Latitude: 41°35'36"N
Longitude: 72°35'31"W
An underground mine in the northern part of the Strickland pegmatite. It was a separate operation and for most of its life was not physically connected to the more famous Strickland quarry and mine to the immediate south and in the same pegmatite. Mostly a mica mine, some feldspar and a little beryl production. The northernmost large dump around the Strickland pegmatite is from this mine. Specimens from that dump should be attributed to this mine and not the Strickland Quarry. The difference is largely academic anyway because they both mined the same pegmatite, the mineralogy, pegmatite zoning, and host rocks of the Strickland Quarry and Schoonmaker Mine are similar. Any specimen can be generically attributed to the Strickland pegmatite. Minerals from host rocks included in list.
The mine was worked from 1933 to 1945. Charles Cramer leased it to A. O. Schoonmaker Co. of New York City under the name Connecticut Mica & Mining Co. (Willard Northrop operator). Shaft was initially sunk to 120 feet. Mined mostly by stoping updip from base of shaft until 1942. Then sunk winzes to stope lower levels until 1945.
When the golf course was built in the 1990s the dump was removed and the flooded shaft filled in with rocks and soil. Collecting is no longer allowed or possible in any case.
Little (1942) gives one of the few written accounts of collecting there.
"One of the finest minerals of especial (sic) interest that was found at the mine last summer was amblygonite, and it was a large size block of white or pinkish color and quite pure. But it looked very much like the albaite (sic) that was so plentiful there, and as amblygonite had never been reported from that mine, doubt was had as to its identity, so only a few pieces were broken off and taken home for further examination. On testing for intumescence, etc., it was found to be amblygonite, and within a few days another trip was made to obtain the rest of the specimen, but on reaching the place it was found to be gone. Probably some other collector had recognized it and taken it away. Subsequently two more fairly good specimens were found these having a small amount of light green tourmaline with amblygonite."
"Soon after this, lithiophilite began to appear on the dump. This was in albaite with some spodumene and lepidolite, and mostly of a deep reddish brown color, though some was of a lighter brown. It was found sparingly for about a month, and since then none has been seen. Incidentally it might be mentioned that each of the common minerals found at this mine seemed to appear for a short time and then were never seen again, as though they only occurred in small amounts that were soon exhausted, or possibly in veins which were cut across and passed by."
"During September and October much interesting material was thrown out on the dump. Fluorite was found in two forms; as dark purple cleavage pieces, and as nodules that were covered with a grey film, but that fluoresced a beautiful lavender blue. The cleavage pieces were not fluorescent. The fluorite nodules were generally accompanied by bright cubes of pyrite which varied in size up to 1/2 inch on the faces. Some of the specimens had the cubes of pyrite spread thickly over a base of crystallized albaite (sic), the crystals of albaite (sic) being about the same size as those of the pyrite, making very showy specimens. All these latter specimens appeared to have been formed in cavities."
"Late in the fall a considerable amount of gemmy pink and green tourmaline was found. Some of the crystals had a deep pink center and were colorless on the outside, and some were pink at one end and green on the other. These latter were broken across, at least every quarter inch, and the two colors seemed to be end to end instead of grading into each other. Some occurred in an unusual form, as pellets of a quarter inch or more in diameter in a very hard quartz rock, and this required such heavy pounding that the tourmaline was apt to fall out, leaving round or oblong cavities. A few of these pellets were saved and might be cut into gems. Some opaque tourmaline was found in triangular crystals of about 1/2 x 3”, which were a yellowish green on the outside and greyish white inside. As they were in quartz, it was difficult to get them of much length."
"Plenty of the other minerals were found that are so common and plentiful at this mine, but that help brighten up a collection; like lilac colored lepidolite, the combination of deep green manganapatitie and red massive garnet, and spodumene, much of which is changed to green and chocolate-brown pinite, and pink kunzite."
References
Rocks & Min.: 12:141-143.
- Cameron, Eugene N. and others. (1954) PEGMATITE INVESTIGATIONS 1942-45 NEW ENGLAND. U.S. Geological Survey, Professional Paper 255.
- Schooner, Richard. (1958) THE MINERALOGY OF THE PORTLAND-EAST HAMPTON-MIDDLETOWN-HADDAM AREA IN CONNECTICUT (With a few notes on Glastonbury and Marlborough).
- Stugard, Frederick, Jr. (1958) PEGMATITES OF THE MIDDLETOWN AREA, CONNECTICUT. USGS Bulletin 1042-Q.
- Jones, Robert W. (1960) LUMINESCENT MINERALS OF CONNECTICUT, A GUIDE TO THEIR PROPERTIES AND LOCATIONS.
- Schooner, Richard. (1961) THE MINERALOGY OF CONNECTICUT.
- Albini, Anthony J. (1979) SELECTED PEGMATITE QUARRIES OF THE CENTRAL CONNECTICUT REGION. Masters thesis.
- Webster, Bud and Bill Shelton. (1979) MINERAL COLLECTOR’S FIELD GUIDE THE NORTHEAST.
- Weber, Marcelle H. and Earle C. Sullivan. (November/December 1995) CONNECTICUT MINERAL LOCALITY INDEX. Rocks & Minerals (Connecticut Issue), Volume 70, No. 6, p. 403.
- Little, L. W. (1942): Recent Finds of Minerals in Central Connecticut. Rocks and Minerals. August.
External Links
Cameron, et al (1954):
http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp255Mineral List
33 entries listed. 24 valid minerals.
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