New Idria Quicksilver Mining District

 mining, interesting place

Former cinnabar mining area and the second largest of its kind in the United States; New Almaden near Santa Clara was number one. Cinnabar ore was processed to produce quicksilver (mercury), which was then used to extract gold.

The New Idria Mining Company began mining chromite (first thought to be silver) at the Aurora mine in 1853 and began mining cinnabar in 1854.

New Idria Mining Company was incorporated by the state January 27, 1858 and the federal patent was applied for in 1863. They forfeited their California corporation status on December 14, 1905. Mining continued here until 1972.

There are numerous mines in the vicinity that began operation in the 1850s including the Aurora, Alpine, Clear Creek, Picacho and Fourth of July mines.