North  
   Carolina
  Business 
   History  
    

Gold Mining

   America's first gold rush was in North Carolina. The discovery of gold in 1799 in Cabarrus County and subsequent gold mining successes in the 1820s and 1830s made the state the leading producer of gold in the U.S. until 1849 and the California gold strike (1848). 




    
   The first placer mining in streams and creeks got underway in 1804. Mostly, it was part-time labor of local farmers and a few mining companies. But in 1825, gold-bearing quartz deposits were found and underground mining began — leading to a mining boom.
   Gold mining was a leading occupation (behind agricultural) in the late 1820s and early 1830s. North Carolina became known as the "Golden State," an appellation it retained until displaced by the California Gold Rush beginning in 1848.
   "The gold mines of North Carolina have lately excited much interest, and with those of other southern States, are becoming an object of national importance. The number of persons engaged in mining operations in the whole of the gold district, is estimated at upwards of 20,000; the weekly product of all the mines is supposed to be $100,000, or about 5 millions of dollars annually; but a small portion of this, however, is sent to the United States' mint, or remains in the country: the greater part is exported to Europe, particularly to Paris."
   "In this State, the gold mines are principally in the counties of Burke, Rutherford, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Davidson, and Cabarrus; in almost any part of this district, gold may be found in greater or less abundance mixed with the soil," according to Mitchell's Reference and Distance Map of the United States (1835).
   One of the leading businesses was the Bechtler Mint (gold assay and mint), which provided certified minted coins (sample pictured at right) of weight and purity of the melted North Carolina gold. Christopher Bechtler established his mint at Rutherfordton in 1831. Bechtler minted $2.50 and $5 coins, followed in 1832 with the nation's first $1 gold coin. The Bechtler mint continued until 1857, with his son running operations after 1842 when Christopher died.
   The U.S. Congress authorized creation of a Charlotte Mint in 1835 to mint gold coins. The Charlotte Mint opened in December 1837.
   The financial panic of 1837 hit the mining industry hard. Firms went dormant or bankrupt. But over the 10 year period (1838-1847), North Carolina mines still produced an average of more than 14,000 troy ounces of gold annually with a value of $289,000.
   In 1848, California produced $245,000 worth of gold. But by 1850, California dwarfed Southern states by producing $41 million. California gold mining peaked in 1852 with $81 million  and slide to $45 million in 1857.
   After the Civil War, gold mining resumed in North Carolina although it never returned to pre-war levels. Some gold was mined well into the 1900s.
  Gold Production in NC (est.)
  Troy Oz. Value (current $)
1804-1823 2,274 $47,000
1824 242 5,000
1825 822 17,000
1826 968 20,000
1827 1,016 21,000
1828 2,225 46,000
1829 6,483 134,000
1830 9,869 204,000
1831 14,224 294,000
1832 22,158 458,000
1833 22,980 475,000
1834 18,384 380,000
1835 12,724 263,000
1836 7,165 148,000
1837 5,656 116,900
1838-1847 140,232 2,898,505
1848 22,910 473,543
1849 23,502 485,793
1850 17,200 355,523
1851 15,814 326,883
1852 19,512 403,295
1853 13,334 275,622
1854 10,018 207,073
1855 10,954 226,416
1856 8,276 171,070
1857 4,058 83,870
1858 9,325 192,742
1859 10,381 214,574
1860 7,556 156,182
1861-1865 1,620 33,497
1866 6,818 140,937
1867 3,208 66,306
1868 4,350 89,906
1869 5,645 116,672
1870 4,892 101,111

Industries    Laureates    Contact Us    Home
2006 Copyright. CommunicationSolutions/ISI for  web site and content.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Mines; United States Mint; Pardee & Park - Gold Deposits of the So. Piedmont; Carpenter - Gold in North Carolina.