Whim Hill mine, Auraria, Dahlonega, Lumpkin County, Georgia, USAi

Regional Level Types
Whim Hill mine	Mine
Auraria	Village
Dahlonega	Town
Lumpkin County	County
Georgia	State
USA	Country

The Whim Hill Mine is another one of those, on which small shoots of quartz, marvelously rich in free gold, have been found and worked. It is located on lot 670, on the same side of the public road, as the Chicago and Georgia mine, but nearer to Dahlonega. I do not know, who discovered the rich shoot, which was worked early in the gold-mining period of Georgia; but I am informed by State Senator J. F. Castlebury, that his grandfather, Mr. Elisha Castlebury, owned and worked the Whim Hill mine, about 1845; and that he was told, that his grandfather had a glass-jar, about the size of an ordinary candy-jar, and a tumbler, both full of gold, which he had obtained, by working this mine; and that he used to get gold out of the mine, in such shape, that it was necessary, for him to bend it backwards and forwards, in order to separate it. From this, it is understood, of course, that the quartz was heavily impregnated with metallic gold, in coarse wire and plates. There is no reason, to doubt the accuracy of this statement; for there are on exhibition in the State Museum, specimens from other mines in the State, that are fully equal to this description. Besides, it is well known, and disputed by none, that other mines in the county, among them the Findley, the Ivey, the Calhoun, the Battle Branch and the Boly Field, have all produced considerable material of this character, from time to time.

An incline shaft, known as the Bell shaft, was sunk, on top of the hill, a short distance down, many years before the war. Later on, Major Hockenhull sunk the shaft 100 feet or more. At the bottom of the hill, a tunnel was driven, years ago, to pass under the shaft, and strike the rich shoot below; by whom, I did not learn. This tunnel, which is 500 feet long, fell short of the shaft, about 200 feet, the work being stopped by the hard, unaltered mica-schist. The quartz from this shoot, rich in free gold, was beaten in a hand-mortar; and the gold was separated from the disintegrated quartz, by panning. None of it was milled. When the incline was worked, a whim, operated by a horse, was used, for drawing up ore and water from the shaft. From this circumstance, and the location of the shaft, was derived the name of the mine.

The Whim Hill lot was purchased, for $20,000, about thirty years ago, by Messrs. Wahl Brothers, wealthy manufacturers, of Chicago, one of whom is now the owner of the large number of lots, consolidated, by him, under the name of The Hedwig Mine.