Mining in Oregon: An Endangered Industry, Part 1
Posted by admin on August 8, 2009
This is the first half of a one-hour program that examines the mining industry in Southern Oregon. (The second half hour of this program will be posted next month.)
In the first segment, a gold miner shows us the adit of a gold mine in Josephine County, Oregon, where there’s still plenty of gold in the ground but the challenge is getting it out. He also shows us one of the best places for gold panning along the Rogue River, but cautions about running afoul of the new regulations. Then a retired state geologist discusses the different types of minerals found in Southern Oregon, and why it’s so difficult for miners to extract them.
In the second segment, we visit the Dawg Mining SummerFest and learn about highbanking and gold panning. Then we visit the site of one of the largest and highest grade silica deposits west of the Rocky Mountains, and learn why it’s taken 24 years to get to the point where the owner of the claim has any hope of mining it.
In the third segment, a gold miner shows us the reclamation project he implemented at a gold mining site in Golden, Oregon, where he established a wetlands with eleven ponds, providing habitat for fish and wildlife and trails for recreation. Then the former owner of the largest mining shop in the US discusses mining and mining regulations, and their impact on the local economy.
Kerby Jackson said
As a local gold prospector who mines near Galice (in fact, I own a claim that is above Rocky Bar, which is mentioned in this program) I have to say that this is an excellent video presentation that gently scratches the surface of the history of mining in SW Oregon, not to mention some of the problems we are starting to encounter. I cannot wait to see the next part.
As a multi-generational native of this area, I feel that it is important to point out, that it’s not just our rights to mine that are being trampled on by local, state, regional and federal agencies, but also an important facet of our local culture. Like logging and farming, the search for gold helped to firmly establish SW Oregon’s economy. The image of the 49er, with mule and gold pan in hand, is just as powerful an image to Oregonians as that of the Overlanders who came to Oregon by covered wagon. Generations of some families in this area relied on mining for their livlihood. Were it not for the miners, nobody would be living in this area today, as it was the first group of miners who found color on Josephine Creek that set the stage for others to come to this valley.
During the Great Depression, the mineral wealth that can still be found in local creeks and rivers helped many local families to eke out a living opposed to depending on the soup kitchens, the works programs and other big government programs (most of which were corrupt) for a hand out. They didn’t get rich, but they survived. These days, we are headed for another period of economic turmoil that some economists have dubbed “The Greatest Depression”, but unlike the 1930’s, there are now restrictions in place that will attempt to prevent people from doing this again.
What’s more, it is important to point out, that every person who reads this has a granted RIGHT to claim the mineral wealths of OUR public lands. Under the Mining Act of 1872, YOU have the RIGHT to prospect on public lands for minerals and YOU have the RIGHT to stake a claim on your discovery. Regardless of how much certain agencies and politically motivated organizations attempt to thwart this sort of activity, it is still YOUR RIGHT to locate and extract undiscovered mineral wealth from public land.
If you would like to excercise that right, please visit: http://www.oregongoldhunters.com/
AFP JoCo said
Thank you for your comment, Kerby. What you say is very true. Those of us who don’t exercise our right to prospect and mine may feel we don’t have a stake in this issue, but we all have a stake in every issue where our rights as U.S. citizens are being abridged or curtailed.