Company takes final steps to pursue Amador County's second Gold Rush

By Scott Thomas Anderson

Amador County has had a special place in the history of California’s gold, from being at the center of the glitter boom of 1849, to having the title of the largest industrial gold mining operations in the United States between the 1920s and 1930s. Now, a group of international investors is betting millions to prove that Amador County still has another chapter left to write in the history books — and it’s betting that money in a way that will create more than 100 local jobs and bring a sizable cash flow into the region’s struggling economy.

On Tuesday, Sutter Gold Mining Inc. Vice President David Cochrane confirmed to the Ledger Dispatch that the tourist Mecca nestled in the hills between Sutter Creek and Amador City will soon be one of the only full-fledged, below-ground, operating gold mines in California. This is largely because of $20 million in capital financing from RMB Australia Holdings Limited, as well as a handful of employees spending years navigating geological studies and permitting hurdles from the state. With construction of the new mine slated for this fall, Cochrane said he wants Amador County to know that his company is building a gold mine of the future: One that’s environmentally safe, aesthetically pleasing and a major asset not only to tourism, but also Amador’s more basic industries.

Until this week, Sutter Gold Mining was primarily known as a 400-foot-deep, non-operational, hard-rock mine that was open for tours. History buffs could wander through the sights, smells and chilly caverns that confronted immigrants during the “widow-maker” era of large-scale mining. Celebrating that legacy of sacrifice will continue with the new mine, says employee Holly Boitano. “The mill will be visible from the Highway 49 grade between Sutter Creek and Amador City,” Boitano observed. “And it will be built with turn-of-the-century-style architecture, so it blends in with the historic look of the Mother Lode.” Boitano added that the mill will be fitted internally with state-of-the-art sound suppression in order to minimize noise along the quaint avenues of Amador City.

Cochrane knows that the looks and sounds of the operation won’t be the only concern on the public’s mind. Dust suppression and safeguards against soil contamination are also major components in the new mill design. “I think the mining industry in general has a black eye for past practices,” Cochrane admitted. “But I think this is our chance to show California that we’re finally at a place where we have the right laws, the right regulations and the technology to make this work in environmentally and socially friendly ways. We want to be the first of a new kind of mine in the Mother Lode.

Go Underground In Sutter Gold Mine | LoopLane® | One World ...

Experience a real gold mine, first-hand and motor on down route 49 to the Sutter Gold Mine. When you arrive, head on over to the main building where you’ll find a gift shop and tickets for the underground riding/walking tour of Sutter Mine. This is a modern hard rock mine that began extracting gold in the 1980′s. Currently it is being used for tours, where you will learn about the history of gold mining, as well as current day practices.

You will be given a hard hat to wear, a tag (just like real miners) and climb into a jeep (similar to that Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.) The guide will drive you into the dark mine, underground where few people get to travel, unless you are a miner. Once in the depths of the mine, you leave your vehicle and the tour becomes a walking tour.

Sit in the safe room, where the miners go if there is any trouble. Here on wooden benches and water dripping from the hard rock, you’ll hear and see your best history lesson on gold mining. This beats any of those dusty old textbooks. Our guide not only looked like an old miner, but his granddaddy was a miner. His stories of life and death in a mine are still vivid in my mind. We climbed stairs in mine shafts, saw quartz veins, the air drills that they use to make holes in the hard rock (this is where the explosive goes). This was one of my all time favorite experiences.

This is the entrance to the Gold Mine:

The tour lasts for an hour, the group is small (we only had about 10 people) and we came away with respect for mining — and maybe a little desire to look for gold in those quartz veins. There is an old miner’s town with antique shops and in the nearby town of Jackson you can find places to eat. There’s a butcher’s shop in Jackson where locals and visitors come to get some of the best marinated meats for your next barbecue.

Sutter Gold Mine is located in Amador County, which is just outside of Sacramento. It is between South Lake Tahoe and Sacramento.

From Sacramento Take Highway 89 to Highway 88 west towards Jackson. Turn right on Highway 49 (north). You will need to turn right in Martell to continue on Highway 49 through Sutter Creek. Turn right on “Old Highway 49″ towards Sutter Creek and Amador City. Look for our entrance on the right approximately one mile north of historic downtown Sutter Creek.

Moon Northern California

Minerals Yearbook, 2006, V. 2, Area Reports, Domestic

Minerals Yearbook, Metals And Minerals; 2005

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