Tumbled Stones and Gems turned into Jewelry, Scenic Displays, Lighting, Desk Sets and other Gifts made of Polished Stone! Oh yes, there's the Rock Shop!
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Tumbled Stones and Gems turned into Jewelry, Scenic Displays, Lighting, Desk Sets and other Gifts made of Polished Stone! Oh yes, there's the Rock Shop!
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When I first began to work the craft and gem show circuit down in the south Houston areas, I was continually asked, "Where's the Lone Star Mine"? I had to chuckle a little and then tell my customer/s that the mine was on my dinning room table, the garage, the backyard or anywhere else around the house in which I could find a place to work at. At the time, I honestly didn't think there was such a mine. But little did I know.......... I figure a state as big as Texas must have a mine by that name. I obviously did not want to infringe on any trade names, so I begin my initial research on the Internet and sure enough there was a Lone Star Mine. In fact, there were several mines by that name. However, I will only discuss the one and only in Texas. To visit the Lone Star Mine, one must first take that long journey to the Big Bend area of Texas and pay a visit to Terlingua. The Lone Star Mine is located approximately 7 miles west of Terlingua, Texas and 1.5 miles west of it's sister mine, the Mariposa Mine. See the link below for the map to the mine : Most of the portals are located on Tres Cuevas Mountain, which rises abruptly about 800 feet above the desert floor. At least 28 openings, consisting of adits, shafts, and trenches have been identified at this site. The mine was active during the 1910’s, 1940’s, 1954 to 1958, and early 70’s. More than 1,000 flasks of mercury were produced from the mine. The workings consist of extensive trenching, several shafts and adits with drifts. In the late 1990's, the Texas Railroad Commission began a land reclamation project for the mine and it's sister mine, the Miriposa Mine located 1.5 miles to her east. The problems were obvious due to its location being 10 miles northwest of Big Bend National park, 5.5 miles west of Big Bend Ranch State Park and 7.5 miles north of the Rio Grande River. The public regularly visits the site and explores the mine structures and workings. A racecourse for an annual mountain bike race traverses the mine area. All of these mines site are in close proximity (1.25 miles) to State Highway 170 and readily accessible by improved dirt roads. Several mines share access with the Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) site that draws several thousand people to their annual chili cook-off. These mine openings had health and safety hazards typically associated with abandoned hard rock mines such as:
Therefore, a variety of closure types were installed : Bat Friendly Gate 1 , Bat Friendly Gate 2 Bat Friendly Gate 3 , Bat Friendly Gate 4 This project has drastically limited the liability for the area landowners by eliminating dangerous openings. These mines are part of the rich mining history in an area that relies on tourism. It has increased public safety for tourists and the local populace from the hazards associated with abandoned mine workings while preserving the mine’s historic structures and cultural features. Additionally, it has also provided a habitat for the Mexican Free Tail and other bats who benefit the farmers by ridding them of their pesky insects. For more information about the Big Bend area, please see the links below :
And of coarse my own adventures and reviews : Gem Trails of Texas : West Texas 2005, Part I Gem Trails of Texas : West Texas 2005, Part II If you would like to visit The Lone Star Mine, click on the link below : Finally, for more shopping, click on the catalog categories or the links to the left ..... Also, check out the crazy adventures of the :
and learn where a lot of these gems, petrified wood and fossils came from Lastly..... For More information, Please contact me from the e-mail link below :
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Copyright © 2006 by [The Lone Star Mine Shaft -
Francis Kiefel]. All rights reserved.
Revised:
07/03/07 19:36:58 -0400.
