Historical Notes from the Chronicle of Gallotti
Ever since 1700 in the Antrona and Schieranco municipalities (which at that time were divided) the inhabitants of the Antrona valley as well as those of the lower Ossola, along the Trivera brook in the gorges of the Trivera and Mottone and along the Ovesca stream, both near the Locasca hamlet and beneath Antronapiana, had set up many small water-mills of Piedmontese type to mill and to amalgamate the gold ore that was dug up in the surroundings, following the outcrop of well visible gold veins.
The ore extracted in the areas of Mottone, Mec, Fajot, Trivera, Frisa, Cave del Bosco, Asino, Canna, Colmigia, Salto, was shouldered down to the spots where the water courses'rate of flow allowed the set up of small water mills.
Since then, the discovered ore bodies became later on the object of research and mining concession: the one at Trivera that was then called "Mottone - Mee", the one at Prabernardo - Locasca and those at Asino and Cama.
In later times the works were concentrated in the two mines called Mottone - Mee and Prabernardo - Locasca.
The ore extracted in the areas of Mottone, Mec, Fajot, Trivera, Frisa, Cave del Bosco, Asino, Canna, Colmigia, Salto, was shouldered down to the spots where the water courses'rate of flow allowed the set up of small water mills.
Since then, the discovered ore bodies became later on the object of research and mining concession: the one at Trivera that was then called "Mottone - Mee", the one at Prabernardo - Locasca and those at Asino and Cama.
In later times the works were concentrated in the two mines called Mottone - Mee and Prabernardo - Locasca.
Miniera Prabernardo - Locasca
| 1870 | Operated by the Angio Italian Mining Co. Ltd. |
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| 1879 | Take over of the Closed Company set up by: notary Vitale Amodini, Carlo Antonio Mazzocchi, Genziana e Giuseppe Mazzocchi. The exploited area is 270 hectares large. |
| 1899 | On Sep. 9th by decree issued in Turin the mine is transferred to the Swiss Company "Des Mines d'or d'Antrona". The area increases from 270 to 400 hectares. |
| 1902 | On Apr. 3rd the bill of sale of notary Costa from Turin transfers the concession to the "Antrona gold mining Co. Ltd". |
| 1910 | Actual take over of the general partnership J. Houze O. Gottignies & C. |
| 1912 | Issue of the ministerial decree. |
| 1926 | On Dec.lst, after the transfer of the concession, the joint-stock company "Miniere d'Antrona" is founded (entrance of the Ceretti Company, already operating at Pestarena/Macugnaga). |
| 1936 | The mine is transferred to the joint-stock company Rumianca, factory at Pieve Vergonte. |
Access, Ore Bodies, Mining Works
Two galleries near the village bore the mountain to a depth of roughly 500 m.
They move forward onto the rocks for 350 m till they reach and cut across the gold veins "Cava del Bosco" and "Toni" that are then followed for some 100 m in NW and SE direction, without finding any relevant mineralization.
The Taglione gallery opens at the height of 880 m, the Toni gallery at 950 m. Other galleries, now inaccessible, had been opened at: la Chietta 960 m, Prete 905 m, Frisa 2 - 1018 m, Frisa 1- 1060 m.
In the Taglione gallery, beyond the Toni vein, a big vein of mineralized water was found a few metres ahead.
They move forward onto the rocks for 350 m till they reach and cut across the gold veins "Cava del Bosco" and "Toni" that are then followed for some 100 m in NW and SE direction, without finding any relevant mineralization.
The Taglione gallery opens at the height of 880 m, the Toni gallery at 950 m. Other galleries, now inaccessible, had been opened at: la Chietta 960 m, Prete 905 m, Frisa 2 - 1018 m, Frisa 1- 1060 m.
In the Taglione gallery, beyond the Toni vein, a big vein of mineralized water was found a few metres ahead.
Mine Mottone - Mee
| 1776 | On Oct. 29th the royal bills signed by Vittorio Amedeo testify on the concession of the mine, still called Alpe Trivera, in favour of Carlo Andrea Morandini from Pallanzeno. |
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| 1866 | On Nov. 25th by royal decree issued in Florence the concession is transferred to Messrs: notary Francesco e Geremia, cousins Morandini and Giuseppe Minacci. Its denomination is changed into "Mottone-Mee" and its area is increased to 32 hectares. |
| 1898 | On Oct.l9th the "Des Mines d'or d'Antrona" Company takes over, by royal decree signed in Monza, that ratified the concession's area increase to 400 hectares. |
| 1902 | On Apr. 3rd a new bill of sale transfers the property of the mine to the "Antrona gold mining Co. Ltd." |
| 1910 | From this year on, the transfers of titie will be the same of those relating to the Locasca mine. |
Access, Ore Bodies, Mining Works
The most important mining area is undoubtedly the one called "Mottone - Mee", exploited right to a certain depth (where the mechanical means used by the ancient miners could reach) by the Morandini, who had set up some hundreds of water mills in a place called "Molini" (Mills).
Around the year 1875 this company had built at Locasca a plant made of big "aratras" that could grind and amalgamate 800 Kg of ore per day, in the same piace where the plant is nowadays located. The Swiss company that managed it from 1898 to 1901 built at Locasca a big factory that included a crusher, a battery of 10 Kupp towers, a cyanide plant, an electrolytic cell for the precipitation of the gold on lead plates, afterwards substituted by a precipitation plant that used zinc scraps.
From the village of Locasca a mule-track with 52 hair pin bends winds up to "Molini". A little below, in the Trivera brook, lies the entrance of the Fajot gallery.
The Molini dip Iies at 1462 m a.s.l. out of reach of the column of the Mee mine vein n°2.
The ropeway to the Locasca plant goes down starting from the Molini dip. To this place arrives the ropeway coming down from the upstream Mec dip. On the Mee top there's an outcrop of a vein of rock including some quartz.Further up, at 1850 m a.s.l. lies the ore boby of the Mottone.
At 1900 m a.s.l. on the pastures where the Mottone dip lies, some vein outcrops are visible. (See: Bruck R., The Gold Mine of Pestarena - Ed. Mountain Community V. Anzasca -1986).
Around the year 1875 this company had built at Locasca a plant made of big "aratras" that could grind and amalgamate 800 Kg of ore per day, in the same piace where the plant is nowadays located. The Swiss company that managed it from 1898 to 1901 built at Locasca a big factory that included a crusher, a battery of 10 Kupp towers, a cyanide plant, an electrolytic cell for the precipitation of the gold on lead plates, afterwards substituted by a precipitation plant that used zinc scraps.
From the village of Locasca a mule-track with 52 hair pin bends winds up to "Molini". A little below, in the Trivera brook, lies the entrance of the Fajot gallery.
The Molini dip Iies at 1462 m a.s.l. out of reach of the column of the Mee mine vein n°2.
The ropeway to the Locasca plant goes down starting from the Molini dip. To this place arrives the ropeway coming down from the upstream Mec dip. On the Mee top there's an outcrop of a vein of rock including some quartz.Further up, at 1850 m a.s.l. lies the ore boby of the Mottone.
At 1900 m a.s.l. on the pastures where the Mottone dip lies, some vein outcrops are visible. (See: Bruck R., The Gold Mine of Pestarena - Ed. Mountain Community V. Anzasca -1986).