Stacy Rhoades, left, manager of Sutter Gold Mining Inc., and Holly Boitano, the firm’s health, safety and environmental protection coordinator, demonstrate a laser surveying tool in the mine the company wants to reopen in Sutter Creek, Calif. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Clayr Alexander, right, president of Sutter Gold Mining Inc., talks with mine manager Stacy Rhoades after a tour of the Lincoln mine. Though the mine is not currently operating, the Canadian company hopes to bring gold mining back to California’s Mother Lode. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
A gold-speckled piece of quartz that was extracted from the mine. In the last 10 years, more than 500,000 visitors have toured the site. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Charlie Chatfield, who had been a miner in Colorado, drives tourists into the Lincoln mine for a tour. From right are Chatfield, Alan Caragan and his sons Kalen 6, and Nolan, 5. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Alan Caragan of Fairfield, Calif., and his sons Kalen 6, center, and Nolan, 5, on a tour of the Lincoln mine. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Miner Charlie Chatfield holds fake dynamite as he explains to tourists how miners used to blast out hard rock. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Tourists sit underground as they listen to a guide explain Sutter Gold Mining Inc.’s operations. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Souvenirs on a shelf in the gift shop at the Lincoln mine. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Headlamps and batteries charging at the Lincoln mine. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Clayr Alexander, president of Sutter Gold Mining Inc., stands at the entrance to the mine. Locals say it would give a boost to Amador County, a rural outpost thats dependent mainly on tourism and casinos. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
