Douglas county, Oregon. It is located 35 miles southeast of Roseburg and 60 miles north of Medford, Oregon. Access from I-5 exit 98 (Canyonville) is via the South Umpqua Highway 227, and Forest Service Roads 27 and 28, a distance of 56 miles. Alternate routes take you to Medford, 79 miles and Roseburg, 46 miles.

The deposit is a tough, massive, grayish-white silicified tuff formation. The drilling done in 1999 confirmed the presence of a layer of a soft layer of silica suitable for flour silica production with reserves of 1.2 million tons. The hard silica lies above and below, though the soft silica is exposed on the west side.

This mine has been in production since the late 1950’s, supplying silica to a nickel mine in Riddle for flux in their ferrosilicon and nickel smelting. Between 1972 and 1997, over 400,000 tons of ore with a value of $12 million was shipped. Several other markets have been located since the smelter closed in 1998. Several large silica producers have expressed interest in a west coast supply as well as many silica consumers. Bunker sand production and landscape boulders are currently being explored in addition to traditional silica markets. A large stockpile of 5/8 minus crushed ore remains untapped from previous production as well as a large stockpile of riprap and landscape boulders, all easily accessible. A current mining permit from Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries is in place and the sale includes water rights on Quartz Creek and the South Umpqua River.