THE SPRUCE PINE MINING DISTRICT

The Spruce Pine Mining District began comercial production by Native Americans during the woodland age over 2000 years ago. These early americans were mining muscovite mica from the area for what was beleived to be grave decoration and was used as a type of money for trading purposes. The mica is known to have been traded as far away as the Ohio Valley. Later, around 1744,legend is that the Cherokee Indians mined semi-weathered feldspar (kaolin) from the District and traded with early settlers, who transported it to ships bound for England. This material was used as an ingredient for English ceramic wares. Legend is that Hernando Desoto visited the Spruce Pine area around 1540 in search for silver materials which he discovered to be the mica being mined by the Cherokee.

Settlers began sporatic mining of mica and feldspar from the area from 1776 to 1911. In 1910, more focused development of the feldspar was begun by William E. Dibbell, a Baltimore prospector who noticed ceramic value to the feldspar. Dibbell organized the Carilina Minerals Company that shipped the feldspar to Golding Sons ceramic plant in Trenton, Willmington, and East Liverpool Ohio.

Today, the Spruce Pine Mining District provides feldspar, mica, and quartz (including high purity quartz) throughout the world. These materials are used to manufacture items from gypsum wallboard paste, to glass, paint, lightbulbs, and semi conductor computer chips.

The Spruce Pine Deposits lie in the Western North Carolina counties of Yancey,Mitchell, and Avery. The deposits lie along a 25 mile section which is as wide as 5 miles along its length. Geologic implacement of the pegmatite is late Devonian (380 mya). Pegmatie content varys but is generally 65% feldspar (35% albite/oligoclase, and 30% microcline), 25% quartz, 10% muscovite mica, and trace amounts of garnet and other acessory minerals.