use in mining operations. The hydraulic method was, also, used.
Between 1804 and 1828, North Carolina remained the only producer of domestic gold in the country, and the state remained the highest producer (even after gold was discovered in Georgia) until 1848, when gold was discovered in California.
James Logan, a pre-Revolutionary War settler, harvested a substantial amount of gold from sifting the sands of one or more small streams. In the winter of 1770 Mr. Logan and his family was warned of Indians lurking nearby. He buried his gold and he and his family took refuge in the Pleasant Gardens Fort. Later while looking for food James Logan was killed by Indians and the buried gold was never found.
In the early 1800's, gold was found on Brindle Creek in the southwestern corner of Burke Co., near the present boundary line, which separates Burke and McDowell Counties. This begins the McDowell Co. gold rush.
Gold deposits in McDowell Co. was found in streambeds, on the banks of South Muddy Creek, the Second Broad River and their tributaries. Gold was, also, found in pockets on hillsides, in old stream channels or gulches, and numerous quartz veins on Vein Mountain, Huntsville Mountain, and Brackettown.
"One stream in McDowell Co. had 3,000 miners at work in 1848 but in 1850 was practically deserted." Mining activities in McDowell Co. and all of N.C. gradually diminished from 1835 to the turn of the century. Most miners, by 1849, were ready to join the California Gold Rush.
In the late 1850's, Dr. Marcus H. Van Dyck, introduced hydraulic mining in Brindletown and Brackettown. Many of the old locations were re-mined once or twice by the hydraulic method with resulting profits.
Joseph McDowell Carson bought extensive acres of property in Brindletown when gold was discovered in that area. His operations met with much success and he took more than a million dollars worth of gold from Brindletown. In another story, Samuel Martin, took off with more than $10,000 in gold from Brindletown.
McDowell Co. mining area is part of what geologists call the South Mtn. Belt. A series of as many as 33 parallel gold-bearing quartz veins cross Vein Mtn. in a belt of not over ¿ mile in width. There was a wide variation in the value of gold ranging from anywhere $2.50 to $70.28 per ton and silver closely following at $15.43 per ton. The Geological Survey of North Carolina stated, "on the western slope of Huntsville Mtn. In a narrow mud seam at the head of one of the gulches a nugget weighing 5 pounds was found."
There were many mining operations in Huntsville Mtn. by Col. John C. Horton. Gen. Thomas H. Hubbard had mining operations in Vein Mtn. The Marion Bullion Company did the most extensive mining at Brackettown. The last organized gold mining operations in McDowell Co. was on Huntsville Mtn. under the direction of Col. J.C. Horton. Earliest gold mining activities in this area was surface mining or panning. Rockers or long troughs and sluice boxes were developed for use in mining operations. The hydraulic method was, also, used.
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