Copper ‘in Them Thar Hills’ — Part I

<p>In the mid-1860s, a group of local men -among them Pablo Briones, William Ewing, U. M. Gordon, Charles Lauff, Edward Nelson, and William Miller- incorporated the Union Copper Mining Company. Mining operations started there in 1863, about the same time that mining began at Pike County Gulch, just south of Union Gulch. The Union Mine operated for several years, although unsuccessfully due to the fact that the price of copper had dropped, and, at least initially, ore had to be sent to England for processing.<br /> <br /> The Pike County Gulch Copper Mining Company was organized in 1863 by Samuel Clark of Bolinas to mine in the gulch immediately north of the Audubon Ranch. Whether Samuel Clark&rsquo;s initiative was based on an actual finding of copper ore or wishful thinking due to the nearby findings at Union Gulch, is unknown. Nevertheless, a shaft was punched into Bolinas ridge. Unlike the mine to the north, only low grade copper ore presented itself in metamorphosed sandstone, probably greywacke. Mining was abandoned after three years during which time a 700 foot shaft was developed but no copper ore was found.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/anne-t-kent-california-room-community-newsletter/copper-in-them-thar-hills-part-i-2edb1a1ad845"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>