Keystone

The Keystone is a gold mine located in Amador county, California.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

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Site Name

Primary: Keystone

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Arsenic

Location

State: California
County: Amador

Land Status

Land ownership: Private
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Keystone Mining Co.
Home Office: C/O John D. Culbert

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1851
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Cascade-Sierra Mountains
Physiographic Section: Sierra Nevada

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Stibnite

Comments

Comment (Commodity): GOLD BOTH FREE IN QUARTZ AND ASSOCIATED WITH SULFIDE

Comment (Production): MINE FORMED OF SEVERAL CLAIMS LOCATED IN 1851 AND WAS ONE OF THE MOST PROFITABLE IN THE MOTHER LODE, PRODUCING $24,000,000 DURING OPERATIONS. WORKED UNTIL 1919; REOPENED IN 1933 AND PRODUCING 1935-1942. IDLE SINCE EXCEPT FOR A SMALL AMOUNT OF WORK DONE IN 1952. MUCH HIGH-GRADE ORE PRODUCED UNTIL 1888. DURING OPERATIONS 1935-1942 PRODUCED ABOUT $1,000,000. PRODUCTION WAS FROM 900 TO 2100 LEVELS, MOSTLY FROM THE 1400 TO THE 2100 LEVELS

Comment (Workings): MAIN SHAFT 2680 FT ON 52 DEGREE INCLINE WITH PRODUCTION ON 900 TO 2100 FT LEVELS, EXTENSIVE CROSSCUTTING. LOCATED 1851 ; WORKED UNTIL 1919 ; REOPENED 1933 UNTIL 1942 BY GOVERNMENT ORDER.

Comment (Geology): GEOL.DESC: MAIN OR CONTACT VEIN VARIES IN THICKNESS FROM 12 TO 200 FT. BETWEEN SLATE FOOTWALL, GREENSTONE HANGING WALL. VEIN DIPS FROM 35 TO 65 DEGREES EAST. ORE OCCURED IN VEINS AND QUARTZ STRINGERS BRANCHING FROM VEIN.

Comment (Deposit): ADD. REF.: KEYSTONE GROUP INCLUDES THE KEYSTONE, SPRING HILL, GENEVA, GRANITE STATE, NIAGARA AND EAST KEYSTONE CLAIMS. DIV. OF MINES BULL. 108, P. 91-95, PL. 3; USGS FOLIO 63, CLAIM SHEET 1, SEC. 1 AND P.8. F. Y. ENDING 7/31/1867 APPROX. 12,000 TONS ORE MINED; AVE. YIELD PER TON WAS $12.86 - RES. OF STATES & TERRITORIES W. OF THE ROCKY MTNS. ROSSITER W. RAYMOND. SPEC. COMMISSIONER OF MNG. STATISTICS, TREAS. DEPT - 1869 (GPO REPRINT AS "OLD MINES OF CALIF-NEV., 1964, P. 20-21)

References

Reference (Deposit): DOM BULL. 144, P. 215

Reference (Production): CARLSON, D.W. AND CLARK, W.B., 1954

Reference (Deposit): CARLSON, D.W. AND CLARK, W.B., 1954 , MINES AND MIN. RES. OF AMADOR COUNTY, CAL: CJMG VOL. 50 , P. 185

California Gold

"Where to Find Gold in California" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in California. Read more: Where to Find Gold in California.