Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Under the Water, Under the Rocks: Waterford's Mining History

Just south of "Ross Mountain," in Waterford's old "District No. 2" and probably on the property belonging to C. Stoddard on the 1875 Beers map of the town, is a pair of small open circles, labeled "Copper Mine." It's another example of how early residents searched for what they needed within what was provided by the region. A rumor persists that gold was also mined at this spot, but it's only a rumor. Any material on the town's mines would be very welcome here.

Meanwhile, these two pages from C. H. (Charles Henry) Hitchcock's 1905 The Geology of Littleton, New Hampshire, give another look at this area where mines were not a surprise. Geology isn't my best area -- are there others who can comment knowledgeably on what these pages suggest?

Perhaps most important for the short term is to try to find and label the named mountains of 1905 on the maps of 2014!
Historic photo of the Elizabeth Mine, Strafford, VT. Photo source: "The Legacy of the Elizabeth Mine" website