44 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



In the same vicinity are the Skiff, Long Pond and Schofield 

 mines, situated on Skiff mountain, and the Harris mine near 

 Paradox; they have subordinate rank as producers to the Ham- 

 mond ville group. 



The exploitation of iron ores in the district dates back to 1824 

 in which year the Penfield mine was opened. 1 A forge was built 

 in 1828 at Ironville, between Hammond ville and Crown Point, for 

 converting the ore into blooms and in 1845 a charcoal furnace 

 was erected just north of Hammondville to smelt the product of 

 the Hammond mine. The most active development, however, took 

 place during the period from 1873 to 1890 under the Crown Point 

 Iron Co. The mines were connected by a narrow gauge railroad 

 with the lake at Crown Point, where a blast furnace was main- 

 tained in operation, while ore shipments were also made to the 

 furnaces at Bethlehem and Scranton, Pa., and at Troy. 



The mines were closed down in July 1893. In 1897, the property 

 was purchased by the American Steel & Wire Co., and soon after- 

 ward the mining plant, buildings, railroad, etc., were dismantled. 

 Recently the mines have been under exploration by the Oliver 

 Iron Mining Co. 



Geological sketch of the district 



The country is broken by ridges and narrow stream valleys and 

 has rugged contours. It is part of the foothill region of the Adiron- 

 dacks, but lies close to the central uplift of anorthosites. As may 

 be observed from the topographic map, which has been issued by 

 the United States Geological Survey, the contours are very irregu- 

 lar and show little tendency to the usual alinement along a north- 

 east-southwest axis so pronounced in most sections of the eastern 

 Adirondack region. The ridges range from 1500 to 2000 feet reach- 

 ing an extreme in Knob mountain slightly above the latter limit. 

 Hammondville itself together with the mines is situated on the 

 gently sloping surface of a ridge at about 1300 feet elevation. 



The geology of the district, so far as concerns its broader fea- 

 tures, has been mapped and described by Dr I. H. Ogilvie, in con- 

 nection with the report on "Geology of the Paradox Lake Quad- 

 rangle, New York." 2 Since the publication of this report a more 

 detailed investigation of the region surrounding the mines was 



1 W. C. Watson. The Military and Civil History of the County of Essex, 

 New York. Albany 1869. 



2 N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 96. 1905. 



