Pala District, San Diego Co., California, USA

The Pala district in northwestern San Diego County, California, has been a widely known source of gem and lithium minerals. Formal mining operations began in the 1870's, but the most active period was from 1900 to 1922. Several underground gemstone mining operations on Tourmaline Queen Mountain and Chief Mountain persist to this day.

The Pala district has been the subject of many science-and industry-based reports, focusing on gemology, mineralogy, petrology, physics and other facets relating to the 400 or so Rare Earth Element (REE) pegmatite dikes (outcrops, veins, ledges, bodies, deposits, lodes etc.).

The area is also often referred to as the Pala Gem Mining District, or the Pala Pegmatite District. It is a common misnomer that the term "district" is an official designation. The Pala area was never established as an organized mining district, and as such all mining claim documents pertaining to the statutes of the United States and California were filed with the Office of the County Clerk.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians, whose reservation was established for the benefit of the Cupeño and Luiseño Indians in 1891, had encompassed most of the mineral lands often referred to as the Pala District or Pala Mining District by 1903. By 1988, several Acts of Congress had appropriated all of the remaining public lands once open to mineral entry under the general mining laws for the benefit of the Mission Indians, excepting the federal mineral patents issued between 1913 and 1979 from the transfer.

Because of the significance of the Pala district's impact on San Diego's history and economy, the County's regional land use plan recognizes the importance of the gem mines in Pala, and generally encourages the immediate development of the eight federal mineral patents.

United States Mineral Patents granted in the Pala mining district by date issued:
1913 - Tourmaline King lode by F. B. Schuyler
1914 - Ed Fletcher Jr. lode by Ed Fletcher
1949 - Stewart Mine lode by Blanche C. Crane
1949 - Hiriart lode by George A. Ashley
1955 - Tourmaline Queen & Tourmaline Queen No. 3 lodes, Pala Chief lode, Goddess lode by Mildred S. Wear and Margaret S. Moore (Frank A. Salmons heirs)
1979 - Oceanview lode by Roland Reed

Pala, also referred to as the Pala Mission or Village of Pala, is the name of the town nearest to the gem-bearing pegmatite mines which are located in the nearby mountains to the north, east, and south. The town of Pala is not itself a specific mineral producing locality, except for a small-scale granite quarry which has operated for several decades on the west side of town. The mine produces gabbro and granodiorite riprap which is used locally along the roads for erosion control purposes.

The best known historical landmark in the town of Pala is the famous Mission San Antonio de Pala Asistencia campanile. Completed in 1818, the bell tower was rebuilt after collapsing during the floods of 1916. During the reconstruction of the original mission complex after the floods, several large pieces of deep purple lepidolite from the nearby Stewart mine were used in the surrounding courtyard walls as ornamental stone. The decorative lepidolite was donated by local gem miner and mineral dealer Frank A. Salmons, president and principal owner of the Pala Chief Mining Company.

References:
Hanks, Henry Garber (1884), Fourth report of the State Mineralogist: California Mining Bureau. Report 4, 410 pp. (includes catalog of minerals of California pp. 63-410), and miscellaneous observations on mineral products): 125.

Kunz, George Frederick (1904), Precious stones: Mineral Resources U.S., 1903: 942.

Schaller, Waldemar Theodore (1904a), The tourmaline localities of southern California: Science, new series: 19: 266-268.

Schaller, Waldemar Theodore (1904b), Notes on some California minerals: American Journal of Science, 4th. Series: 17: 191-194.

Graton, Louis Caryl & W.T. Schaller (1905), Purpurite, a new mineral American Journal of Science, 4t. series: 20: 146-151; […eitschr. Kristallographie, Band 41: 433-438 (1905)]: 146.

Kunz, George Frederick (1905a), Gems, jewelers’ materials, and ornamental stones of California: California State Mining Bureau Bulletin 37, 171 pp.

Waring, G. A. (1905), The pegmatite veins of Pala, San Diego County. American Geologist 35, pages 356-369.

Rogers, Austin Flint (1910a), Notes on some pseudomorphs, petrifactions and alterations: American Philosophical Society Proceedings: 49: 17-23.

Schaller, Waldemar Theodore (1911e), Notes on purpurite and heterosite: USGS Bulletin 490: 79.

Schaller, Waldemar Theodore (1912b), new manganese phosphates from the gem tourmaline field of southern California: Washington Academy of Sciences Journal: 2: 145.

Schaller, Waldemar Theodore & John Gifford Fairchild (1932), Bavenite, a beryllium mineral, pseudomorphous after beryl, from California: American Mineralogist: 17: 409-422; […American Mineralogist: 17: 114 (1932)]: 409.

Donnelly, Maurice (1936), Notes on the lithium pegmatites of Pala, California: Pacific Mineralogist: 3(1): 8-12.

Stevens, Rollin Elbert & W.T. Schaller (1942), The rare alkalies in micas: American Mineralogist: 27: 525-537, 528.

Jahns, R. A., and Wright, L. A. (1951), Gem and Lithium-Bearing Pegmatites of the Pala District, San Diego County, California. California Division of Mines and Geology special report 7A, 72 p.

Weber, F. H. (1963), Geology and mineral resources of San Diego County, California. California Division of Mines and Geology, County Report 3: 309 p., illus., maps.

Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 79, 100, 105, 107, 108, 155, 156, 182, 195, 219, 238, 245, 275, 315, 337, 352, 373, 374, 381, 391.

Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 73, 76, 80.