Pontotoc — Llano Uplift Placer Gold — Mason County

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Pontotoc — Llano Uplift Placer Gold — Mason County

Gold Mining Site TX • Mason County County
Description
Northeastern Mason County community at the SH 71 and FM 501 junction. Llano Uplift mineral country where 1880s prospectors searched for gold, iron, and manganese alongside the San Fernando Academy boom.
Historical Notes
Pontotoc lies at the junction of State Highway 71 and Farm Road 501 near Pontotoc Creek in northeastern Mason County. The Handbook of Texas records considerable prospecting for gold, silver, coal, and iron in the late 1880s when the Wakefield Company opened manganese mines and a proposed "Mineral County" secession movement briefly threatened Mason County boundaries. Hematitic iron ore deposits occur in Precambrian rocks across Llano, Mason, McCulloch, and San Saba counties per the Handbook of Texas mineral resources entry. Fine placer gold may appear in Pontotoc Creek and nearby Llano Uplift gravels eroded from upstream sources, though no commercial gold production is recorded here. Coordinates mark Pontotoc at the highway junction. Private ranch land — obtain permission before prospecting.
Status / Verification active — Verified

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