Historically, gold in North Caroline has occurred in numerous localities throughout the state, generally in quartz veins of the gneissic, granitic and dioritic rocks, also in those of the talcose, chloritic and argillaceous slates; in beds of slates themselves; and in gravel deposits, the debris of the decomposed rocks and veins. The principal counties in which it has been found in sufficient quantity for exploration are: Franklin, Nash, Granville, Alamance, Chatham, Moore, Guilford, Davidson, Randolph, Montgomery, Stanly, Union, Cabarrus, Rowan, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Gaston, Catawba, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell, Rutherford, Polk, Cleveland, Cherokee, Jackson, and Transylvania.
It is generally more or less alloyed with silver varying from pure gold on the one side to pure silver on the other. Near the surface, it is usually associated with limonite and, at a greater depth of the deposits, with pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, tetratdymite, arsenopyrite, rarely with altaite and nagyagite. Specimens of gold, remarkable for their size were found at the Reed Mine, in Cabarrus county, the Crump mine and the Swift Island mine in Montgomery county (at the latter place in plates covered with octahedral crystals), at the Cansler and Shuford mine in Gaston county, the Littlejohn mine in Caldwell county and Pax Hill in Burke county. Very beautiful arboresecent gold was obtained from the Shemwell vein in Rutherford county.
The Variety electrum containing 35-40% of silver was met with octahedral crystals at Ward’s mine in Davison county; also in Union county, at the Pewter mine, and associated with galena, sphalerite at the Stewart and Lemmond mines, and in the neighborhood of Gold Hill, Rowan county. Very interesting specimens were found at Silver Hill when the mine was first opened, consisting of lumps several inches in length, one end of which was pure gold, while other was pure silver. The gold of North Caroline belongs to four different geological periods: the loose quartz grits beneath the surface soil, in stratified layers which are contemporaneous with the rock, in connection with seams and joints of the rocks and probably also diffuse in the mass; and regular veins associated with quartz and sulphides of iron and copper.
The quartz grits from loose beds, made up mainly of broken auriferous veins in rounded angular pieces, and testing usually upon a bed rock which may be of almost any formation. The origin of this auriferous grits was progressive and due in great part to existing forces. It was everywhere distributed in the state, but varied in thickness and richness. The presence of gold in layers was distinguished from veins by the absence of walls; there was no line of demarcation between the auriferous layers and the adjacent ones. Even old miners who were perfectly familiar with the bed were not aware of the change, except by the absence of gold or until it was proved by panning.
The gold mining in this region began by the accidental discovery of a 28-lb nugget by a boy in one stream. Most of the simple and effective appliances were used for the separation of gold from such deposits. The long tom, sluice, riffle and others were devised and used in this locality, and when carried hence to California when the trained miners of this region emigrated in a body to that newer and richer field. The richest deposits within reach of water were worked over, but some areas were difficult to mine.