Tour the Heritage Gold Mine Park and Dorn's Gold Mine

Sanderson's
2020 Summer RV Vacation

Heritage Gold Mine Park
and Dorn's Mine
18-Jul-2020

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18-Jul-2020   DORN'S MINE

Feb-1852: William Dorn discovered a vein of gold just under the surface at Peak Hill. Legend says Dorn was hunting with his foxhounds, and the dogs were scratching the ground, and Dorn spotted the gold vein.

1853: During the next year and a half Dorn mined gold from a trench 300 feet long, 17 wide and 15 feet deep. During this time he extract gold from the trench netting about $300,000.

1865: After President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Dorn lost his free slave labor, and couldn't afford to pay them as miners. When the South surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in 1865, Dorn closed his gold mines, acknowledging that the gold was pretty well depleted, and due to his lavish spending, found himself nearly broke

More information about the Dorm Mine




The 1st strike was found in a trench.
The trench 300 feet long, 17 wide and 15 feet deep.

The end of the GOLD vain was locked between these two pieces of bed rock.
After reaching the end of the trench Bill Dorn tunneled into the bank.

Tunnel Entrance
This vain is the same vain that passed thru the previous bed rock pieces.

Inside tunne was mostly just over 6', my hair was rubbing the top as we walked.
This is another vain where is is likely no longer containing gold.

The tunnel walls showed the layer structure.
Another layer where that likely contained little gold.

Tunnel end
View as we leave the tunnel.

Gold panning station.
Sample of the rock that would have contained gold.


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Last Updated: 22-Jul-2020
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