Franklin, NC Mining Information   

     Nestled in a beautiful green valley of Western North Carolina are the world-famous Cowee Valley Ruby Mines. The Cherokee Indians had a name for the valley. They called in ANI KAWI, the Place of the Deer. The valley floor is approximately 2200 feet above sea-level and it is surrounded by mountain peaks that are between 3500 to 4000 feet above sea-level. These mines have been operating continuously for over 100 years on both a commercial and private basis.  Although the mines were first officially reported by Dr. George F. Kunz of Tiffany's of New York in the publication, Mineral Resources of the U.S., in the year 1893, gemstones have been picked-up and mined here by the natives of the area long before that time.

     In 1895, the American Prospecting and Mining Company of New York bought out the old claims and began to work the land under the supervision of W.E. Hidden. They, as well as the Tiffany Company tried to locate the source of the gem gravel; however, no one to this date has discovered the source. During that time period, work was also done by the United States Ruby Mining Company and others.  Most of this work was done by hand, without the benefit of today's modern equipment.

     In 1907, work was suspended for almost six years. Work was resumed in 1913 by the Consolidated Ruby Company of New York. They did extensive core drilling and continued into 1914 when they ceased operation because of the small size, poor color, and limited quantity of the corundum (ruby & sapphire) being found.

     Around the turn of the century, circa 1900, a Geological Survey was conducted by the State of North Carolina by Joseph H. Pratt and Joseph V. Lewis. The results of the survey revealed the occurrence of both rubies and sapphires (the mineral corundum). I have talked with many of the "old-timers" that grew up here and they, as well as their grandparents found these pretty red stones in the creeks and streams of the area. I remember one old-timer telling me they use to shoot those red "rocks" in their sling-shots when they were boys. The meaning of the word, Ruby, is RED. The word is derived from the Latin ruber (red) or rubere (to be red).

     The gem deposits in Cowee Valley are difficult to locate in as much as the gems are found in pockets, as opposed to veins, like most gem material. So, the mining is really a hit or miss thing. That is why the large mining companies gave up commercial exploration of the Cowee Valley, because of the infrequency of the gem finds. The gem gravel is found at depths of between two to 10 feet.

HOME OF THE $10,000. RUBY

     The Tiffany Mining Company dug test holes on the property that was named the Jones Ruby Mine, in search of a commercial source of corundum. This occurred around the turn of the century, circa 1900. The Tiffany Mining Company did not find a large enough deposit of ruby and sapphire to mine the area commercially. The property then became the site of a Mica mine that was operated by the Asheville Mining company for a period of approximately 50 years.

    In the year 1963, Arthur Jones, opened the mine to the public. During the period 1968 until 1974, the mine was owned and operated as the Arnold Mine. After that brief period of time until 1998, the mine was operated by Jerry Lee Jones. At the end of that year, the Jones Mine ceased operation. This story is typical of the various mines that have operated in the Cowee Valley area since the late 1800's.

     The largest native ruby ever found in Cowee Valley was found at the Jones Mine in 1977 by Mariel J. Riley of Deerfield Beach, Florida.  That uncut ruby was appraised by the Tiffany Jewelry Company of New York. They valued the gem at $10,000. In 1992, a blue sapphire that weighed over 3,000 carats was found by a very fortunate miner. Granted, this type of find is not typical; however, one can always hope for that next big find.

     Most of the good gem quality gravel mined in the Cowee Valley is found within 200 feet of Caler Creek. The majority of the mines in the valley are located on either the North or the South Fork of that creek.

MINING OR PANNING?

     Most newcomers to the area Ruby mines expect to find a "hole in the ground mine". The mining here is done in the form of strip-mining. The gravel is dug either by a back-hoe or a track-hoe. The excavated dirt is then placed into buckets that hold between three to five gallons each. These buckets of gravel are then sold to you, the miner. The mines will provide you with a wooden shaker screen that has a mesh of approximately ¼ inch. You can either stand or sit at the sluice line (a wooden trough with water rushing through it).

     It is best to empty about a fourth to a third of the bucket into the mining screen. By placing the screen into the rushing water and moving the screen from side to side, most of the dirt will be washed out of the screen and you will be left with a screen full of gravel, rocks, and hopefully, gemstones.

MINING CHECK LIST

     Mining is a lot of fun, but it can be dirty.  Wear old clothes! Wash your gem gravel very carefully. To the untrained eye, everything looks like "rocks". The more buckets of gravel that you go through, the better chance you have of finding good gemstones. North Carolina has over 300 gems and minerals that are native to the state. If you are not sure what to keep or throw away, KEEP IT! Come by our shop on U.S. Highway 441 North, on the corner of Sanderstown Road, at 5868 Sylva Rd. Franklin, NC 28734. We will show you what to look for before you go out to the mines and give you a FREE map of all the area mine locations.

     HAVE FUN! We will see you after your mining adventure to identify your gemstones and tell you what to keep, cut, and mount into jewelry.

info@burglens.com