EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

February 2005 Meeting



Monday, February 7, 2005
6:00 - 7:30 pm

Pellissippi State Technical Community College
10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville
Lamar Alexander Building
Room 223


FEBRUARY PRESENTATION

A Pictorial History of Gold Mining and Exploration
in the Southeastern U.S.

Travis A. Paris
Rinker Materials South Central, Inc.
Knoxville, Tennessee

Abstract

When gold was discovered in the southeastern U.S. is lost in time. The native peoples knew of it; DeSoto searched for it; and later Spanish expeditions may have mined very small quantities. Thomas Jefferson reported on a nugget found in the Rappahannock River in 1786. Sketchy accounts of gold mining exist from the 1770s, but regular, well- documented gold mining did not begin until 1802 in North Carolina. Gold mining has continued, with some interruptions, to this day at various levels of intensity.

This presentation will be a pictorial essay of the mining history and exploration for gold to the present day in the southeastern U.S. using published and unpublished photos of old and recent mines, processing plants, U.S. mints, maps, and yes! & southern gold specimens.


 

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