GOLD. 55 



the vicinity of Waldo. Coosa has several in the vicinity of 

 Rockford, and about Parson's Mines. In Chilton county the 

 mining has been done on Blue Creek and Rock Creek, and in 

 Elmore only on Peru Branch. 



To the series of semi-crystalline slates, which are demon- 

 strably metamorphosed sediments, we have in Alabama given 

 the name of Talladega slates, and they correspond in appearance 

 and geographical position to the Ocoee of Dr. Safford in Ten- 

 nessee. These 'have very generally been deemed older than the 

 Cambrian, notwithstanding strong suspicion, lacking convinc- 

 ing evidence, that they were metamorphosed Paleozoic strata. 

 The rinding of Carboniferous fossils in one of these belts, eight 

 or ten miles from its western border, has made it certain that 

 seme of the so-called Talladega slates are of Paleozoic age, and 

 probable that all of them are. 



More than two-thirds of the gold workings of the state are 

 in the Talladega slates, of which there are four separate belts of 

 unequal width, the two being farthest to the northwest being the 

 largest, and perhaps least important. They run together near 

 the Georgia line. The other two belts are narrower and shorter, 

 but at the same time more important. They are the Silver Hill 

 and Goldville belts. To the former belong the Silver Hill, Mass, 

 Garrett, Long Branch, Blue Hill, Farrar, Gregory Hill, Nich- 

 olls, Gold Hill, Bonner-Terrell, Eagle Creek, and other mines 

 less well known. 



The Goldville belt carries the numerous mines about Gold- 

 ville, Goldberg, Hog Mountain, and Turkey Heaven, and those 

 about Wedowee. 



The Talladega or Terrapin Mountain belt carries the Parsons 

 and Kemp Creek mines near the eastern border and the Riddle's 

 Mill, Story, Woodward, and other mines near the western bor- 

 der. The mines and placers of Arbacoochee and Chulafinnee 

 are also near the southeastern edge of this belt. Most of the 

 mines alluded to above are mere surface diggings and shallow 

 shafts, many of them put down prior to' the great California 

 gold excitement in 1849. ^ ne placers of Arbacoochee and Chu- 

 lafinnee, and Long Branch are the most important, and work 

 has been going on in them continuously for the past 60 vears, 

 since thev alwavs yield some returns for the labor expended on 

 them. Verv fair nuggets are obtained from Arbacoochee every 

 year, bv sluicing and panning. 



