Gold mining in Nova Scotia

[3] Gold was officially discovered in Nova Scotia in late May 1860, by John G. Pulsifer at Mooseland, Halifax County.

[5] In the beginning, the miners panned for gold or smashed quartz rocks with hand tools at small individual claims.

Within a year, companies began arriving in the area with heavy machinery to construct shafts, dig ore, crush rock, and process the gold.

[3] The second gold rush period was dominated by large companies, who continued buying up smaller claims, and hiring locals to mine and operate the stamp mills and machinery.

The province became known as the place of "rich man's diggings" due to the large costs involved in deep mines working lower grade ore. Capital investment, often American and British, and the improved technology needed to build and operate the mines ballooned into a multimillion-dollar industry.

Along with racking up the highest yields per year, this period is noted more for organized planning than feverish hysteria.

Deposits at the project named Touquoy hold an estimated 635,000 ounces of gold, worth $700 million in 2012.