A visit to the "Super Dig" at Sterling Hill Mining Museum

A visit to the "Super Dig" at Sterling Hill Mining Museum

The Super dig at the Sterling Hill Mining Museum was another smashing success.  Over 250 glowhounds attended the event despite some off and on rain during the dig.  The event highlight tours at the lower and upper mines and that of the Trotter tunnel.  The evening no light tour lead by Jeff Wrinkler was great.  The tour was certainly interesting with over 100 people walking down a pitch black tunnel with only UV lights lighting up the walls.  Once nightfall set in the wall was light up for all to enjoy.  Its quite a site to see when a wall over 50 feet tall changes color to bright green and red.  Its quite a site to see in person. 

The Sterling Hill Mining Museum is a nonprofit museum created by the Haucks during the mid 80′s.  The mine offer daily tours when not closed for the winter.  Thousands upon thousands of children visit the museum and learn all about how mining was done while the mine was in operation.  If you never heard of Sterling Hill the mine was a zinc mine until it closed in the mid 80′s.  Miles upon miles of underground tunnels were mined for the precious zinc at this location in Ogdensburg NJ.  Picking tables were created to help separate the ore.  The green glowing rock was the zinc and the red glowing rock was calcite and considered waste rock and discarded.  Sterling Hills sister mines are located in Franklin NJ where zinc was also mined and processed.

Both locations are only a hour or so from the Big Apple AKA New York, New York.  The tours here are like no other on earth.  For there is no other mines like this anywhere on earth with ease of access.  If you would like more information about upcoming tours and information visit sterlinghillminingmuseum.org  the gift shop offers a variety of rocks glowing and now glowing for purchase as well they carry a full line of Ultraviolet Tool lamps if you do not already own a shortwave UV lamp.  The museum also has a outdoor collecting area where they have fluorescent rocks from different parts of the world to collect while you are there. 

Happy Hunting!