I felt that this was an interesting extension of mining in the Adirondacks. It is an attempt to use mining to bring tourism into the Adirondacks. It's interactive, "ANYONE can find a gem quality garnet without using tools," "Treasure Hunting in the Garnet Mines Big Fun For All Ages"! It is interesting to see an example of the transformation of an economic resource in the Adirondacks into a tourist attraction. It's definitely cool to see that one mine can have so many different uses. But, for something to be economically successful in the Adirondacks, does it have to be appealing to outsiders?
Interesting--thanks for finding this. I wonder what the 20th century miners would think about the prospect of a tourist arriving on a tour bus and paying to do part of a miner's job. Maybe worth checking out something similar on our trip. By the way, at $53 - $254/ton of crude garnet (according to the usgs) tourists may have a hard time "Strik[ing] it rich!!!" and being able to walk away with their haul.
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool and also somewhat comical. Look at the bullet points, :with a tour guide drive right into the old mine site". It amazes me that this has been going on for 30 years. Obviously it hasnt taken off because we would have heard more about it by this point. To answer your question though, like you, Im not sure. I think that if we accomplish Adirondacks in the sense of forever wild then perhaps there is no place for a thriving economy?
ReplyDeleteI think this just speaks to the rejection of industrialization in the Adirondacks. It seems evident that tourism is really the only profitable industry here. When all fails it doesn't seem to be the lack of resources, such as with the mining industry, it seems to be the rejection of any movement towards modernization. It seems comical to be offering tours of an old mine but tourism doesn't fail to bring in the money!
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