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Pictures courtesy of Ruggles Mine brochure |
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by Kyla R.
Ruggles Mine was once part of a farmer's land. His name was Sam Ruggles. Since he was a 'tiller of soil', Sam knew what it meant to work hard to make ends meet. While he was digging around in his field in 1803, he pulled up a rock that appeared to be a shining mineral. Sam wasn't the kind of person to go running around yelling ''Look what I dug up !'' The farther he dug, the more mica he found. He soon realized that his "rocky" soil contained a crop more valuable than any grain or vegetable he might grow in the ground.There was enough of this mineral to last all his life and many other lifetimes. He kept his discovery a secret. He knew how important this mineral was; because mica was transparent and heat resistant, it was important for windows, lamp chimneys, and stove door windows.
He started selling his discovery and kept farming, too. At night, he would transport his "secret crop" from Grafton to Portsmouth, hidden in wagons under his farm products. At Portsmouth, mica was put on ships and sent to England. Every home in London, and nearby towns, seemed to need it for something .
Sam became an International trader. His work force changed from his family to a crew, which was put, according to legend,"under the heavy hand of a tough boss." Sam was considered, "the king of shining mineral".
For a long time New Hampshire was in the only place in the nation where mica was mined. After a while, North Carolina and California started, too.
After Sam Ruggles death, J.W. Kenton and Company became the owner of the mine, and by 1912, the American Mineral Co. changed focus to mining feldspar, a mica by - product, which was used in domestic manufacturing as a glazing and bonding agent for glass, pottery, and enamel objects.
The Bon Ami agent Co.used the rock feldspar to make soap powder.They ground the rock up and molded it into soap.
Thirty million dollars worth of minerals is only a rough estimate of the value of what was removed from the site since a New Hampshire farmer [ Sam Ruggles] pick up an odd rock, which glittered when the sun hit it. Ruggles Mine was named after that man who found it. In the mine you can find 150 types of minerals and among them are: amethest, beryl [which can be golden, blue, and aqua in a large size], clarkite, dendrite, fluorapatite, garnet, kasolite, lepidolite [lemon yellow], marcasite, pyrite, quartz [rose, smoky, white], reddingite, safflorite, topaz crystals, uranium, vivianite, and zicron crystals. But mica was the most precious.
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Pictures courtesy of Ruggles Mine brochure |
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