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Jun 20, 2020 15 tweets 18 min read Read on X
Samuel D. Hudson discovered gold-bearing quartz boulders in the Forest Hill #Gold District in June 1893, and in June 1894, he and his brother discovered the Ophir lead.
Here's the story of the site!
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough
@lloydphines @SeanFraserMP @modgcao ImageImage
Mining really began in Forest Hill, #Guysborough County, in 1895 and what had been only a wilderness was transformed by the end of 1896 into an active mining district with three mills, two or three stores, a schoolhouse, and a population of 200-300.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia Image
Some of the main veins mined at Forest Hill were the “Schoolhouse Veins,” undoubtedly located underneath the schoolhouse.
Mining operations were very active during the first 5 or 6 years of the district's history but then came a period of only intermittent activity until 1916. Image
Total production from 1895-1916 was about 29,792 ounces of #gold, a fairly impressive figure given that mining took place only intermittently.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough Image
(Historical reporting of Forest Hill’s production was combined with that of several other #gold districts in the Country Harbour area, such as Stormont and Isaac Harbour, so Forest Hill’s production is estimated.)
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough Image
In those early years the mining simply followed the visible #gold and was carried out by the sinking of vertical shafts or pits. The quartz was hand-cobbed and stamp mills were used to liberate the coarse gold from its host rock, along with gravity separation...
#nspoli Image
...and amalgamation using mercury. It’s been estimated that this process only recovered about 60% of the #gold in the ore, a reminder of how rudimentary gold mining was then compared to the sophisticated science it is now.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough Image
Nova Scotia #gold mines have not used mercury since the early 1900s because it’s bad for the environment.
After years of inactivity, mining started again in 1934 on the Schoolhouse Vein using a 10-stamp mill.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough
@SeanFraserMP @lloydphines Image
Eventually, the Schoolhouse was worked to a depth of 103 metres. Several of the other shafts were also deepened and some work was done on the Ophir Vein.
Mining and exploration on various veins continued until 1956 when activity dropped off again.
#nspoli #novascotia #guysborough Image
Exploration started again in 1971 and has continued on and off since. In 1985-86, an exploration shaft was sunk to 230 metres below surface and a high grade zone of ore was mined by Seabright Resources on the newly discovered Adams Vein...
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough Image
...named after Ken Adams, chief geologist on the project. Reports from this period indicate that #gold at Forest Hill occurs in very rich pockets called “jewelry boxes” by the miners.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough Image
In December 1985, Seabright purchased the former zinc-lead mine at Gay's River, #NovaScotia, from Esso Resources for $3.5 million (see our April 25 post about Gay’s River).
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough Image
Seabright converted the mill to process #gold from its various properties including Forest Hill and Beaver Dam.
Seabright Resources was acquired by Western Mining Corporation of Australia in 1987 and its related company, Westminer Canada Limited, took over Forest Hill.
#nspoli Image
Westminer continued development at Forest Hill until 1989.
Exploration data from the Seabright/Westminer years suggests the site has significant potential to be a modern mine, like so many other historical Nova Scotia #gold mines.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #guysborough Image
In fact, almost all the activity in #NovaScotia’s gold sector is at historical mines where deposits were proven during our early #gold rushes but modern science and technology make it possible to mine profitably while, of course, taking proper care of the environment.
#nspoli Image

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More from @MiningNS

Feb 25, 2021
@nsgov announced new rebates for electric vehicles yesterday. Mining makes #greentech like electric cars possible because they are mostly made of minerals and metals.
#nspoli @KeithIrvingNS @IainTRankin @NS_Energy_Mines @ns_environment @ChenderMLA @AllanMacMaster @MLAChuckPorter Image
For example, an e-car has 183 pounds of copper wiring in it because copper is used in every major component from the motor to the inverter and the electrical wiring. There is about four times more copper in an e-car than in a car with an internal combustion engine.
There are about 400 electric cars on Nova Scotia roads - a total of over 73,000 pounds of copper!
An electric car uses 25-50 grams of silver, so Nova Scotia’s 400 e-cars contain about 15,000 grams of it.
Read 9 tweets
Sep 23, 2020
The Morris Street Engine House has been declared a municipal heritage property!
#Halifax’s Fire Station #2, as it is also called, was built 1907-08 of reinforced concrete.
Here's the story!
#nspoli @HFXFireHistory @HRMFireNews @hfxfire @HFXFirefighters @hfxgov @MikeSavageHFX
Concrete is a mixture of aggregates and paste. The aggregates are sand and gravel or crushed stone; the paste is water and portland cement. (The terms cement and concrete are often used interchangeably, but cement is actually an ingredient of concrete...
#nspoli
...Cement is the glue that holds concrete together.)
Reinforced concrete means the concrete is poured over a frame, usually steel bars, that give the structure greater strength.
#nspoli
Read 12 tweets
Sep 21, 2020
We love getting questions about mining, minerals and geology! We were asked about sinkholes and whether they are a risk when walking in the woods.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton @oxfordsinkhole ImageImage
The short answer is yes, sinkholes are real but no, they are not a major risk and should not prevent you from enjoying outdoor activities.
Most natural sinkholes are caused by groundwater naturally eroding rocks like gypsum, salt and limestone which are water-soluble.
#nspoli Image
The water erodes the rock, leaving an underground cavern. Eventually, the weight of the rock and earth above the cavern causes the sinkhole to form. Sinkholes can form either gradually (i.e. a small depression appears and perhaps grows larger over time) or by sudden collapse. Image
Read 18 tweets
Sep 20, 2020
We love getting questions about mining, minerals and geology! We were asked about the historic #NewCampbellton coal mine in #VictoriaCounty.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #nshistory
@JaimeBattiste ImageImage
The New Campbellton coal mine was opened in 1862 by Charles J. Campbell, a former Member of Parliament, Member of the Legislative Assembly and executive council member. The community had been named Kelly’s Cove but was changed to New Campbellton in 1862 in honour of Mr. Campbell. Image
A sample of New Campbellton’s coal was sent to the 1865 Dublin Exhibition and “was very favorably noticed by the Judges,” according to a report.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #nshistory Image
Read 18 tweets
Sep 19, 2020
Mining built #NovaScotia!
#Halifax was founded in 1749 and its first court house is reported to have been built by 1754 on the northeastern corner of Buckingham + Argyle streets. After the building burned in 1789, the courts were temporarily housed in various buildings.
#nspoli ImageImage
In April 1851 a bill to provide Halifax with a county court house was passed. Mr. H.G. Hill, a prominent #Halifax architect, prepared a plan for a wooden building.
However, since the records of the county, wills, deeds and other papers of public office were...
#nspoli #novascotia Image
...to be stored in the court house, it was important that the building be fire-proof. Also, a number of serious fires in #Halifax in 1857 led to the passage of a bylaw that required large buildings be made of stone or brick, so Hill's plans for a wooden building were abandoned. Image
Read 10 tweets
Sep 18, 2020
The Sullivan Creek #coal mine, before and after!
It's one of several mines reclaimed around #AlderPoint #CapeBreton in the late 1900s/early 2000s - examples of how mining makes temporary use of land and then land can be used other ways.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia @JaimeBattiste ImageImage
The first mine in the area was the Scotia Mine, or #NovaScotia Steel & Coal Company No. 4 Colliery, on Toronto Road, which operated on the Sydney Main (Harbour) Seam from 1915 to 1921.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia @JaimeBattiste ImageImage
Coal quality and structural issues (including water inflow) plague the Harbour Seam west of Florence so upon closure of the colliery, production on the Harbour Seam was limited to the Company’s No. 3 Colliery in Florence, which had opened in 1902...
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia ImageImage
Read 19 tweets

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