Miner Home From the Far West Claims There's Gold, Silver, Copper in Western North Carolina, 1926

The Polk County News, Tryon, N.C., “Published Every Week in the Mountain Paradise,” Thursday afternoon, June 17, 1926. At the top of the banner: Tryon Has a Year Round Climate Equal to the Riviera.

Precious Metals in Our Hills…Veteran Miner Sees Rich Future for Western North Carolina

Chimney Rock, N.C., June 16—It is a generally admitted fact that Western North Carolina is rich in natural resources, such as water power and forest products, but few people know of the wealth in gold, silver and copper ore which abound in rich veins running on or near the surface of the mountains in certain sections of Buncombe, Rutherford, Yancey, Madison and McDowell counties, as does Andrew T. Guthrie, veteran miner, who recently has been prospecting in this section.

Mr. Guthrie, who is now making headquarters in Asheville, a few days ago returned from a prospecting expedition which took him into parts of five counties. He brought back numerous samples of ore which he declares are absolute proof that this section is amazingly rich in precious metals.

North Carolina papers some time ago stated that Mr. Guthrie was born in Buncombe County in 1853, leaving his native state in early manhood for the far west. He spent 47 years mining and prospecting in different localities from the Mexican border up to the Canadian boundary line. Mr. Guthrie states that he returned to this section about six months ago intending to stay only a short time, but finding that his native state offers better prospects for gold and silver than he found in most places during his prospecting of nearly half a century in the far west, the veteran digger is very enthusiastic in his recent finds, so much so that he goes out day after day, paying his own expenses, backed up only by his firm belief in the mineral wealth of this section, and usually brings back with him real specimens as proof of his statements.

“I don’t ask anybody to make my word for a thing I say,” said Mr. Guthrie. “Right here’s the stuff to prove it,” pointing to numerous specimens of ore that lay on the table before him. Some of these were obtained from the Rees Creek section, and Mr. Guthrie states that $40,000 a ton is a conservative estimate of its possible yield of silver.