The Sheffield Mine, located in Cowee (north of Franklin) is one of only three native ruby and sapphire mines in Macon County, North Carolina. They’re located at 385 Sheffield Farms Road, off of Leatherman Gap Road, about 5 miles north of Franklin. Give them a call at 828-369-8383 for directions and more information.
Cowee is the area where most of the mining activity took place at the turn of the century. Read this article at The Sherpa Guides web site to learn more about The Cowee Gem Region!
Visiting a mine and sitting down at the flume, working your way through buckets of dirt to find a ruby or sapphire is a lot more fun than it sounds at first! At least, that’s what I found out last summer when I spent a half-day at the Sheffield Mine.
The flume is covered, so you have some respite from the sun, and there’s plenty of instruction in how to sift through that bucket of dirt, what to look for, and how to clean the bits you find. You’ll have fun with your own buckets, and the people watching is great too. You’ll see and overhear old hands, folks who spend every day of their vacation at the mine, and you’ll identify with the newbies who aren’t sure if they’re tossing out a pebble or a fortune in rubies!
If you’re thinking of visiting this area and doing some gem mining, visit the Sheffield Mine’s web site. It’s a lot of fun to read their home page, with descriptions of honkers, super honkers, and number of gems found. There are tons of photos of folks who came and found treasure … and most importantly had great fun and made new friends.
Make sure you wear old clothes, and bring a change of socks and shoes in the car. You’re going to get dirty and your shoes might end up muddy and sandy, and you’ll appreciate clean socks on your way home.
Sheffield Mine has picnic area, and you can buy refreshments there. They’re open 7 days a week, rain or shine, from 10 am to 5pm in April, May, September and October; 10am to 6 pm in June, July, August. Try to arrive at least 2 hours before to give yourself time to have fun. Or do what others day, make it a day of fun for the family!
This post brought to you by Sit a Spell Cabin located in the Cowee Gem Region.
I’m on my way !! I’ll be staying at Sit-A-Spell and I’m gonna get me a Ruby at the Sheffield Mine! This is my first time so I’ll need lots of help. So save me a seat at the flume. I’ll see you all Monday, October 1st first thing in the morning.