|
Buy the top of Little Cahuilla Mountain in
Riverside County, California. Own 37.5 view acres that are completely surrounded by
National Forest. This fortress has breathtaking views in every direction. The elevation is
approximately 4500 feet above sea level. There is a natural spring and a famous 100 + year
old gem mine. Must see to believe. Seller is offering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
REDUCED TO $300,000! Owner will carry.
NOTES FROM A MINING JOURNAL, CIRCA. 1916
Tourmalines have been mined in Riverside County, California, at the California Gem Mine,
the San Jacinto Gem Mine and the Columbia Gem Mine. These claims are situated in the
foothills of the San Jacinto Range, overlooking Hemet Valley and Cahuilla Valley and about
27 miles from the San Jacinto branch of the Santa Fe Railroad. The crystals occur in veins
from 40' to 50' wide, running nearly north and south through the crystalline rocks of the
mountain range. These veins in places consist of pure feldspar, or of feldspar with
quartz; in others wholly of mica, and in others of rose quartz and smoky quartz. The
tourmalines vary in size from almost micro-grains to crystals four inches in diameter.
They are most plentiful in feldspar, but are found in other portions of the vein,
sometimes in pockets and sometimes isolated. The larger crystals usually have a green
exterior and are red or pink in the center. Some crystals contain green, red, pink, black
and intermediate colors; others again are a uniform tint-red, pink, blue or colorless.
Associated with the tourmalines are rose quartz, asteriated quartz and fluorite, and some
of the quartz is penetrated with fine, hair-like crystals of tourmaline, strikingly like
the similar occurrence of rutile.
Associated with the tourmaline of Cahuilla have been found yellow beryls, closely
resembling those from Sarapulka in the Ural Mountains, also, others that are pale green,
pink and colorless. Some of the yellow crystals are finely formed and others show
remarkable instances of etched faces, while others are almost as delicate as a darning
needle.
Elegant specimens were made from some of the large crystals of this type by cutting and
polishing sections across the prism, showing the rich green exterior, then a narrow zone
of white, and within that the red center portion-a beautiful contrast of colors,
suggesting a slice of watermelon. Some of these were as much as three inches in diameter.
A few years later, remarkable fine crystals of colorless tourmaline (achroite) were
reported from this locality.
There were, at one time, several mines in operation in the San Jacinto district, which
gave a valuable output for several years. The one that has been most prominent of late is
that known as Fano Mine (formerly the Simmons), discovered and located in 1902, by Mr.
Bert Simmons, but now owned by Mr. E. A. Fano of San Diego. This was in the name of the
Fano-Kunzite Tourmaline Mining Company, on the north side of Cahuilla Mountain, at an
altitude of some 4,500 feet, about a mile south of Bautista Creek, 4 miles west of the
Ramona Indian Reservation and 3 miles north of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation. The mine
consisted of 4 claims. The nearest post office is Hemet. After some preliminary surface
work a tunnel was driven 300 feet from the summit of the hill, to crosscut the ledge,
which was found about 20 feet from the surface. The parties then continued the tunnel
until, at a distance of 176 feet, solid blue diorite was reached. The tunnel was then
abandoned and since that time, work has been confined to the surface.
The dike is about five feet wide, with a northwest and southeast strike, and dips
southwest about 17 degrees. The pegmatite is finely crystallized, and resembles that of
other tourmaline and kunzite mines in San Diego County.
The output so far has been 25 pounds of kunzite, white; 1 pound of kunzite, pink; and 25
pounds of all classes of tourmaline, mostly blue and green; about 250 pounds of beryl have
also been taken out, but only about 5% available for gem purposes. Two hundred pounds of
very fine quartz crystals have also been sold, and about a ton of lepidolite and 30 to 40
pounds of amblygonite; also flake mica has been discovered large enough for commercial
purposes.
There is a spring near the property, on land rented by owners of the mine; also, plenty of
oak timber for mining purposes. Considerable money has been expended here without much
result, but for the work actually done on gem pockets, this mine has been a splendid
producer.
Several tourmaline mines were also located by Mr. Bert Simmons, north and east of
Cahuilla, from which some large gems have been obtained.
|
