The Helvetia Mine
By Amber Ward

The Helvetia gold mined was established in 1870 and was a top producer for 30 years. Historical Photo in town Hall

The Helvetia Mine ranks fourth as the largest gold producing mine in the Julian area.

And for three decades, it was also the most reliable gold producing mine in the Julian Mining district.

Located one mile east of Julian between the communities of Whispering Pines and Kentwood, the mine sat on the southwest side of the old Banner Grade.

The Helvetia claim was registered Aug. 4, 1870 by Sebastian Southiermer and eight others including Mike Julian. The Helvetia is tied with the Owens Mine, as the fourth richest gold producer in the Cuyamacas at $450,000.

Helvetia is the Latin name for Switzerland. It might be likely that this name was chosen to signify the founders' native homeland.

Two years later, the mine was sold to two men by the names of Wilson and Leuzander. The businessmen built a stamp mill in Julian City to process the ore from the Helvetia. The mine had no water at its head, so the stamp mill was built some distance away from the actual mine. Eventually, this cost them dearly because of the effort and costs it required to transport the ore to the mill.

In 1874, the Helvetia Mining Co. was formed. Julian residents, Count Dwarakowsky and Solomon Schultz, along with three other local businessmen incorporated the mining company. They sold stock in the Helvetia Mine; with 36,000 shares offered at $100 each. It is not known if this was a successful business venture, but the mine did receive more attention, thus increasing productivity.

In January 1876, 18 miners worked the Helvetia Mine along with eight others that did various jobs outside of the mine. With this many men employed, the Helvetia would have been the most active mine in the region. The Ready Relief, another top gold producing mine, had only 12 employees.

In the early years, the Helvetia Mine consisted of a 310-foot hilltop shaft with 300 feet of drifts following the southwest-northeast lode.

This is where a 2-foot to 5-foot wide vein that averaged $18 per ounce per ton was found. Later in 1887, miners dug an inclined shaft that was 225 feet deep in the ravine below the original mine. The drifts intercepted old diggings, and miners found a 10-inch vein that averaged $20 per ounce per ton. In the ravine, the owners built a ten-stamp mill and hoist works, along with a boarding house nearby.

The Helvetia Mine profited from investors that came to the district in the 1890s, including the Pacific Bank of San Francisco that invested in the mine in 1896 and then sold to Edward Sabin of Denver. Sabin promoted the mine and was able to employ 15 men, as well as make several improvements. Sabin introduced the Pneumatic Drill to the Helvetia Mine in 1897 and then sold it to a fellow statesman named Egbert Moore.

Mine promoters organized the Julian Consolidated Mining and Milling Co. in the early 1900s, and purchased the Helvetia claim, along with several other local gold mining claims.

More than $50,000 was invested into the Helvetia Mine. A state-of-the-art ore reduction facility was built to treat 50 tons of ore a day, and there were plans for an aerial tram-way that would deliver the ore from the mine to the reduction works.

The history of the Helvetia Mine is filled with legal troubles, and although the mine did continue to operate, shut down, and re-open on several occasions, the Helvetia is one of Julian's most notable mines.