Rose River Copper Mine
N 38° 31.650 W 078° 24.610
17S E 725759 N 4267524
An old abandoned copper mine is located on the Rose River Loop Trail in Shenandoah National Park.
Waymark Code: WM3QTP
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 05/06/2008
Views: 35
The copper mine was worked from 1845 to 1850, then abandoned. In 1902 the Blue Ridge Copper Co. was formed to resume operations here. Three shafts were opened (all of them now filled.) The ore was in narrow veins through the basalt, consisting of blue and green carbonates of copper, a little cuprite, some chalcopyrite, and some native copper. The ore was rich, but getting it out of the basalt was not economically feasible. (From Heatwole's
Guide To SNP)
The mine is located just past Rose River along the Hogcamp Branch and is accessed by the Rose River Loop Trail. Near the trail is a concrete monolith that once supported an air compressor for the pneumatic drills and several machinery pieces. There is also a trail of rock chips that goes steeply uphill to a shaft that has since been filled in.