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Bo's Mine Tours Email: bo_smith@bellsouth.net Cell/Text Phone: (904) 708-9186 Mine Tours in Western North Carolina Spruce Pine Mining District Last Updated: May 10th, 2018 Bakersville, Spruce Pine and Little Switzerland in Mitchell County and Burnsville in Yancey County Along Route 19E northeast of Asheville |
Due to loss of our cabin as a base of
operations and health factors, I am no longer giving personal mine
tours. I have thoroughly
enjoyed giving tours over thae last few years and hope that I have
provided enjoyable and educational experiences for my customers. I
am leaving my Bo's Mine Tours Website up however, to keep the
information on the mines available for those who are planning trips to
the area. I am gratified that I
continue to get requests for mine tours and have provided advice and
recommendations for those who have contacted me. As a result. I am
adding a section to this website covering the most frquently asked
questions and my recommendsations.
I have transitioned the business side
of Bo's Mine Tours
to a Minerals , Pendants and Rings business with a
base of operations in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Tour of the Bon Ami Feldspar Mine at Emerald
Village . Pay your fees at the retail shop next to the mine cave. Fees; $8.00 adult. $7.00 seniors (60+), $6.00 students through high school, pre school (free)) The Bon Ami Mine is a typical feldspar mine of the 1920s-1940s. This tour features a brief description of Spruce Pine Pegmatite geology and the mining equipment and feldspar processing techniques of that period. The length of thr tour is about 45 minutes to an hour. The Emerald Village complex is located a few miles from the North Carolina Mineral Museum. |
 This is a very nice specimenn of the most common minerals found in the McKinney Mine tailings; green muscovite mica (upper left and lower right), smoky quartz (gray), and cream colored potash feldspar (microcline or orthoclase). |
You can collect from the tailings from the
McKinney Feldspar Mine onsite at Emerald Village. The procedure
is
to check in at the main retail store down McKinney Mine Road from the
Bon Ami Mine. You sign waiver of liability forms and pay the fees
there. Fee Schedule: adults 13 and older-$20, children 12 and under- $10.00 I will provide tools and help you identify the minerals you find if I lead you during your collecting experience. You can rent tools from Emerald Village if you go on your own. You will need sturdy shoes and some 5gal strong buckets for the samples you collect. There is a collection of the minerals found in the McKinney Mine tailings in the Emerald Village office to help you know what to look for when you collect at the tailings. |
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Most tour groups elect to take a break for a rest,
cool drink, and lunch after completing mineral collecting. If you decide to collect at Emerald Vilage, the place to go is the Little Switzerland Cafe just a few minutes from Emerald Village |
 Spruce Pine Pegmatite from Sink Hole Mica Mine Beautiful muscovite mica (rum mica) in smoky quartz (gray) and postassium feldspar (creamy white) matrix |
The Sink Hole Mica Mine is currrently closed due to the dumping of trash in the mine area. The Sink Hole Mica Mine is about a 45 minute drive from Emerald Village off of Stae Road 80N near Bakersville, NC. |
 Classic Spruce Pine Pegmatite Minerals Feldspar (cream), Smoky Quartz (gray), Muscovite Mica |
 Nice Spruce Pine Pegmatite specimen with
Muscovite Mica
from Sink Hole Mica Mine |
 Nice Gem Feldspar (upper right) from Sink
Hole Mine with "gemmy" garnets found in August 2015
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 You can begin with a short hike to see
one of the shafts and the location of the Native American mine works.
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 Next, you can collect samples from the "tailings" of the minerals found at the Sink Hole Mine. |
 Middle school aged students particularly enjoy the "hands on experience" |
 There is plenty of typical Spruce PIne Pegmatite at the Sink Hole Mine. This one has some pink feldspar. |
 Green Apatite crystal in Feldspar. (fluoresces bright yellow) |
 Top left- If you look carefully at the Feldspar you colllect, you might find some "gem feldspar" |
 Small "gemmy" Garnet crystals are commonly found in the pegmatite at the Sink Hole Mine |
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Most tour groups elect to take a break for a rest,
cool drink, and lunch after completing mineral collecting. If you decide to collect at the Sink Hole Mica Mine, the place to go is Helen's Restauraunt about a ten minute drive to Bakersville. Helen's has great sandwiches /burgers, sweet potato fries , and milk shakes! Closed Tuesdays! |
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| For tour groups
which include young children who have never been gem "sluicing"
and have selected to do the Bon Ami Feldspar Mine tour might want to
consider having the kids do some "gem
mining" at the Emerald Village
facility (bucket prices vary from $15
up). Emerald Village is an attractive, well run facility. This takes about and hour or so. After the Emerald Village actvities, you might want to move on to a shorter (about 1-2 hours) collecting experience either at the McKinney Feldspar Mine tailings onsite at Emerald Village or at the Sink Hole Mica Mine. I have found that elementary age children are very enthusiastic about collecting at "real mine" tailings but their attention span is such that they begin to wear out and get a bit "figity" after an hour or two. |
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| After
a bit of "marketing research" of the local "tourist gem mines", I have determined the best place to get reliable high quality gem stones along with the demonstrated ability of cutting the stones by experienced professionals is the Rio Doce Gem Mine. Rio Doce has a broad choice of buckets available to suit the needs of each customer. The most popular choice of my recent customers is the $65 bucket which is large enough for two people to share and includes several fecetable gemstones and many other minerals suitable for cabechons. The $65 price includes faceting one gemstone or one cabochon. Additional faceted stones are $50 each and cabochons are $30. |
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In addition to some kind of appropriate
containers (I recommend Lowes or Home Depot sturdy 5 gal buckets), you will need proper rock hammers to process the material. I recommend that each collector have a regular rock hammer (brick hammer) with a chisel end (shown in my left hand in the picture) ($30 at Homer Depot or Lowes and a 2 1/2 lb to 4 lb mason hammer with a chizel end (shown in my right hand). A 12 lb sledge hammer would be helpful to break up larger boulders. The picture demonstrates how to use these hammers to break rocks in a controlled manner. |
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We also have had several excellent tours to
the Crabtree Emerald
Mine.
Crabtreee provides a more difficult challenge than the Sink Hole Mine
in finding good specimens
but it can be done and our Crabtree tours were successful in that
almost everyone found some emerald. You can sign the required forms, pay the fees, and get directions to the mine from either the MAGMA (Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association) websie which manages collecting at the mine or at the Emerald Village shop next to the Bon Ami Feldspar Mine. I can provide the forms and forward your check to MAGMA if I take you to the mine. |
 Common grassy green Beryl crystals in Feldspar matrix |
 Emerald in Crabtree matrix
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 Black tourmaline crystals and pink Thulite
in Feldspar
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 Black tourmaline and golden beryl in
Feldspar matrix
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 Above- Nice Emerald crystals in Feldspar matrix; found August 2014 Right- Beautiful Emerald crystal found in the gravel at Crabtree; August 2015 |
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 The parking area at the Ray Mica Mine trailhead |
Directions to the parking area at the Ray
Mica Mine trailhead: From Burnsville take Rt 197 South (The Pensacola Road) for .7 miles Turn Left on Bolens Creek Road for 1.4 miles Turn Left on Ray Mine Road to the top of the hill GPS Coordinates: N 35 deg. 53.241 min. W 082 deg. 16.733 min. The Pisgah National Forest land begins at the post with the yellow and black poster on the right in the picture. You may park on National Forest land in front of the post is private land. I have had prmission from the owner in the past to park on his land. He does not want any payment; just do not block his mail box on th right! |
This a map of the Ray Mine area. The hatched area above the shafts is the authorized digging area. The old road which is adjacent to the digging area leads up to the rigeline where there is an old Kyanite Mine. |
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 Hike up the hill toward the tailings. You may suface collectalong the trail but no digging! |
 You may suface collect in the stream;
but no digging! |
 You may suface collect from the tailings near the shafts but no digging. Digging is permitted only in the approved digging area above the shafts! |
 Partial Common Beryl crystal in Quartzite matrix |
 Aquamarine in Feldspar |
 Muscovite Mica (Rum Mica) in Feldspar |
 Black tourmaline crystals in Muscovite mica
on Feldspar
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lIf you hike up toward the ridgeline from the Ray Mine shaft area you might find some blue Kayanite in Quartzite. |
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I met the owner of of the Thermal City
Gold Mine at the Grassy Creek Gem and Mineral Show late in July 2015. His family has owned the mine for five generations. The area between here and Charlotte was mined for gold for about 20 years beginning about 1830 and was the primary source of America's gold until the big gold strike in California. You can pan the unsalted stream gravel that produced the gold for $10/person and they will provide the pan; what a deal! You have a good chance to find a flake or two of gold by panning You can also reserve a piece of gold mining equipment called a trommel for four hours for $60. |
 Our first tour was for a family who decided to try panning for $10 a person |
 They were also given an explination of the operation of the trommel by the owner. |
 Loading the trommel |
 Cleaning the sluice |
 Panning the concentrate |
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The Objective Small nuggets and flakes from the trommel operation |
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A Good Place to Start Any Tour The North Carolina Mineral Museum At Rte 226 and the Blue Ridgre Parkway |
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You can take a route to the Sinkhole Mine that includes a brief roadside stop along Rte. 226N with a view of the Quartz Corporation's Pine Mountain Mining Facility. Take Route 226 N from Rt 19E north towards Bakersville. Stop along the right side of the road and take a look at this operating feldspar mine, the largest in North America. After this stop, continue on towards Bakersville and take a left at Rte 223 (Mine Creek Road) at the Sink Hole Mine road sign. |
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The Sink Hole Mice Mine mine is located in the
town of
Bandana southeast of Bakersville in Mitchell County. mine is currently owned by Ed and Sam
Silver. The Bandana area
and the valley to its south, Kona, have been continuously occupied by
the Silver family since the mid-1750s. My research into the
geology of the area has resulted in getting to know many of the local
folks so I have learned quite a bit about the history of the area. This
cabin, built by one of sons of the area's first resident of European
decent, George Silver Jr.was built between 1809 and 1816
can be found in the village of KONA. If you drive south on Rte
80S from Bandana, you will find KONA. Take the Old Kona Road down to
the village to find this cabin. |
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During the years that I have devoted to the study of the geology and history of the Spruce Mining District, I became very interested in the history of North Carolina mica mining by Hopewell era Native Americans. I have published my research online at: Native American Sink Hole Mica Mining Website If you are interested in this subject, be sure to search for revine at the Sink Hole Mine, the site of Native merican aboriginal mining 2000 years ago. I commissioned the oil and natural materials painting on the left which is currently on loan to the Yancey County Visitor's Center in Burnsville. A stone mine tool used in this mining over 2000 years ago is on display at thre museum up the hill from the Visitor's Center. |
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The Dellinger Grist Mill has been at it's
Cane
Creek location (a few miles east of Bakersville) since the mid 1800s.
Four generations of the Dellinger family have operated the mill. It is
the only iron wheel grist mill still in operation in North Carolina.
The mill is currently operated by Jack Dellinger. Jack was born in the
hills near the mill, watched his daddy operate the mill and learned the
stories of his grandpa and greatgrandpa's experiences with the mill
which he relates to those who visit the mill. Jack is an amazing
person
who started in the corn field,was educated in a one room school
house, eventually bacame an Electrical Engineer and as one of an
IBM team of computer programmers was involved in designing the
computer program that controlled the Saturn V Rocket for the Apollo 11
Lunar mission. Check hours of operation at the Dellinger Mill
Website |
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Located in Spruce Pine, NC. Run by our friend Maggie. Nice period rooms. Friendly atmosphere. Family style breakfast. Pet friendly. |
| Spruce Pine Motel (no website) |
Located
at 379 Oak Avenue (end of "upper streeet") downtown Spruce Pine.
Economy type motel, under new ownership, offers clean inexpensive
rooms.($50 one queen. $55 two double beds) 828-765-9344 |
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Located in Burnsville, NC. Run by our friends Laura and Mike Hoskins. Nice period atmosphere. |
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Located on Blue Ridge Parkway.
Luxurious
chalet atmosphere. Beautiful view. Excellent restaurant. Rates-moderate to expensive. |
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Located on Blue Ridge Parkway.
Comfortable. Beautiful view. Reasonable rates. |
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Located on Blue Ridge Parkway. Beautiful view.Rustic atmosphere. Optional breakfast served on the lodge's balcony. Reasonable rates. |
| Vance Toe River Lodge |
Located on Route 19E about 14 miles northeast of Spruce Pine in Plumb Tree, Avery County. The Vance Toe River Lodge offers inexpensive accommodations in the lodge and cabins, camping, and a Zipline attraction. |
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(smokey quartz, feldspar, and mica) |
Geologic History: The Spruce Pine Pegmatite formed as the result of the intrusion of granitic magma into the Ashe Metamorphic Suite (metamorphosed sedimentary rocks about 800 million years old). The intrusion of the magma occurred during the Devonian Period of the Paleozoic Era (about 380 million years ago). The cooling rate of the magma deep inside the Earth was very slow resulting very large sized crystals of the primary minerals in the granite rocks. This was a time in geologic history where the North American Plate collided with other plates of the Earth's crust resulting in the formation of The Appalachian Mountains. This mountain range was very high; higher than the American Rockies and perhaps even higher than the Himalayas. Subsequent cycles of metamorphism produced additional minerals in the pegmatite body. Cycles of weathering and erosion of the mountains removed tens of thousands of feet of rock material creating the piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain and reducing the present Blue Ridge Mountains exposing the Spruce Pine Pegmatite.
Economic Uses: The Spruce Mine Pegmatite has been a major factor in the economic development in the area which is currently the world's primary producer of high quality silica (quartz) for use in the manufacture of semi conductors, fiber optics, and solar panel components. Feldspar is used in china, sanitary ware, and glass making. Mica was used by Native Americans in the area for thousands of years for ornamental purposes and as a trading item. Early colonists used mica for windows in their cabins. In the late 1890s, mica began to be used for furnace windows due to its transparency and high heat resistance. Due to its flexibility, it was used for curtain material which could be "rolled up" for coaches. Mica was an important mineral resource in the first half of the 20th century. Inventors of the first electrical equipment such as telephones, telegraph transmitters, and other electrical equipment used mica as an insulator. During World War II and in the 1950s, mica was used in artillery and aircraft gun sights and for use in vacuum tubes. During this period, mica was considered a strategic material and the price was supported by the federal government. Mica mining boomed until the mica was removed from the strategic materials list in 1958. Mica is still used in highly technical circuit boards for use in equipment such as electron microscopes and by NASA. It is also used as scrap or flake mica for a functional filler in joint compound mud where it serves as an anti-shrinking material. Mica is also currently used in cosmetics. Other minerals associated with the pegmatite; such as emerald, aquamarine, golden beryl, and garnet are of high interest to gem dealers and mineral collectors.
Minerals found in the Spruce Pine Pegmatite Mining District: The primary minerals of the pegmatite are feldspar, quartz, and mica. These three minerals are the most commercially important Spruce Pine Pegmatite minerals because of the purity and abundance of the minerals and because they occur in large crystalline masses (due to the very slow cooling rate of the magma). Several types of feldspar can be found in the pegmatites in the area; two types of potash feldspar; orthoclase and microcline (potassium aluminum silicate), sodium feldspar; albite (sodium aluminum silicate), and oligoclase (a type of plagioclase feldspar which is mostly a sodium feldspar with some calcium). Amazonite, a relatively rare green variety of microcline feldspar and Moonstone, a gemstone variety of orthoclase is found here but they are rare. The quartz, SiO2, is sometimes clear and colorless (var. rock crystal). But normally, it is translucent and usually has a gray color (var. smoky quartz) or white (milky quartz). The mica is a variety called Muscovite which is normally a silver to light brown color but is sometimes green and even a rum or ruby color but can appear almost black in book form. The percentage of the primary minerals in the Spruce Pine Pegmatite are 65% feldspar (35% plagioclase; albite and oligoclase and 30% potasium feldspar; mostly microcline and some orthoclase), 25% smoky quartz, and 10% muscovite mica. The order of crystallization of these minerals from the magma was; first plgioclase feldspar, next potasium feldspar (first microcline then orthoclase), muscovite mica, and lastly quartz. There are numerous other minerals found in association with the pegmatite which are of interest to mineral collectors. The most common of these minerals is garnet which is usually found as almandine. Another variety of garnet, rhodolite, is less common but is a pale rose to red ruby color is sought by gem and mineral collectors. Tourmaline, a complex silicate rock forming mineral is sometimes found as crystals of the black variety (Schorl) but is occasionally found in the dark green variety highly prized by collectors. Kyanite, a blue bladed mineral is sometimes found associated with tourmaline. Beryllium minerals; beryl and the mineral apatite are sometimes found as accessory minerals in the more alkaline pegmatite rocks. Beryl (hardness 71/2-8) is sought by collectors as a gemstone in several varieties; aquamarine (pale green to blue), goshenite (colorless), heliodore (yellow/gold color), and emerald (dark green). Apatite occurs as a pale beige to green color. The green variety of apatite can distinguished from varieties of beryl (although both occur as hexagonal crystals) due to its lesser hardness (5) and because it produces an orange color under short wave fluorescent light. Zoisite, the pink gemmy variety called Thulite, also occurs in the pegmatite and can be confused with garnet. Other accessory minerals found with the feldspar are blue and green Hyalite Opal, and Autunite as well as other uranium minerals. Several metallic minerals occur but are rare in the pegmatite. The Titanium minerals ilmenite and rutile and molybdenite (MoS2) have been found in association with quartz.
