AT around Ore Hill - Moved from GB

[Mohamed Ellozy]

AT around Ore Hill

Richard Dow (USFS) has posted a short note on work in the Ore Hill area, near the AT in western NH. Here is a clickable link to the order plus map that he refers to.

It appears that the AT is close to, but outside, the closure area.

 

[Waumbek]

acid mine drainage

Don't drink the water. There's an interesting history of the Ore Hill Mine embedded in this link.

 

[bill bowden]

Mine

any knowledge of the mine type: open, tunnel, surface? any historical information as to dates, type of ore? New england generally is freer than most of the country from these sort of problems.

 

[Quietman]

From the link in Waumbek's post

Ore Hill History

 

[Hillwalker]

My back yard

The old mine is one of several in my backyard. When you take the AT between 25C and Cape Moonshine Road, you will encounter a small pond that looks very strange since it dosen't really sit in a flowage. At first look it seems like a beaver pond, but it is only beaver enhanced. It was built to supply water to the mine operations. The mine site is only about a hundred yards south east of the pond. I last visited the mine in the fall. While walking down an old logging road I ran smack into two guys driving pipes into the ground for the placement of sampling instrumentation. Anyway, the most interesting part of the site when last seen was a nicely built stone portal to an adit which had been filled up by a bulldozer, and some wooden and brick emplacements that were remnants of the old mine apparatus. There were chunks of ore lying around the area above to old portal. The ore is a very heavy black fine grained rock, with a shiny crystalline structure. The adit had a trickle of really nasty reddish brown water flowing out of it. There are several old mines in this area, one about 500 meters from my house. It was abandoned in 1848 when the miners simply quit and left for the California gold rush. It now is nothing but a big hole with some stonework about. This area is part of the Ammonoosuc Volcanics. Do a search. There is gold in these here hills

 

[Waumbek]

There is gold in these here hills

Interesting, thank you. From time to time, I see people panning for gold in the Wild Ammonoosuc on the 112 stretch between 302 and 116.

 

[TDawg]

Interesting, thank you. From time to time, I see people panning for gold in the Wild Ammonoosuc on the 112 stretch between 302 and 116.

I've been one of those people while on a field trip in "The White Mountain Region" class at PSU. We were led by a classmate and member of VFTT, I'll let him chime in if he choses. It was pretty fun and we did find some small pieces.

He had alot more in a small vile, it's there, you just gotta work for it. And theres a 99.9% chance of NOT getting rich doing it.

 

[Waumbek]

It was pretty fun and we did find some small pieces.
And theres a 99.9% chance of NOT getting rich doing it.

Don't chuck those little pieces; gold prices are up. Or were, last time I looked.

 

[Cruddy Toes]

Mystery solved

Built that trail relocation nearly 20 years ago- thought that pond was very strangely situated, but never bothered to find out why

 

[Quietman]

If you're after gold, another NE spot for gold searchers is th Coos Canyon near Tumbledown Mtn. in Maine.

From a Maine Travel Web site:

"Coos Canyon is located in the old mining town of Byron. It’s a 500 yard gorge carved by powerful water action from the Swift River. This area is a great swimming and diving spot, with beautiful scenery and interesting rock formations including rock crystals, potholes and hydraulic erosions. The river is also a popular spot for gold panning! You can try your luck on your own, or you can hire a guide to teach you how to pan for your own golden treasures."