|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
TECHNICAL TOURS Welcome to the 2011 technical tours of the
Gold and Silver States! We have
prepared a glimpse into the rich history of mining in California and Nevada.
Join us for one of these fascinating tours. A boxed lunch will be provided
with each tour.
Northern Sierra
Gold Mining, California Approximate Tour Time: 10 Hours Tour includes a boxed
lunch
This tour is currently full.
This trip will visit
some of the largest hydraulic and underground gold mines that ever operated
in California, plus will stop in a mining museum and have an afternoon
shopping sojourn in the historic downtown area of Nevada City. The tour begins with a scenic drive over
Donner Summit and down the west side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Malakoff Diggins State
Park, the site of California’s largest hydraulic gold mine. Dramatic cliffs mark the limits of the
mountain washed away by miners in the 1870s.
The tour then heads to Empire
Mine State Historic Park, the site of one of the richest underground gold
mines in California. It operated for
more than 100 years and totaled 367 miles of underground workings. You will also tour the remediation efforts
onsite. Nearby is the Northstar Mining Museum, featuring a
collection of uniquely local mining artifacts including a working stamp mill
and Cornish Pump plus the largest Pelton Wheel ever built. The tour will conclude with a shopping trip
to Nevada City, settled in 1849 during the California Gold Rush.
Clothing – Late October weather in the Sierra Nevadas is generally warm
during the day and cool at night. The high temperature is usually in the
upper 60s to 80 degrees but can change quickly. Bring a jacket, dress in
layers and wear comfortable clothes and sturdy walking shoes or boots. Gold Bug/ Marshall Gold Discovery,
California
Approximate Tour Time: 10 Hours Tour includes a boxed lunch This tour is currently full..
This interesting day includes a guided tour of
Gold Bug and Priest Mines in historic Placerville, a visit to the very
location that started the great California gold rush in Coloma, and a final
stop in Old Auburn, where attendees can stop for a sudsy beer at the Auburn
Alehouse Brewery or wander the historic streets and take in the autumn beauty
of the Mother Lode. The day starts off with a beautiful drive down the
western side of Lake Tahoe. We will make a brief stop at Emerald Bay for
photos and then make our way down to Placerville for a guided tour of the Gold Bug and Priest
Mines. We will take a break for
lunch and then wind our way down into the beautiful American River Canyon to
visit the place that started it all in Coloma. The Marshall Gold
Discovery State Historic Park features a museum, several historic
buildings as well as a working replica of the Sutter’s sawmill. We will then
move north to Auburn and make our final stop in Old Town to finish the day
off where attendees can meander through the historic streets and take in the
wonderful beauty of the Mother Lode in autumn. Clothing – Late October weather in the Sierra Nevadas is generally warm
during the day and cool at night. The high temperature is usually in the
upper 60s to 80 degrees but can change quickly. Bring a jacket, dress in
layers and wear comfortable clothes and sturdy walking shoes or boots. Alpha Diggings/ Spenceville Mine, California
Approximate Tour Time: 9 Hours Tour includes a boxed lunch This tour has been cancelled.
The tour will visit the historic mining town
of Washington, the Alpha Hydraulic Diggings and the Spenceville Copper Mine.
Located on the south bank of the Yuba River, Washington, a
historic mining town, has numerous historic buildings dating back the start
of the Gold Rush in 1849. From here,
we head to Alpha Hydraulic Diggings, a CERCLA site. The 80-acre Alpha
Diggings is an inactive open pit placer gold mine where historic hydraulic
mining operations are actively discharging contaminated sediments into local
waterways. The tour will continue down
into the Sierra Foothills to the Spenceville
Copper Mine. The 10-acre site includes 60,000 cubic yards of mine waste
and a half-acre, water-filled mine pit.
The pit contained 7.5 million gallons of pH 2.5 acid mine drainage
that was trickling into two creeks.
The water has been treated, the pit backfilled and the site
revegetated.
Clothing – Late October weather in Sierra Nevada’s is generally warm during
the day and cool at night. The high temperature is usually in the upper 60s
to 80 degrees but can change quickly. Bring a jacket, dress in layers and
wear comfortable clothes and sturdy walking shoes or boots. Virginia City, Nevada Approximate Tour Time: 9 Hours Tour includes a boxed lunch There are only 12 spaces left on this tour.
The tour will travel to Virginia City, Nevada, home
of the fabulous silver strike known as the “Comstock Lode”. Events will include a ride on the V & T
Railroad, a walking tour of Virginia City, a visit to the 4th Ward School
Museum, and a stop to view several AML physical hazards with bat gates.
Clothing – Late October weather in Nevada is generally warm during the
day and cool at night. The high temperature is usually in the upper 60s to 80
degrees but can change quickly. Bring a jacket, dress in layers and wear
comfortable clothes and sturdy walking shoes or boots. Yerington
Mine Site, Nevada
Approximate Tour Time: 9 Hours Tour includes a boxed lunch There are only 36 spaces left on this tour.
Participants will travel to the Yerington/Anaconda
Mine, an EPA Superfund site located in the picturesque Mason Valley outside
the town of Yerington, approximately 50 miles southeast of Reno, Nevada. The mine was operated by the Anaconda
Copper Company from 1952 to 1978 as a low-grade copper mine and milling
operation. An overview and
presentation will discuss the site’s history and unique challenges it
presents to the community and regulators.
You’ll also make a visit to Fort
Churchill State Historic Park on the Carson River, where you can walk
amongst the adobe ruins of a desert outpost that guarded the Pony Express run
and other mail routes from 1860-1869. Clothing – Late October weather in Nevada is generally warm during the
day and cool at night. The high temperature is usually in the upper 60s to 80
degrees but can change quickly. Bring a jacket, dress in layers and wear
comfortable clothes and sturdy walking shoes or boots. Coeur Rochester Silver Mine
Approximate Tour Time: 9 Hours Tour includes
a boxed lunch This tour has been cancelled.
The tour will travel to the Coeur
Rochester silver mine near Lovelock, Nevada. The mine recently resumed active operations
and has produced over 127 million ounces of silver, making it one of the
world’s most productive silver mines.
The tour will include an overview of the open pit and heap leach
operations, reclamation areas, water management systems, and a visit to the
refinery to observe an actual silver dore pour.
Clothing – Late October weather in Nevada is generally warm during the
day and cool at night. The high temperature is usually in the upper 60s to 80
degrees but can change quickly. Bring a jacket, dress in layers and wear
comfortable clothes and sturdy walking shoes or boots. |
|
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
