Location and History
The Jerseydale district is in west-central Mariposa County. It is about 10 miles northeast of the town of Mariposa and just east of Whispering Pines. It includes the Feliciana Mountain area. The streams were first mined during the gold rush, and the lode deposits were discovered soon afterward. Much activity continued from the 1870s until the early 1900s. Some mining was done again during the 1930s, with intermittent prospecting since.
Geology
The principal rocks in the area are slate, graphite schist and phyllite of the Calaveras Formation (Carboniferous to Permian) and granitic rocks. Also present are greenstone and dioritic dike rocks. Numerous narrow quartz veins contain small but rich highgrade shoots and "pockets". Sulfides are abundant.
Mines
Blue Bell, Buffalo, Comet, Early, Feliciana $159,000, King Solomon, Louisa, Monte Cristo, Roma $100,000.
Bibliography
Bowen, O. E., 1957, Mariposa County, lode mines: California Jour. Mines and Geology, vol. 53, pp. 69-187.
Costello, W.O., 1921, Mariposa County, Jeneydale-Sweetwater district: California Min. Bur. Rept. 17, pp. 97-98.
Lowell, F.L., 1916, Mariposa County, Feliciano mine: California Min. Bur. Rept. 14, p. 582.
