Tiny part of big (14 by 16 inches) map shows a few of the Del Norte County mines in this book. These are near Diamond Creek and Monkey Creek Ridge. Mines are named on the map. For example, number 29 is the Monumental Consolidated gold mine.

This scarce first edition lists every known gold and chromite prospect in 1952 Del Norte County — 142 of them in all.

In a second separate section, this report also lists every last mining company operating in 1950 California; what the company was mining; the mine's name; location and the owner's address.

Cash in and make truckloads of money
Because of high gold and silver prices, long-dormant old mines are being reopened, reaping their owners truckloads of cash. But how do you find old -- or even new -- mines? With books like this.

Take samples at Del Norte locations listed ONLY in this book and have them assayed for gold content. Sure you'll hit a few uneconomic deposits. But sooner or later, you'll hit a deposit that will pay out BIG TIME. Sell your claim for piles of money to wealthy investors. Repeat as necessary until you have more money than you know what to do with.

Look at how much money those nitwits on the Alaska mining TV show make. You do NOT have to travel all the way to bug-infested freezing Alaska. Find the same fortunes in gold right here in sunny beautiful California. They don't call California "the golden state" for nothing. Do you really think that old-time miners found all the gold back in the gold rush? No way. There are literally mountains of gold still waiting to be extracted right here in Califormia. The problem is finding them, and with some footwork, this report can help.

Information is available ONLY in this book
Some of this information is available ONLY in this report. Remember that this report doesn't just list the big mines that everyone knows about. It also lists and locates the smaller and lesser-known mines, which are apt to be more intact and to contain more undisturbed items — whether it be bottles or gold, square nails or underground workings.

Mines are pinpointed by coordinates
The 50-page section on Del Norte County locates mining operations on a large SEPARATE map in the book's rear pocket. The map pinpoints many mines by range-and-township coordinates. Landmarks and roads may have changed in the 50 years since this report was written, but these coordinates have not. Just plug them into your GPS or look them up on the appropriate topo, and you're there. Each mine is also described in the text. Those descriptions run from a few lines to several paragraphs, depending on importance of the mining operation.

Full-page photo from report (greatly reduced in size here) shows mining at Point St. George.

Only one 1st edition,
and this is it
I have been buying and selling mining items for over 12 years on ebay and have only seen one of these first editions offered. Unlike this one (which is in very good near-fine condition), that one was in rough shape and missing the oversize map. So buy it now or forever hold your peace. Once it's gone it's gone.

Not only is this first edition hard to find, it's packed with exact mine locations, geology information, ore value, mine-production stats, history, even claim holders' names and addresses (a must-have for stock certificate collectors). This report is considered primary source material.

Largest producer in the United States!
Del Norte County, California, was the largest producer of lump chromite in the U.S. — with a recorded production of 70,000 long tons. The county was also a "respectable" gold producer, with $6.2 million in minerals between 1880 and 1949. Gold, silver, copper, chromite, platinum and quicksilver account for almost all of the county's mineral output.

This is not some gift-shop rockhound book; it was written about miners for miners by miners. Prepared by the California Division of Mines, it's a treasure trove of information for history buffs, bottle collectors, photographers, geologists, hikers, offroaders, rockhounds, prospectors — just about anyone interested in learning about, exploring or prospecting old mine sites in historic Del Norte County.

Book contains full-page photo of the Mountain View chrome mine in 1943. About seven miles from the Smith River, this mine produced ore that averaged 44 percent chromite. Now that's paydirt!

Mines described
Here are just a few of the Del Norte County mines described::

• Big Flat gold mine, on the east bank of Hurdy Gurdy Creek. In 1889 this hydraulic mine employed more than 300 men (that's right — more than 300). By 1945, owners said that the mine was closed because of a shortage of workers. Go figure!
• French Hill gold mine, in the French Hill district, one of the early Del Norte placer operations. One ounce of platinum was recovered for each $1,000 of gold. A water shortage idled the mine in 1946.
• Copper Creek chromite mine, on Rowdy Creek, produced 2,876 long tons before chromite prices dumped in 1918. Mine was later reopened but closed again in 1943 after the death of leaseholder C. A. Gillis "by a fall of ground" at the mine.
• French Hill chromite mine employed eight men in May 1946 and was shipping a carload of ore each week; ore averaged 38 to 42 percent chromite.
• Yates Beach mine — yes, a mine at the beach. Miners were working beach sand for gold and platinum with a series of sluices and tables, three miles south of Crescent City. Hey, why not work on your tan and your mine at the same

  Big map from report's rear pocket pinpoints all the major mines and mineral deposits in Del Norte County. Pink areas on map indicate distribution of peridotite

  time!
• Monumental Consolidated Quartz (gold) mine, worked by a 240-foot vertical shaft and a number of tunnels. Idle at the time of this report.
• Aurora Hydraulic (Morgan) gold mine: "High bench gravel 300 to 400 feet wide and three to 10 feet deep; partly cemented in places, heavy gold . . ."
• And many more mines and prospects, large and small.

Where is Del Norte County?
Del Norte County is in a rugged mountainous area in the northwest corner of California. The Pacific Ocean is to the west and Oregon is to the north. At the time of this report, it was still largely undeveloped. Adjacent counties are Siskiyou, Trinity and Humboldt. Nearby counties include Modoc, Lassen, Shasta, Trinity, Mendocino, Glenn Tehama, Plumas, Sierra, Butte and Lake. Communities include Crescent City, Fort Dick, Gasquet, Klamath and Smith River. Closest population centers across the border in Oregon are Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Central Point, Grants Pass, Murphy, Wilderville, Wonder, Selma, Kirby and Takima.

The book:
California Journal of Mines and Geology, Vol. 48, No. 4, October 1952; State of California, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mines, San Francisco, six by nine inches, 132 pages total, about 50 are about Del Norte County ("Mines and Mineral Resources of Del Norte County, California," by J. C. O'Brien). The list of all mines operating in California during 1950 (by Henry H. Symons and Fenelon F. Davis) totals about 68 pages.

Overall in very good condition to near-fine condition (see cover photo at right), just a VERY nice copy; binding tight, slightly bumped corners, very slight sunning to covers. library sticker amd library tape on spine (no card pocket). Signature in upper-right cover corner. One map (in very good, near-fine condition) folded in rear pocket.

As always, I am extremely conservative about rating book condition and very detailed in listing any potential flaw, no matter how slight. All scans in this ad came directly from the book for sale here. What you see is what you get. Unlike some other ebay sellers, I do not use scans from another (often better) copy of a book in my ads.

Payment methods and domestic shipping
Paypal only. Free shipping via priority mail with delivery confirmation in the United States. I pride myself on bulletproof packaging and ship in sturdy cardboard boxes or reinforced padded envelopes,

The fine print:
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the item or terms of sale. Do not wait until you bought the item.I post feedback once a week. Not responsible for typographical errors.

Good luck and thanks for looking!