| Pahaquarry Copper Mine | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
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Pahaquarry Copper Mine
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| Location | Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area |
| State | New Jersey |
| Country | United States |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper |
| History | |
| Opened | 1750s |
| Active | 1750s, 1847–8, 1861–2, 1901–11 |
| Closed | 1928 |
The Pahaquarry Copper Mine is a historic, legendary, abandoned copper mine near the Delaware River in the former Pahaquarry Township, New Jersey. Active mining was attempted in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, but was never successful, even with more modern technology. It is now part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and has several mining ruins, hiking trails and waterfalls.
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There are several legends associated with this mine that have been discredited by historians and archaeologists, notably Herbert C. Kraft.[1]
One legend claims that the Lenape worked the mine even before European settlers arrived. However, archeological and scientific testing show that the copper artifacts from the area originated from major native copper mines in Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula Michigan.[2]
Another legend claims that early Dutch settlers of New Netherland in the 1650s discovered and worked the mine in Lenape territory. This then leads to the legend that the Dutch built the Old Mine Road 104 miles to Esopus, New York to transport the ore. While the nearby roadside historical marker[3] repeats these claims, no hard evidence has been found to support either one.[4] Unfortunately, many references to this mining area continue to repeat these old legends as fact.
The area had three periods of active copper mining. The earliest documented reports are from the 1750s when John Reading, Jr. and partners purchased the land. Among the mining operations were two adits that still exist. The venture quickly proved unsuccessful and ended in 1760.[5]
The next attempt began with the formation of the Alleghany Mining Company in 1847 by a group of men from Flemington, New Jersey. New mining activity began, but quickly ended in 1848, due to the poor quality of the ore. New management of the company restarted operations in 1861, but again mining quickly stopped the next year.[6]
In 1867, Aaron Keyser bought the property for bark and timber. This soon ended when the land was transferred back to the Alleghany Mining Company in the 1890s.[7]
The last mining attempt began in 1901 when the Montgomery Gold Leaf Mining Company, founded by the brothers, Henry and Oliver Deshler of Belvidere, New Jersey, purchased the assets of the Alleghany Mining Company. After unsuccessful operations, the company reorganized as the Pahaquarry Copper Company in 1904. During the next years, a large ore processing mill, adjoining buildings and infrastructure were constructed at the area. The mill underwent many changes as the technology developed by Nathaniel S. Keith was new and untested. New ore was not dug until 1911, and stopped after three months, producing perhaps only three ingots of refined copper.[8] The last of the mining equipment was removed in 1928, ending copper mining in the area.[9]
From 1925 to 1972, the area was a camp for the George Washington Council (now merged and part of Central New Jersey Council) of the Boy Scouts of America.[10] The land was then purchased by the United States Army Corps of Engineering in preparation for the building of the Tocks Island Dam.[11]
The copper ore deposit found here is the grayish mineral chalcocite (copper sulfide) embedded in a hard gray sandstone band of the Bloomsburg Red Beds.[1] The similar color and low ore yield make visual identification difficult. Secondary minerals that can be seen include green malachite and blue-green chrysocolla.[1] Between 1903 and 1906, Dr. Keith reported an average yield of 3.25% copper using 100 samples. In 1943, the United States Geological Survey reported yields of 0.11% to 0.38% copper and recommended that no more work be done at Pahaquarry.[12]