Gold mining on Saddle Hill, Otago

 Part of the history of Adam Harris, the Patriarchal Miner, is the history of Saddle Hill. He was living either in Fairfield, Chain Hills or his own farm at Summerwood, on Saddle Hill itself through much of the period when a succession of Mining Companies mined the quartz for the elusive gold. Although contemporary accounts were very optimistic, the conclusion must be that all these companies failed.

At the time of writing this post, the price of gold is at a high and interest in mining the quartz reef on Long Gully Station in Terawhiti, west of Wellington has been raised. The original Terawhiti gold mining project was ultimately unsuccessful too, but hope springs eternal. I wonder though, whether we will also see abandoned mining areas in Otago, such as Saddle Hill, experience a renewal of interest.

My interest is to see if I can find out more about Adam's involvement in the industry.  In his life story in the Otago Witness, January 1927, Adam is reported as saying:  He then went to Serpentine gold diggings in Otago, where he was engaged in quartz mining, and, later returned to Saddle Hill and prospected the quartz reef there by driving and shaft sinking.

A Patriarchal Miner

We can fix a date and confirm his involvement in the industry through a newspaper article from the Otago Daily Times 20 December 1881

The Saddle Hill Reefs


The same article tells us that Adam was a contractor at a significant level.


So where was this gold mine? When we know that, we will be close to knowing where Adam had his coal mine, The Burnweill Colliery.

The story has its twists, however as another newspaper report in the Otago Witness tells us:

Taieri County Council

Otago Witness, Issue 1527, 12 February 1881, Page 21.

So where to next?                 

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