Industry
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The Gold Bug was one of the thousands of small mines that once dotted the Sierra foothills, and most of its digging took place in the 1920’s and 30’s rather than during the Gold Rush. Mines like it were worked by small partnerships of men with little money, equipment, or formal knowledge of geology or mining. Using picks, shovels, and blasting powder, the miners removed what could be easily taken from enriched quartz veins. Work at the Gold Bug was irregular, because owners often held other jobs and worked the mine only enough to maintain their claims. Ownership and even the mine’s name changed often over its lifespan. The claim had many owners and was once called Hattie, after the daughter of one of its original owners, William Craddock. The name Gold Bug was used from 1924 until 1942, when the mine was permanently closed because of the war.
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Placerville, California · United States
