Gold in Texas

by Edgar B. Heylmun, PhD

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King Ferdinand of Spain wrote, in 1511, that the colonists in the New World must “get gold humanely if you can, but at all hazards, get gold.” So, as the Spaniards expanded their settlements in the New World, they were constantly looking for gold. They first entered what is now Texas in 1541, and the first settlement was established by Franciscan friars in 1682, near the present site of El Paso. Prospectors started to fan out in search of gold around 1730. Silver and small amounts of gold were found in West (Trans-Pecos) Texas, but this article will deal with gold found in central Texas.

There are numerous legends involving “lost” Spanish mines and treasures in central Texas, some of which have actually been found. The most famous mine, which remains lost, is the San Saba. It must be kept in mind that what was “rich” in those days may have been nothing more than a few near-surface pockets of gold. Spaniards had no way to control water, so their diggings consisted of shallow shafts above the water table, plus pits and trenches. After 250 years of erosion, little evidence of their diggings remain.

Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, and they were anxious to solidify their claim to what is now Texas. Santa Anna and his troops defeated Texans at the Alamo in San Antonio in 1836. Later that same year, Sam Houston and his men defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto, and the independent state of Texas was established. They remained independent for close to 10 years, then joined the United States. This was guaranteed after the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, when the boundary was drawn along the Rio Grande.

Much of the area of interest lies in the scenic “Hill Country” of central Texas, west and northwest of Austin, with elevations which rise to 1,300 feet or more. Annual rainfall is about 26 inches. The landscape is not unlike the foothill regions in California, where grasslands are dotted with live oak trees. However, because of overgrazing, some areas have degenerated into a scrub jungle, with abundant deer and rattlesnakes. Two large reservoirs, lake Buchanan and Lake L. B. Johnson, are favorite vacation areas, with numerous resorts.

Geology

The Llano Uplift forms part of the Hill Country near Llano (pop. 3,100), which is pronounced “lay-no” in Texas. The town is 76 miles northwest of Austin. The Llano Uplift consists of igneous and metamorphic rocks of Precambrian age. Since building stone, talc, serpentine, iron ore, copper, silver, and gold have been produced in the past, the area has become known as the “Central Mineral Region.” The Llano Uplift forms an island over 50 miles in width, which is surrounded by a sea of sedimentary rocks. Residual soils and saprolite (“rotten rock”) overlie bedrock and may locally contain enrichments of gold. Some of the old diggings were on these pocket enrichments.

Lode Gold

The best-known gold mine was the Heath, located 5 miles northeast of Llano, north of Road 2241, on privately owned land. Gold-bearing quartz veins and stringers cut dark graphitic schist near its contact with intrusive pink granite. Most of the quartz veins strike about N. 70º W. Pegmatite dikes, some containing rare minerals, also cut the schist. The Heath Mine was active between 1896 and 1916, during which time several test lots of ore were shipped. One lot of picked ore reportedly assayed at 1.1 ounce gold/ton. The quartz veins contain free gold, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and other sulfides. Some individual quartz stringers had spectacular gold values. The schist itself contains disseminated gold, and the overlying residual soils reportedly run as high as 0.1 ounce gold/ton.

In 1901, a shaft was sunk to 615 feet, and six other vertical and inclined shafts were sunk in an area of about 20 acres. There were many drifts and crosscuts. A number of shallow pits and trenches were also dug. Erosion and vegetation have obliterated most of the old workings.

About 9 miles north of Llano, in the Babyhead district, there were a number of shallow diggings on copper and gold veins. Production, if any, was not recorded. A lost Spanish mine, the Almagres, originally discovered in 1756, was rediscovered near Honey Creek, 12 miles southeast of Llano. Nearly pure masses of native silver were found at shallow depths, along with a small amount of gold. It was worked, off-and-on, for over 50 years. No work has been done since Spanish times.

At the Central Texas Mine, 20 miles northeast of Fredericksburg, rich pockets of gold were reportedly found in quartz veins and stringers which cut schist. Shallow shafts and pits, active in the 1930s, can be found over an area of about 2 square miles. There was no recorded production.

Spaniards worked iron-stained outcrops of limestone of Cretaceous age, some 22 miles north of Uvalde, as well as 20 miles north of Georgetown (see map). Samples taken at the old diggings show pyrite with only trace amounts of gold. Iron-stained sandstone of Eocene age contains finely-divided gold over a horizontal distance of 60 miles, east of Luling and Bastrop (see map). These are paleoplacer deposits. Shafts were sunk to depths of 200 feet or more in 1903, near Harwood, in an 80 foot zone which reportedly assayed as high as an ounce of gold/ton. There are no reports of production.

Placer Gold

Central Texas is not noted for placer gold but colors can be found at a number of localities. In places, even roadside ditches contain colors. Some of the creeks and gullies, which drain the area of the Heath Mine, contain specks and scales of gold. Creeks and gullies in the Babyhead district contain gold. Certain stream courses, such as Little Llano, Babyhead, and Pecan Creeks, are known to contain specks, scales, and small flakes of gold.

Some 15 miles south of Llano, Sandy (Big Sandy) Creek and its tributaries have a drainage area of 385 square miles in the Llano Uplift. The headwaters are near the Enchanted Rocks. There are extensive gravel deposits associated with the drainage basin, so that sizable placer gold possibilities could exist. If not gated, these ranchlands deserve further investigation for placer gold.

A novel placer operation took place on the East Fork of Walnut Creek, some 23 miles southeast of Llano. A large arrastre was carved out of bedrock in the creek channel. Nearby paleoplacers at the base of a Cambrian sandstone were mined and taken to the arrastre, where the ore was crushed while the stream flowed through the arrastre. The operation was not a commercial success, but remains of the arrastre can still be seen.

Finely-divided gold can be found in bars, banks, and benches associated with the Llano River near the town of Llano. Many creeks in the region flow for much of the year, and some are potential placer streams. Every gravel deposit in the Llano Uplift deserves to be checked. Finely-divided placer gold has also been found in Gazley Creek, southeast of Bastrop, as well as in other creeks in that region.

Land Ownership

Most land in Texas is privately-owned, and some lands have been withdrawn as parks or recreational areas. All posted and gated roads must be respected. Don’t mess with Texans. Where lands can be entered, experienced prospectors might find surprising amounts of lode and placer gold.

Summary

Parts of Texas have been plagued, in the past, by scam artists. This is unfortunate, because parts of the Llano Uplift could have legitimate lode and placer gold deposits. Geologic conditions are favorable in many areas. Experienced gold panners could probably find gold in a number of places. Other mineral deposits could also be present. There is a fee gem topaz locality near Mason, 34 miles west of Llano.

Further information on gold and other mineral deposits in the region is available at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas in Austin. The region is open year-round, but winter cold snaps and summer heat waves should be avoided. Food and lodging are available at all towns and resorts.