Placer gold was discovered in Washington in the 1850s. However placer mining did not become particularly active until discoveries were made in the 1860s, on Peshastin Creek in Chelan County and on Swauk Creek in Kittitas County. During those early years and into the 1900's, prospecting was general and it is possible that many streams were overlooked in the search for worthwhile placer locations. Hower, in several parts of the state interesting strikes were made.
It is impossible at this time to determine the total amount of placer gold produced in Washington. The major production was during the early days when, by intensive prospecting, the richest ground was sought out and worked. The records for the period prior to 1900 are fragmentary at best and were not broken down to a county basis. Since 1900, records are more complete. The statistics of the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines show a placer-gold production of $938,525 from 1900 to 1967 inclusive. The lode-gold production during this same period was $85,104,357. Again, the relative insignificance of placer mining in late years is indicated by production figures for the ten year period from 1900 to 1909 inclusive. $350,541 was produced as compared with figures for the similar period from 1944 to 1954, inclusive, when only $20,314 was produced, or 5 3/4 percent of the earlier amount. From 1960 to 1967 only a small amount of placer gold was sold to the United States Mint. However, several thousand dollars in placer gold was mined but sold to individuals who were willing to pay a higher price for the gold than the government price of $35 per ounce. Small amounts of placer gold have been mined yearly since 1967 but the amounts are not known.
The many localities where placer gold had been reported or mined in the past indicate the parts of the state where prospecting may be advantageous. The occurrence of only trace amounts of placer gold accounts for some of the localities being included. Small amounts of gold are reported to have been obtained at some of the other places and fairly large profitable operations have been carried on at a few of the localities listed. The list, of course, is not complete.
Information on specific placer gold deposits of the state can be found in Gold in Washington, (Washington Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 4 by Marshall T. Huntting; out of print but available in some public libraries) and Inventory of Washington Minerals, Part II, Metallic Minerals, (Washington Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 37, Part II, by Marshall T Huntting)
Placer Deposits
A placer deposit is "a mass of Gravel, sand, or similar material resulting from the crumbling and erosion of solid rock and containing particles or nuggets of gold, tin, platinum, or other valuable minerals that have been derived from rocks or veins." Gold in placer deposits is recovered by panning the gold-bearing material or by using a rocker or a sluice box. In large-scale mining operations, washing plants and dredges are used.
Beach placers form through the action of ocean waves reworking beach sands and gravels thus concentrating the heavy minerals. These sands and gravels may represent alluvium brought to the coast by streams. They may originate from the erosion of the bedrock of the sea cliffs or erosion of unconsolidated glacial or other sediments, which overlie the bedrock along the shore. Gold present in minute amounts in the eroded material is released by this process and accumulates with other heavy minerals in the beach sands. Beach placers are frequently found to be enriched when examined directly following storms, when wave action has been especially vigorous.
Numerous reports and maps on the geology, mineral deposits, and mining of Washington have been published by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources (DNR-Geology). A free list of publications and maps can be obtained from: Washington Department of Natural Resources 1111 Washington St. SE, P.O. Box 47007 Olympia, WA 98504-7007
Petrified Wood and Other Gems
In June 1975 the 44th Legislature of the State of Washington designated petrified wood as the state gem because of its beauty and abundance. It is collected by visitors and displayed around the world, thus promoting Washington recreation and tourism.
Petrified wood is found throughout the state and is symbolic of our early forests. It represents a period of geological time when extensive volcanism buried great forests with volcanic ash and basaltic lava. Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park, located near the center of the state at Vantage, is surrounded by major petrified wood collecting sites. The park contains fossil woods representative of living trees, such as fir, hickory, sycamore, oak, cypress, and pine, as well as rare types such as Ginkgo which have few, if any, living relatives.
The discovery of precious fire opal in a well 7 miles northeast of Pullman in 1890 led to the first significant recovery of gem materials in Washington. Mine buildings were erected, and operations began in July of 1891 in what became known as Gem City.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Washington State is within the top 10 producers of gemstones in the nation. Petrified wood, agates, crystals, and fossils are eagerly sought by many rockhounds of the state. Rockhounding - the collecting of rocks, minerals, and fossils - and jewelry making are important economic activities in the state. In recent years, professional collectors have recovered crystals from Washington localities that are now housed in many museums including the Smithsonian. The most notable were bright red realgar crystals from Green River that are the finest in the world. Spectacular crystals of amethyst scepter (Denny Mountain); autunite (Mount Spokane), grossular garnet (Vesper Peak), and pyrite (Spruce Peak) are by far the best in the nation.
Peak years for metal production in the state were 1940 to 1970. The Holden mine, in Chelan County, produced 10.6 million tons of copper, gold, silver, and zinc ore valued at $66.5 million. Pend Oreille County was known for its large lead-zinc mines, which produced up to 18 million lbs. of lead and 22 million lbs. of zinc annually. The Knob Hill mine at Republic, in Ferry County, is still a significant producer of gold. Two large uranium mines were in operation northwest of Spokane, in Stevens County. In terms of dollar value, the mining of industrial minerals, such as basalt, clay, diatomite, dolomite, granite, limestone, silica, and sand and gravel, far exceeds that of metals. Coal mining has again achieved prominence in the state. Open-pit mines near Centralia, in Lewis County, produce 4 to 5 million tons of coal annually.
This collection has been prepared with information taken from the following pamphlets: Gold - by the U.S. Geological Survey Collecting Rocks - by the U.S. Geological Survey, Gems and Minerals of Washington - by the Division of Geology and Earth Resources State of Washington.
The primary source has been the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources.
