history of the quartette

Gold was discovered on the Quartette property in 1898. The patents on the 12 claims that now comprise the Quartette were signed by President Teddy Roosevelt himself.

Early mine activity 1898 - 1912

From the turn of the century through the better part of a decade, the Quartette was a rich mine and a top producer.  When labor strife, bad management, and unsustainable engineering caused the company to close in 1912, a substantial undiscovered ore body was left behind. The mine was subsequently acquired by the Searchlight Mercantile Company, who has owned it ever since. 

In the subsequent century nobody has returned the mine to sustained production, for a number of reasons including:

1)     The original mill burned down in 1912;

2)     The gold mining industry was shut down by the federal government for WWII;

3)     Prior to 1971 the price of gold was tied to the dollar, and thus held at about $35 per ounce;

4)     Not long after the price of gold began to rise (free of the dollar), along with the discovery of the Carlin Trend in northern Nevada, the entire worldwide gold industry turned to the quest for microscopic gold. No one thought there was any coarse gold left to be found, and the Quartette was forgotten.

5)     The mine has been owned by the same family for the past 105 years, and has been passed through five generations, none of whom was able to find the right operator to put the mine back into production.

The Quartette's geology

The mine’s contemporary effort began in 1993.  In 1994 a limited drilling program of 22 exploratory holes were drilled on the mine. The geologic campaign was overseen by prominent independent Exploration Geologist, M.C. Cruson PhD, who followed up his 1993 report on the mine with a 1995 report on the drilling, excerpted as follows:

Overall, the scout drilling and exploration program was a resounding success for the following three reasons: First, we easily delineated a suitable amount, approximately 250 tons @ 0.04 opt of near surface ore for a mill test. Second, the delineation of a small to medium sized bulk mineable target was established (the Crocker Pit). Third, and probably the most significant, was the discovery of a new, very thick zone of copper-gold mineralization.

The decision to re-open mining operations stems from the results of this drilling program.  Cruson focused on a defined portion of the Quartette ore body, referred to as the “Crocker Pit.”  This area is estimated to contain approximately 800,000 tons with gold and silver occurring on average at 0.12 ounces per ton each.  The Q also contains substantial by-products of lead at 2% and zinc at 1%.  RMI’s plan for the first 2 years is to process that 800,000-ton ore body bearing the documented precious and base metals gold, silver, lead, and zinc. The approximate value of all 4 metals projected in The Crocker Pit at recent market prices is around $138.4M.