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Since 1982, the Eagle's Nest mine has been a more or less consistent source ofßne crystallized gold specimens, with the exception of recent years during which legal challenges have diverted financial resources to litigation instead of production. At present, the mine is in full production with the expectation that it will produce additional fine specimens of crystallized gold in the future.
INTRODUCTION
Specimens of crystallized gold from what is now known as the Eagle's Nest mine first came to the attention of the mineral collecting community in a brief article in the Mineralogical Record's, "What's New in Minerals" column (Leicht, 1982). At that time, specimens were simply labeled as coming from the Michigan Bluff Mining District in Placer County. Since that time, substantial numbers of beautiful gold specimens have reached the market. The present owner/operator has purchased and leased other claims in the immediate area and has consolidated them under one name: the "Eagle's Nest mine." Consolidation of many claims under one name is not unprecedented in California. The 16 to 1 mine in Sierra County, the Red Ledge mine in Nevada County (8 claims), and the Sonora mine in Tuolumne County all encompass numerous claims.
EARLY HISTORY
Historically most of the mining in Placer County has been placer, both from recent stream deposits as well as from old Tertiary channels which bisect the County. Placer and drift mines (a "drift mine" is an underground mine exploiting ancient river gravel) were particularly rich and were mined intermittently since the early 1850's. Lode mining in the Michigan Bluff District began shortly after the discovery of gold in California but was never as important as the alluvial deposits. The site of the original discovery of gold at Coloma in El Dorado County is less than 20 miles from the Eagle's Nest mine. One of the earliest reports of lode mining near Foresthill can be found in the American Journal of Science and Arts, written by William F. Blake (1855); he states that ". . . interesting octahedral crystals have been found in the claims of the Messrs. Diedesheimer . . . 2,500 feet above the level of the river." From his description it appears that these crystals of gold must have been found in either the...