Maple Lode Tourmaline Mine California

This page LAST UPDATED: 09/20/2023

MAPLE LODE MINE Info & Photo Gallery.

I am happy to announce that I am the new owner (Sept. 2021 to present) of The historic Maple Lode Tourmaline/Topaz/Pegmatite Mine on Aguanga Mtn, San Diego County California. This page is to provide some general info about the mine and for updates when we start work. I had planned on selling the claim recently, but have decided to keep and work it. CLICK ANY PHOTO BELOW TO ENLARGE AND GET DETAILS AND CREDITS.

QUICK LINKS ON THIS PAGE:

Photos of what's been found on the claim before
My overview of the claim
links to other pages with info (BLM, Mindat, USGS, Etc)
Mindat locality history for the mine
Photos of current mine property
CONTACT ME HERE

NO DIGGING OR REMOVING MINERALS AT THIS TIME, I am working on reopening the mine and will consider public access in the near future. I WILL DEAL WITH HIGHGRADERS, CLAIMJUMPERS AND THIEVES IN A VERY SERIOUS WAY VIA LAWSUIT AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. Sorry I have to even say this but it does happen.

Past finds MAPLE

Maple Lode Mine 2023

The storage container/bunker buried into the hillside at the Maple Lode Mine, May 2023. Photo Christopher Wentzell / Dominion Gems.

Maple Lode Mine specimens, 1984

credit to: Thomas Lettier, californiacrystalconnection. Source:
https://www.mindat.org/photo-726366.html

Blue Tourmaline, Maple Lode Mine

Elbaite
Locality: Maple Lode Mine, Aguanga Mountain District (Smith Mountain District), San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
Size: miniature, 5.7 x 0.5 x 0.4 cm
Elbaite var. Indicolite
Rare locality tourmaline from one of the hardest to find California locations. This brightly colored blue crystal is gemmy throughout with slight shading to a greenish/blue near the termination. The crystal is simply huge for the location and the largest I�ve seen available out of all the California collections I have handled. Ex. Chuck Houser and Kevin Brown collections. Chuck obtained it directly when found, in the early 1980s.
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0.
Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elbaite-kbt14a.jpg

Blue Tourmaline Crystal from the Maple Lode Mine Aguanga California

Blue Elbaite Tourmaline, Maple Lode Mine

Tourmaline
Locality: Maple Lode Mine, Aguanga Mountain District (Smith Mountain District), San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
An exceptionally gemmy Maple Lode indicolite, from a locale which has sprodaically produced just a very few pockets of gem crystals over 30 years. Usually, they are purple or dark blue. This shade of bright blue is quite unusual and desirable! This is a slender crystal ending in a multiple termination atop. However, if you turn it upside down and stand it on its head so the broken-off and deceptively flat bottom is now the top, you'd never know it wasn't terminated and it displays even better ! Mined in the late 1980s. 4.9 x 0.4 x 0.4 cm
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourmaline-29578.jpg

Albite-Topaz Maple Lode Mine

Locality: Maple Lode Mine, Aguanga Mountain District (Smith Mountain District), San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
Size: small cabinet, 6.6 x 5.1 x 3.8 cm
Topaz with Albite
A complete, equant, oddly terminated topaz that is extremely blue for a San Diego topaz! Mined by Roland Reed, this is the finest topaz Chuck or I or Bill Larson have seen from the mine. It is also completely verifiable as Maple Lode and not Little Three Mine (aside from the odd form), as it was mined personally by Mr. Reed , and not from earlier finds here. Very significant!
Credit:
Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albite-Topaz-ch31b.jpg

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Credit to BlueLiquorice, whose description follows:
"A relatively large Fluorapatite crystal from the Maple Lode Mine, Aguanga Mtn, San Diego Co, California, with some minor albite and schorl. (just a bit under an inch tall). This is a small pegmatite deposit on a steep mountainside that's been worked since 1902. The Maple Lode is known for very limited production of high quality Indicolite tourmaline and blue Topaz, as well as the occasional Fluorapatite crystal. The mine is privately claimed and actively worked, although only rarely are specimens produced, this belongs to a friend whose family works with the current mine owners there and found this in the past few years".
Source:
https://www.deviantart.com/blueliquorice/art/Larger-Fluorapatite-Maple-Lode-Mine-CA-463528461

Quartz-and-Cleavelandite-Maple-Lode-Mine-California.jpg

Maple Lode Mine, about 1984-1985 ?

Maple Lode Mine about 2009

credit to g.slak

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Credit to BlueLiquorice, whose description follows:
This is the Maple Lode Mine on Aguanga Mtn, San Diego Co, California. The mine is privately held and an active claim that's not open to the public (trespassers will be prosecuted), I had special permission to visit the miners. You can see the light coloured pegmatite dike dipping down and the miners looking for pockets in the middle of the dike. The grey rock above the dike is the boring gabbro 'country rock' that the pegmatite had filled a crack in millions of years ago. We found several small clay filed pockets with some tiny translucent blue tourmaline pencils and small quartz points, and then we got slammed with a thunderstorm and flash flooding and had to evacuate up and down the steep & rocky off-road trails whose ruts turned into mini streams from the down pour. The mine co-owner is the one with his head in the pocket and his trusty guard dog is right with them in the pit. Photo taken Aug 3, 2014, 9:49:11 AM.
Source:
https://www.deviantart.com/blueliquorice/art/Maple-Lode-Mine-Aguanga-Mtn-San-Diego-CA-473424404

Maple Lode Mine shown on USGS Topo map.

Abandoned Property Mining Claim belongs to re-locator taking possession

Abandoned Equipment is owned by Relocator

From Handbook of Mineral Law (Maley), detailing that abandoned property such as vehicles and equipment belongs to the finder and relocator who takes possession. I took possession of the Equipment and all other property upon relocation of the abandoned claim and this property belongs to me legally.

Maple Lode Tourmaline Mine California for sale

The Maple Lode Tourmaline Mine Mining Claim Aguanga Mtn San Diego County California USA for sale

Tourmaline Topaz Mine Mining Claim, the famous MAPLE LODE gem pegmatite deposit, Aguanga Mtn, Palomar Divide, San Diego County, California. Known for gems and mineral specimens. 20.66 acre UNpatented LODE mining claim on federal land (BLM Minerals/USFS Surface) on a famous well known PROVEN past producer of small but bright blue tourmaline Elbaite crystals, pastel pink, green & blue elbaite tourmalines, light blue topaz, occasional Quartz and Albite, and sporadic pinkish apatite crystals. 1500 ft x 600 ft.

BLM SERIAL NUMBER CA105275076, CHRISTOPHER WENTZELL, OWNER. This claim is on the other side of the ridge just south of the patented Ware, aka (Emeralite/Mountain Lily Mine) on what is believed to be the same pegmatite vein underground. Roland Reed’s old buried cargo container serves as a storage for tools and equipment and looks like a bunker. Rumor has it that some of the old tunnels that used to produce the bright tourmalines are buried/caved behind the buried container, but I cannot verify this yet (we plan to do some work here shortly after getting a plan together). Very large waste pilled and tailings to go thru that go partway down the canyon. I did better in the lower tailings than the upper, and can verify myself Blue Tourmaline and a pale light blue topaz crystal. It's going to take some serious money to reopen the workings or dig this one further, there are steep cuts that have really become dangerous. This was a limited producer, but the prices on what was found were always high, and some of the most beautiful blue tourmaline ever found in California. It's a steep mountainside and future surface work is likely very limited, but the dike/vein continues underground, and there is more in this for sure, and probably way better than has ever come out. This pegmatite is softer and different than most in the County from my experience, and easier to dig. My plan is to start a new cut or tunnel in from the SE end on the other side of where Roland and others found the best blue gem tourmalines. There are a couple of places here where we could start a tunnel. The possibilities are endless when we can start a tunnel here. Great history and info on the mine is available on Mindat at links you can copy & paste to go, below. NO DIGGING OR REMOVING ANY MINERALS AT THIS TIME. PLEASE NOTE that I have a Rand Ingersoll air compressor and Catepillar loader equipment/parts that I took possession of when staking claim that was abandoned by prior owner that I reserve the right to. They never came or contacted me to remove them and under the federal mining laws and other federal statutes it is now mine legally from the date of relocation and taking possession (legal details here).

Getting a REAL proven producer of Tourmaline in San Diego County is very RARE AND HARD TO COME BY. I WAS VERY LUCKY TO GET THIS CLAIM!

I will be updating this page from time to time with more info. It was originally set up as a for sale page but I have decided to keep and dig the mine. Feel free to ask questions first.

Link to Maple Lode Claim BLM MLRS Registration page:

https://mlrs.blm.gov/s/blm-case/a023d000006ynhGAAQ/c7864337

Link to Mindat locality page:

https://www.mindat.org/loc-91432.html

LINK TO MINDAT PHOTO GALLERY SHOWING EXAMPLES OF WHAT HAS BEEN FOUND IN THE PAST:

https://www.mindat.org/gl/91432

Mention of Maple Lode in Pala International's PalaMinerals April 2015 Newsletter, Minerals & Mineralogy News: "One Day, Three Mines."

LINK TO THIS PAGE:

https://www.dominiongems.com/maple-lode

MAPLE LODE PHOTOS ON INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/maplelode/?hl=en

Claim Overview MAPLE