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Mine won�t slow library job Mail Tribune / Jim Craven John Pariani, chief of surveys with Oregon Department of Transportation, emerges from using a light Wednesday to see inside an old gold mine found where the new Jacksonville Library will be constructed. Crews will fill in the mine and build over it. By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE � Mystery solved: It�s a gold mine from the Great Depression era. That�s what Hal Gard, an archaeologist with the Oregon Department of Transportation, proclaimed Wednesday after inspecting an underground cavern unearthed last week behind the post office between California and C streets. A crowd of contractors, architects, engineers, city staff and residents waited while Gard made some phone calls to determine the next step. "No permit required, go to work," he said. General contractor Adroit Construction was excavating for a new library building May 2 when the earth gave way, revealing a large hole in the ground. Because the site is in a National Historic Landmark District, archaeological assessment was required to determine if it is historically significant. Work crews have been keeping busy with other parts of the project since the discovery. Initially thought to be part of a nearby abandoned cistern, the opening leads to three tunnels, each about 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. "We think it�s from the 1930s" judging by the milled lumber framing parts of the tunnels, Gard said. A site has to be at least 75 years old for the State Historical Preservation Office to halt construction and investigate, he said. "There are some creosote poles," said historic preservation consultant George Kramer. "They�re scavenged telephone poles or telegraph poles." A small inspection of the mine revealed clay walls and seeping water, not a supportive structure. "It�s not like your vision of a Wile E. Coyote mine," said Kramer. "It�s not like a shaft. And there�s no significant artifacts in sight." "It�s dangerous," said Gard, adding that he had been in a cave-in once and these tunnels are not worth the risk to explore. Southern Oregon Historical Society maps indicate more than 20 Depression-era mine shafts in the vicinity. "Information about gold mining is always hard to come by because if anyone was finding anything, they weren�t telling others to protect their interest," said Steve Wyatt, exhibits manager at SOHS. He said the archaeologist�s findings are consistent with the historical society�s information. It�s all just speculation, he said, but chances are it was a hobby mine. The Depression-era mines were mostly dug by people trying to make ends meet, he said. Architect Doug Skelton of Skelton, Straus and Siebert said this discovery won�t change the design of the building but will add to the cost of the project. The extent of that extra cost is not known yet, he said. "We�ll remove that clay material and put solid material in its place," he said. "They�ll just dig it down then fill it back." This will not compromise the structural integrity of the new building, he said. "We had done exploratory borings," said Skelton, adding that the architects had modified the building design to include concrete pilings sunk into bedrock to accommodate the unstable soil conditions. ODOT is investigating one of the tunnels because it may run beneath Highway 238. A $3 million reconstruction and rehabilitation project on that section of the highway is scheduled to begin in 2003. All the officials present during Wednesday�s inspection agreed that the $1.125 million library project will move forward. "Our goal," said Skelton, "is to keep the construction going." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2002 Mail Tribune, Inc.