Northern Nevada is where the gold is and Humboldt County is one of the places it provides livelihoods for a lot of families and the community. It's no wonder that seniors would be interested in taking a tour of one of the best producing mines in the county. So when they were offered an opportunity to tour Marigold Mine located just off the Valmy Exit they took advantage of it.
Twenty-four people took the opportunity to ride a bus on a beautiful sunny day from the Pleasant Senior Center in Winnemucca to the mine-site for a tour of the facility May 15. From the comfort of the bus they were able to observe much of the entire operation, including the processing ponds and trucks as large as 320 tons carrying material containing microscopic gold.
The bus followed General Mine Foreman Rodney Sample around the mine-site on hard packed dirt roads through tunnel-like dirt berms piled high on each side. Seniors were able to watch a blast tear through an area in a pit and observe the company's new shovel capable of filling a 320 ton truck with its 120-ton bucket in three bucketfuls.
"All that dirt moving at one time," Edwin Holcomb said. "I've seen the big trucks before, but dirt moving (the blast) I hadn't seen." As with many of the trip participants he appreciated the chance to meet mine employees and spend time with other seniors. The mine currently works several pits, which will eventually meld together becoming one named the Terry Zone Pit.
Jesse Danner, training coordinator, told the group, "We have a lot of wildlife out here," including a mama cougar and deer. Danner and Doug Longchamps, of the safety office, rode with the seniors to help explain what they were seeing and answer questions. As there are no road signs in the mine new folks have been known to get so lost that they ended up at the mine next door.
"The benefits that Marigold Mine and all the mines have to Humboldt County is the employment for our citizens," said participant and county Commissioner Marlene Brissenden. "The mining business actually allows us to live in a bubble where our unemployment is low. And the mines contribute to our schools, to our whole community." Marigold has contributed generously to the senior center expansion, which begins in June.
Silver Standard Resources bought Marigold Mine in April of this year.[[In-content Ad]]
