The Ah Hee Diggins Interpretive Site displays the mining efforts of Chinese miners in the late 1800s and the resulting hand-stacked rock tailings that can be seen from the Elkhorn Drive Scenic Byway. Although the miners could not file their own claims, holders could sell or lease worked-out claims to Chinese owned companies. To pursue their gold mining efforts, the miners muscled rock into piles across 16 acres of the valley to expose the streambed. They used gold pans, rockers and sluice boxes to extract the gold that was missed by previous mining operations from the sediment in the streambed.
Directions
From Baker City, OR, travel south on Highway 7 for 26 miles to the Sumpter Valley Highway (State 220); Turn right on the Sumpter Valley Highway and go through Sumpter towards Granite on Forest 73 (Elkhorn Scenic Byway) for about 20 miles; At Granite turn right on Forest Road 73 and travel 1.5 miles to the site. The site is adjacent to the Sumpter/Granite Highway, on the Elkhorn Drive Scenic Byway.
GPS Coordinates
Latitude 44° 49′ 43.2912″ N
Longitude 118° 24′ 52.5960″ W