Field Trip Report:

Sheepcliff Aquamarine Mine
Jackson County
Final Days of the Sheepcliff Mine
Spring and Summer 2003

by: Richard Jacquot

The Sheepcliff mine was actually started as a surface pit mine, eventually the vein was followed into the side of a rock face at an angle forming a semi vertical shaft, tracks were installed to remove the ore and haul it to the surface. The mine was constantly filling with water from an overhead natural spring which required constant pumping to keep the water out. Today, the mine is completely filled with fresh spring water and fish can be seen swimming in the pool.

In these pictures you can see the small waterfall that fills the mine.

Look in the water and you will see the remnants of the old ore cart track. The owner allowed me to remove all the track that was found, which ran about 50 feet underground out of the mine, I used a torch and cut the track sections into 8 foot lengths and brought them home. I then made a few 6" paperweights with the Sheepcliff Mine named stamped on them to give to the members who attended the dig as a souvenir from the mine. I have a 4 foot section I use in my display for my Sheepcliff specimens.

Dave H., and Steve P.

Almandine garnet in mica

Feldspar crystal found by Robert Creason.

Over the next couple of months, the work at the site continued, the house would be built where the dump material from the mine was located, the mine itself would basically be the backyard for the new owners. We worked the site as often as we could to retrieve as much material as possible, we knew the end was coming soon...

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