The Nellie Dent Mine, officially the Nellie E. Dent Quartz Mine, and also known as the Contact Mine"Nellie Dent and Contact Mine – Western Mining History" Western Mining History or Content Mine is an inoperational quartz mine in the Cove Mining District, in Wofford Heights, California, near the Sequoia National Forest. In addition to quartz, the mine also produced small amounts of gold.
Mining Although nothing is known about when the Nellie Dent Mine halted operations, it is established that the Nellie E. Dent claim (54.3 acres in area) was patented in 1874."Inyo Independent, Volume VI, Number 52, 24 June 1876" California Digital Newspaper Collection
The Nellie Dent Mine's operations primarily occurred underground, and some sources claim an open-and-cut method was utilized. The maximum depth of the mine was approximately 150 feet. The ore shoot and opening shaft were 450 feet long."Nellie Dent Mine in Wofford Heights, California | The Diggings™" TheDiggings™
The Nellie E. Dent gold vein was low-grade and hosted in Mesozoic granite. It was 1400 feet long and from 40 to 100 feet thick. There was approximately $5 of gold per ton of rock. The outcrop of quartz was 50 feet thick."Nellie Dent and Contact Mine, Big Blue group (North Extension Sumner; Jeff Davis; Bull Run; Beauregard; Urbana; Frank; Content; Big Blue-Sumner; Glue Gouge), Wofford Heights, Cove Mining District, Kern County, California, USA" mindat.org
The mine was sold to a private entity in 2024 and there are no known plans to reopen the mine.
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