The Fort Colville site was interesting, but we all thought it would have been nice to have a kiosk or some informational display!

We stopped at an uplifted shale deposit and Chuck informed us about local mining geology.

we used the Colville HS parking lot so we could legally cross Hwy 20 onto county roads.

An interesting uplifted shale deposit shows how the local silver and lead mines also were associated with ancient sea beds and massive intrusive elements.

The historical site of Pinkney City, the 1st territorial capitol, can be seen in the distance behind the Fort Colville memorial.

Everyone enjoyed learning about the history of our area!

Copper ore was all over the ground near the old Chloride Queen mine’s ore handling area.

Susan enjoyed exploring the old mine site.

Chuck explained mine operations while visiting the old Chloride Queen mine, a lead/silver/zinc/copper mine. Only 1 ounce of gold was ever found in this mine in its long history – gold is much more prevalent when you get further west near the Kettle River.

From Lee Hedrick Road, we used Comstock Mine Road to climb Gillette Mountain.

Gillette Ridge Road is a USFS road that dead-ends in the forest, but it has great views along the way. Just be prepared for an interesting turn-around as the road’s narrow with steep banks/drop-offs!

View of the Columbia River from Gillette Ridge Road.