Sterling Hill Mine
Ogdensburg, NJ
July
3, 2009
In
early July we drove to my sister’s house in eastern Pennsylvania for her annual
Fourth of July picnic and a family reunion the next day. On the third, I made a
trip to the Sterling Hill Mine, about an hour away in New Jersey.
There
were a lot of dark clouds when I left, and a forecast of rain, but I decided to
take a chance anyway. Traffic was surprisingly light for a holiday weekend.
The
Sterling Hill Mine is a part of the famous Franklin ore body. While the mines
at Franklin, about 15 miles north, are closed, the Sterling Hill Mine is still
open, being operated for specimens and tours. Underground collecting is
permitted once a month, on the last Sunday. Unfortunately, this is always a
week before I’m in the area. On other days, there is a dump where collecting is
permitted for a small fee. They charge $ 5.00 admission, plus $ 1.50 per pound
of material collected.
The
mine dump
There
has been a lot of restoration work on the buildings and equipment. One of the
buildings houses the museum, gift shop and office.
The
museum/office
One
of the entrances to the mine
A
light rain started while I was collecting on the dump, but not enough to cause
me to quit. On the way back to Pennsylvania, though, the skies opened up! I
drove through torrential rain through much of New Jersey, but it stopped before
I reached the bridge over the Delaware River. I got back to my sister’s house
in time to help erct the tents, etc. for the picnic.