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Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings

	NEW ALMADEN California
Location: Santa Clara County. Travel Itinerary

Ownership and Administration. Various private owners; and New Almaden Community Club, Inc.

Significance. Quicksilver (mercury) was first discovered on the American continent near the site of New Almaden long before the white man ever visited California. Santa Clara Indians used the bright red, eye-catching mineral known as cinnabar, which they obtained from the deposit, to paint themselves. In 1824 information provided by the Indians led Antonio Surol, a Mexican, to the deposit, where he unsuccessfully sought to find silver. In 1845 Andreas Castillero, a Mexican army officer, proved that the cinnabar ore contained mercury. The mine, named after the famous Almaden mine in Spain, the world's greatest producer of mercury, was developed with English capital. By 1848 crude refining methods were yielding a limited production.

The discovery of gold at Sutter's mill and the resulting mining boom led to an enormous demand for New Almaden's output because mercury was essential to the amalgamation process used to extract gold from ore. In 1850 the mine produced more than 7,000 flasks, each containing 76 pounds; the following year, 30,000 flasks. By 1881 it had produced a total of 54,378,418 pounds. Over the years production fluctuated as ore pockets were discovered and exhausted. Mining ceased in 1927 for the first time since 1849, but resumed during World War II. Today the mine is generally inactive, but ore bodies probably still exist untapped because of low prices and high mining costs. But the New Almaden, which produced more than $70 million in quicksilver, was the most valuable single mine in the entire State of California.

Present Appearance. Numerous and well-preserved remains of the mining era are still apparent today in New Almaden. Near the northern entrance to the town stands Casa Grande, a palatial three-story structure of brick, adobe, and wood erected in 1854 by Henry Halleck, the mine superintendent, as his residence. It serves today as a clubhouse. Lining the town's main street, which forms a loop in the canyon, are 29 other structures erected in the 1850's. All are original, little changed on the exterior, and are now being utilized as private residences. Because the mine is still occasionally worked, the Mine Hill area is not usually open to visitors. [7]

NHL Designation: 07/04/61