Gavilan Mining District facts for kids

The Gavilan Mining District is a special area in Riverside County, California, known for its gold mines. It's located about 6 miles west of Perris, California, near the Gavilan Hills and Gavilan Peak. This district only has two main mines: the Ida Leona Mine and the Gavilan Mine. They are very close to each other!

History of Gold Mining

Early Discoveries and Miners

People started mining for gold in the Gavilan area a long time ago. We don't know exactly how much gold was found, but miners were working here as early as 1855. Some historians think mining might have even started before that! Early miners included Californios and New Mexicans from a place called Agua Mansa.

The mines were located on a large ranch called the Rancho El Sobrante de San Jacinto. By 1893, this ranch was owned by a group of English investors from London.

Mining Methods and Gold Production

An old report from 1893, found in the California Journal of Mines and Geology, tells us more about these mines. It says that many years ago, the mines produced a lot of gold from quartz veins. Quartz is a type of rock that often contains gold.

Miners used a simple but clever method to get the gold out. They crushed the gold-bearing rock using machines called arrastras. An arrastra was a basic mill that used heavy stones dragged around a circular pit to grind the ore. The report mentions that more than fifty arrastra beds were still scattered around the mines, showing how much work was done there.

The gold veins at Gavilan were not huge, but the gold was of good quality. Mexican miners dug deep into the ground, following a rich vein of gold until they reached the water level. The large piles of leftover rock, called "dumps," show how much they dug.

Later, American miners took over. They would transport the crushed rock to a stamp mill in the Pinacate Mining District. A stamp mill used heavy hammers to crush the rock even finer, making it easier to separate the gold.

Changes in Ownership and Operations

When the English group bought the ranch, the mines had not been worked for many years. But in 1891, a company called M. C. Westbrook and Associates leased most of the mining area. They even planned to build a town near the mines, which they wanted to call Westbrook.

The company started exploring the old mine tunnels again. A local company from Riverside was formed to operate the mines. However, when the report writer visited the mines in 1893, things were not going well. Workers were actually taking apart the equipment, getting ready to leave.

There were rumors that a new, rich vein of gold had been found deep inside the mine, about 180 feet down. But the writer couldn't confirm this. The workers hinted that there were disagreements among the company's leaders.

Soon after, Westbrook and Associates sold their lease to another company, the Gavilan Mining and Milling Company. This new company planned to operate the mines for ten years.

The Mines Close Down

The original Gavilan Mine stopped being worked in the 1890s. However, the Ida Leona Mine continued to operate. It was most active in the 1930s. The Ida Leona Mine finally closed in 1942, after producing about $50,000 worth of gold.