Explore Cobalt Mine and CCC Camp Jenkins in Cobalt

The East Hampton Parks and Recreation Dept. will sponsor a hike in Cobalt and explore the old cobalt mine and the site of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Jenkins on Gadpouch Rd. on Sunday, August 4 at 10 am. The hike is organized by the Chatham Historical Society and is part of the “Explore East Hampton” monthly series program.

Come and learn about the history of these historic sites. The cobalt mine is located at the southern foot of Great Hill where there are two parallel veins, one contains nickel and cobalt and the other gold. Both veins are under private property and partly under the Meshomasic State Forest. In 1770 miners came to Cobalt searching for cobalt which was used to make a deep blue pigment used in making textiles and dishes. These miners probably dug through traces of gold but were unaware of its importance.

There were rumors of gold in the Cobalt area way back in the 1600s when Governor John Winthrop, the first governor of Connecticut and an avid prospector, wore a gold ring that he said was mined and smelted from local ore.

From the late 1700s to the mid1800s mines were established in the Village of Cobalt and cobalt ore was extracted and shipped to England and China. During the mid1800s miners shifted to extracting nickel because the US Mint was beginning to use it for coinage.

Later in the 1980s UCONN professor, Anthony Philpotts, and his geology students came to Cobalt and discovered one of the richest gold lodes in North America. They were able to extract 1.5 to 6 ounces of gold from a ton of quartzite, a hard, non-foliate metamorphic rock.

The second site to be explored will be Camp Jenkins, a CCC camp that began on June 15, 1933. CCC camps were established throughout the US during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency in 1933 to give unemployed, single men between the ages of 18-25, a job building up the natural resources in the US. These young men came from poor families that were on relief and were paid a dollar a day. They received five dollars a month for spending money and $25 went to their parents to help during the economic crisis that was gripping the US. The enrollees at Camp Jenkins built roads & trails, developed state parks, removed dead and unwanted trees from the state forests, fought forest fires, planted trees, and helped neighboring towns during disasters. The camps were supervised by the Army and the Connecticut Conservation Dept. planned and supervised the work projects. Camp Jenkins closed on January 1, 1936.

The hike offers a wonderful and unique opportunity for residents to learn about the history of Cobalt and for life-long residents to share their recollections and stories. Adults and children are welcome to join in on what promises to be a morning of making local history come alive. Hikers should wear proper shoes. Heavy rain will cancel the walk.

Directions: At the intersection of Rts. 151 and 66 in Cobalt turn on Depot Hill Rd. Drive up this road for approximately  a mile and then turn right onto Gadpouch Road. Follow the signs to the old mine site.

The Chatham Historical Society's Museum complex, located at 6 Bevin Boulevard, will be open that afternoon from 2-4 pm. All are welcome to visit the museum and admission is free.