New Idria Mine

Learn More about New Idria

Named on New Idria 7.5' quadrangle at N36° 24.868; W120° 40.423 at 2730 feet. The name honors the Idrija mine located in Slovenia. During its peak years, this was North America's second most productive cinnabar mine (its sister mine, New Almaden near Santa Clara, California was number one).

New Idria Mine around 1910 - Courtesy R.C. Baker Museum

The New Idria Mining Company began mining chromite (which they thought at first was silver) at the Aurora mine in 1853 and began mining cinnabar in 1854.

New Idria Mining Company was incorporated by the state January 27, 1858 and the federal patent was applied for in 1863. They forfeited their California corporation status on December 14, 1905. Mining continued here until 1972.

There are numerous mines in the vicinity that began operation in the 1850 ... including the Aurora, Alpine, Clear Creek, Picacho and Fourth of July mines.

New Idria Mine in 1942 - Courtesy Library of Congress, Photographer Andreas Feininger

Cinnabar mining became very profitable during the 1850s because of the California gold rush. Mercury was needed for extracting gold from the ore. Before the two Californian quicksilver mines, the world's supply of mercury was controlled almost exclusively by European interests (the Rothschild family was an important player), which meant that much of the wealth of the American gold rush would have been transferred to European bankers in exchange for mercury. New Idria and New Almaden freed the Americans from European control of the gold industry.

The mine was in operation from 1854 through 1975.