2018-19 Southern Adirondack Guide
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64<br />
Garnet Mine Tours<br />
Fun for Everyone!<br />
garnetminetours.com<br />
Explore! Learn! Shop!<br />
Explore the mine & discover<br />
your own precious garnets.<br />
Learn about mining history & geology<br />
Shop the Gore Mountain Mineral Shop: jewelry,<br />
gems, science & nature toys<br />
Group tours are welcome!<br />
Open through Labor Day:<br />
Monday – Saturday: 9:30 – 5<br />
Sunday: 11 – 5<br />
Open fall weekends<br />
through Sunday, October 7, <strong>2018</strong><br />
1126 Barton Mines Road<br />
North River, NY 12856 | 518-251-2706<br />
Only 35 minutes<br />
from Lake George!<br />
Garnet History<br />
The Town of Johnsburg enjoyed a “garnet-rush”<br />
starting back in 1878 when Henry Hudson Barton came to North<br />
Creek in search of a better abrasive. Miners, prospectors and<br />
geologists explored the mountains of Johnsburg and adjacent<br />
Indian Lake. The target of their search was the rich deposits of<br />
garnet commonly knows as the “<strong>Adirondack</strong> Ruby” the official<br />
NYS gem stone. Like the diamond, garnet can serve dual roles.<br />
If it is a clear, uncracked crystal, it can be faceted to produce a<br />
beautiful gem stone, if imperfect, garnet can make an excellent<br />
industrial abrasive. With the help of local people, Barton found<br />
an outstanding source of garnet on Gore Mountain.<br />
After Barton’s visit, garnet was no longer<br />
a curiosity, but rather a valuable product to be<br />
mined and used commercially as an abrasive.<br />
The discovery provided a long term supply<br />
of the hardest commercial quality garnet ever<br />
found in the world. With good management, this<br />
allowed Barton to be the only garnet mining company<br />
to continue its existence as an important business<br />
contributing to the economy of Johnsburg. During<br />
the “hey-days” of garnet mining<br />
there<br />
were over 300 people<br />
involved in the various garnet<br />
mining activities. Besides Gore<br />
Mountain many small “handpicking”<br />
mines were found and mined<br />
for short periods. The garnet from North Creek<br />
area is almost as hard as a diamond and it fractures<br />
into a multitude of sharp cutting edges. As an<br />
abrasive, garnet has dominated the industrial market<br />
for over 130 years.<br />
Today it is possible to visit the world famous<br />
historic garnet mine site and treasure hunt for your<br />
own precious garnet gemstones. A talented staff<br />
conducts the tour on the hour that begins with an<br />
informative lecture on the history and the geology of<br />
the Barton Mines and is followed up with instructions<br />
on how to identify and find your own garnet treasures!<br />
It is so much fun for all ages! For the shopper,<br />
exploring the old fashion mineral shop that was<br />
built in the early <strong>19</strong>00’s is another treasure hunting<br />
experience. The shop is filled with fabulous garnet<br />
jewelry, garnet gifts for home decorating, science<br />
and nature<br />
toys, and<br />
so much<br />
more. This<br />
is a great<br />
<strong>Adirondack</strong><br />
experience<br />
you should<br />
not miss.<br />
Left on 13th<br />
Lake Road<br />
1.5 miles to right<br />
on Casterline<br />
Rd. and Garnet<br />
Studio.<br />
Reach our advertisers at:<br />
ADKDining<strong>Guide</strong>.com • ADKStoresandGalleries.com • ADKEntertainment.com • ADKAccommodations.com
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