New Almaden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
New Almaden
Spanish: Nueva Almadén
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Neighborhood of San Jose
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 New Almaden
Location in San Jose, California
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Santa Clara |
| Elevation | 492 ft (150 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
95042
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| Area code(s) | 408 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1659212 |
New Almaden, also known as Nueva Almadén in Spanish, is a historic community in San Jose, California. It was once a very important mercury mine. You can find it in the Capitancillos Hills, at the southwest end of Almaden Valley.
New Almaden is split into two main parts. One part includes the old mines and the land around them. This area is now a park called Almaden Quicksilver County Park. The other part is a historic neighborhood around a big old house called the Casa Grande.
Mexican settlers found these mines in the 1820s. They are the oldest mines in California. For a long time, they were among the most productive mercury mines in the entire country. Even before the Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans arrived, the native Ohlone people used the area. They collected a red mineral called cinnabar to make paint.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Cinnabar is a bright red ore that contains mercury. The Ohlone people used it for paint. But settlers soon realized it could produce quicksilver, which is another name for mercury. Secundino Robles was the first settler to find the mine in 1824. He later owned parts of the mine with his brother.
Andres Castillero, a captain in the Mexican Army, got a grant for the mine in 1846. But he was busy with military duties during the Mexican War. So, he soon sold it to Barron, Forbes Company, an English textile company. Alexander Forbes named it "Nueva Almaden."
The mine was named after an old mercury mine in Almadén, Spain. That Spanish mine had been running since at least Roman times. The word Almadén comes from Arabic and means "the mine."
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In 1863, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln tried to take control of the mine. He had heard that the mine's ownership wasn't fully proven. But armed miners stopped the federal agents at the mine gates. The government decided not to push the issue. They didn't want to risk losing California's support during the war. So, Barron, Forbes Company was allowed to sell the mine to American investors for $1.75 million.
Mary Hallock Foote, whose husband Arthur DeWint Foote worked at the mine, wrote about life there. Her illustrated letters about New Almaden appeared in Scribner's Monthly in 1878. Her memoir, A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West, also features New Almaden.
Environmental Impact
The mining operations caused mercury pollution in the Guadalupe River and the South San Francisco Bay. This pollution affected birds and aquatic animals. In 2005, companies and local government groups agreed to pay about $6.75 million. This money was for projects to help clean up and restore the environment.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the US Fish and Wildlife Service created a plan in 2008. This plan outlined how to restore the environment in the area.
How the Earth Formed the Ore
The New Almaden mining area is part of a large rock formation called the Franciscan Assemblage. This formation is found in the Coast Range. The quicksilver ore, cinnabar, was formed deep inside the earth. Hot water brought the cinnabar up and deposited it in a special type of rock. This rock was created when serpentine changed due to hot water.
The nearby Guadalupe mine produced less mercury than New Almaden. There were other smaller mines, but they didn't produce much ore. Cinnabar was the only important quicksilver ore found. Most mining was done underground. Experts believe there might still be more high-quality ore to find using modern methods.
New Almaden Mines
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New Almaden
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| Area | 3,200 acres (1,300 ha) |
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| Built | 1854 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000236 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | July 4, 1961 |
Today, the entrances to the mines are closed for safety. The mining area is now part of the Santa Clara County Almaden Quicksilver County Park. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
When Santa Clara County bought the mines in 1976, mining stopped. By then, over 83 million pounds of mercury had been extracted. This was worth more than $70 million.
You can still see the remains of many buildings from the 135 years of mining. These include homes for the up to 1,800 miners. The largest group of these structures is at English Camp. This camp was built by miners from Cornwall, England, in the 1860s. Some structures were built later by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. There is also a memorial for Civilian Conservation Corps firefighters who worked there.
Two California Historical Landmark markers honor New Almaden Mine. Marker #339 points to a cinnabar hill where Native Americans gathered pigment. Marker #339-1 is near Arroyo de los Alamitos Creek. This is where the actual mining of ore first began.
There is also a museum nearby at the site.
Almaden Quicksilver County Park
Almaden Quicksilver County Park is a large park covering 4,147 acres (17 square kilometers). It includes the land where the mercury ("quicksilver") mines used to be. The park's elevation changes a lot. The most used entrances are less than 600 feet (183 meters) above sea level. But the highest point in the park is over 1,700 feet (518 meters) high. During the coldest winter storms, the highest peaks sometimes get a light dusting of snow. This snow usually melts by noon.
The County of Santa Clara owns and manages the park. The park also includes the Guadalupe Reservoir. The Almaden Reservoir is right next to the park. The Casa Grande Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum is also nearby.
Turning Mines into a Park
Between 1976 and 1978, Santa Clara County created many new large parks. These included Grant Ranch Park, Sanborn Park, and Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Soon after buying the mining property in 1976, the county started planning to turn it into a park. This was a time when the county's parks program was growing quickly.
The county parks director wanted a historic park. Visitors could learn about the mining past and enjoy the natural environment. Plans were made for facilities, and an Environmental Impact Report was prepared.
Some important things considered for the park included:
- How park visitors might affect animal habitats.
- How to protect the water quality in the creeks.
- How road improvements would look and affect drainage.
- A study of the mine's history.
New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum
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The New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum is located in the Casa Grande. This big house is at 21350 Almaden Road in New Almaden. The Casa Grande is a large mansion built in 1854. It was designed by architect Francis Myers. It served as the official home and office for the mine managers. It was also a country getaway for rich mine investors.
Now, the mansion is home to the museum. The museum has exhibits about the history of mercury mining. It also shows the cultural history of the mining communities in New Almaden. You can see a model of the inside of a mine shaft. There are also mining tools and technology. One exhibit shows a mine manager's office from that time. You can also see artifacts from Cornish, Mexican, and Chinese mining families.
Notable People
- Pat Tillman, a famous football player for the Arizona Cardinals.
