For our second unit in history we will be studying Westward Expansion and the Gold Rush. It seemed fitting to start the trip off with gem mining.
We went to The Emerald Hollow Mine.
From their site:
It is the only emerald mine in the United States open to the public for prospecting. Nestled snugly in the foothills of the beautiful Brushy Mountains, this North Carolina Emerald mine is located in the small town of Hiddenite, North Carolina. This locality is recognized as one of the most unique and interesting geological locations on the North American continent.
We really enjoyed our time there. Check out some pictures from our adventure!
The trip was broken into four different parts. The first one was surface collecting. Here is a picture of L trying to find some gems and then J sharing his finds.
The next part of the trip was sluicing. Here is C1 listening to the directions and below that you can see C2 actually looking for gems. We dumped out a bucket of dirt onto a screen and then with a bristle brush and water brushed the dirt away to find gems. There were some really neat finds.
Next we went to the creek to find gems in there. The water was very cold and we didn't have boots. They still managed to find lots of gems.
We had a wonderful time and would highly recommend this trip. It was a great way to begin our next unit.
We went to The Emerald Hollow Mine.
From their site:
It is the only emerald mine in the United States open to the public for prospecting. Nestled snugly in the foothills of the beautiful Brushy Mountains, this North Carolina Emerald mine is located in the small town of Hiddenite, North Carolina. This locality is recognized as one of the most unique and interesting geological locations on the North American continent.
We really enjoyed our time there. Check out some pictures from our adventure!
The trip was broken into four different parts. The first one was surface collecting. Here is a picture of L trying to find some gems and then J sharing his finds.
The next part of the trip was sluicing. Here is C1 listening to the directions and below that you can see C2 actually looking for gems. We dumped out a bucket of dirt onto a screen and then with a bristle brush and water brushed the dirt away to find gems. There were some really neat finds.
Next we went to the creek to find gems in there. The water was very cold and we didn't have boots. They still managed to find lots of gems.
Lastly, we had an Earth Science lesson on some of the rocks and minerals there.
Here is a sample of what the boys found. I wish you were able to see how beautiful these gems are. The picture doesn't really do them justice.
We had a wonderful time and would highly recommend this trip. It was a great way to begin our next unit.
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