Canals constructed along the Potomac River, including the waterways of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Patowmack Canal, were lifelines for people living along the Potomac River from 1831-1924. Locks controlling water flow allowed the efficient transport of coal and other materials to and from these communities. Lands surrounding these areas are also rich in natural resources, triggering the start of commercial gold mining operations in Montgomery County in 1865.
Gold was found in veins, grains, or sheets throughout a belt of metamorphic rock in this region. The geomorphology of this area made it an ideal place to prospect, pan, or mine for gold. While output was initially mediocre, approximately 30 mines operated in the area until the 1950s, when the labor-intensive methods needed to extract these resources brought mining operations to a halt.
The National Park Service acquired land where the Maryland Mining Company had previously operated in 1965. Remains of the mines still exist in both Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park and Great Falls Park, where the historic locks of the Patowmack Canal are also still present.
