The Madelina, Madeline and Magdalena mines were three copper mines five miles south of Diamond Springs. The were operated together, prior to 1900, under the name Blue Cat mine. Since this was on the Mother Lode, the Madelina was also a lode gold mine. It was worked by a cross-cut tunnel 90 feet into the vein, and a drift along the foot-wall 100 feet, connected by a raise 105 feet to the surface.
Two miles northwest of Garden Valley was a lode gold mine known as the Madrona mine. It was first active prior to 1894 when a vein of gold-bearing quartz was developed by a 40-foot shaft. Later maps show the Madrone group at this location operating claims for both lode and placer gold on and near the east branch of the Mother Lode.
The Maginess Group operated a lode gold mine near Nashville on the Mother Lode.
The Malone mine was a placer gold mine on 5.22 acres one mile west of Indian Diggings.
The Maltby mine was a lode gold mine on 20.62 acres of the west branch of the Mother Lode, one and one-half miles southeast of Greenwood and just north of the Argonaut mine. During the 1930s the deposit was prospected through an adit of unknown length.
The Mameluke (Mameluke Hill) mine was a seam gold mine located one mile north of Georgetown on 16.68 acres of the east branch of the Mother Lode. It was active prior to 1880 with a total output of not less than two million dollars in gold. It contained coarse gold that was recovered from alluvium and thin seams of quartz in slate.
The Mammoth (Mammoth No. 1 and No. 2) mine was a lode gold mine one mile northwest of Deer Valley School, which was located on Deer Valley Road just to the north of the Jayhawk Cemetery. This 22.23 acre mine was opened in 1860 when a pocket of rich quartz produced some $10,000 in gold. The mine was effectively idle until 1934 when the tailings dump was reworked. The deposit consisted of a five foot wide vein of gold-bearing quartz and a second vein three to four feet wide. It was developed by a 75-foot crosscut adit and a 120-foot drift. The ore, once removed, was treated in a ten-stamp mill.
The Mammoth Bar River mine was actually two placer gold mines consisting of 38.41 acres two miles north of Cool on the Middle Fork of the American River.
The Manhattan Location of the Perkins Consolidated mine was a lode gold mine consisting of 61.89 acres of land one and one-half miles northwest of Volcanoville very near the Middle Fork of the American River.
The Manhattan Consolidated (Manhattan-California) mine was a lode gold mine on 76,86 acres of the Mother Lode two miles northeast of Nashville. This deposit was active prior to 1915 and further prospected in 1935, 1947 and 1952. It was developed by a 400-foot shaft.
The Manzanita mine was a lode gold mine on 16.82 acres of the Mother Lode, one mile south of Kelsey. It was active in 1918.
The Manzanita Queen Consolidated mine was a lode gold mine one-half mile southeast of Diamond Springs on 82.21 acres. It was an extension of the Griffith Consolidated Mine.
The Maple Leaf (Blakely) mine was a placer gold mine located two miles west of Camino near Five Mile House. Originally active in the 1880’s, it was reopened from 1932 to 1935 when it was operated as a relief project, employing 100 men. During this period, about $20,000 in gold was produced by hydraulicking and sluicing.
The Marble Valley (Schwalin) mine was a large limestone mine two miles east of Clarksville in Marble Valley. This deposit, which contained 98.80 percent pure calcium carbonate, was originally quarried and then burned in a nearby vertical kiln for the cement industry. Much later, the limestone was mined by the El Dorado Limestone Company and later Gallo Glass Company. The total extent of the deposit is unknown but the limestone outcrops for a distance of nearly 4000 feet, with a width from less than 100 feet to 200 feet. It was developed by two open quarries, one of which has filled with water. The mine is closed and the land is being converted to subdivision with custom home lots.
Just to the southeast of the Marble Valley limestone mine was a lode gold mine also know as the Marble Valley mine. It consisted of about 15 acres of land.
The Marcelais mine was a lode gold mine three miles east of Shingle Springs and south of Mother Lode Drive.
The Margareth mine was a lode gold mine two and one-half miles northeast of Nashville on 20 acres of the Mother Lode.
One mile east of Diamond Springs was the Marguerite mine, a lode gold mine on 18.92 acres of the Mother Lode. Here, three parallel veins of gold-bearing quartz were developed by a 300-foot vertical shaft, 200-foot adit and 1200 feet of drifts.
The Marigold mine was a lode gold mine one half mile northwest of Garden Valley on the west branch of the Mother Lode.
The Marshall group worked a lode gold claim about three miles north of Grizzly Flat and north of the North Fork of the Cosumnes River.
The Marshall and Estes placer gold mine was on 50 acres near Caldor, the eastern terminus of the California Door Company (Caldor) railroad, which is about six miles east of Grizzly Flat. The western terminus of the railroad was in Diamond Springs.
The Martha L mine was a lode gold mine two and one-half miles northeast of Cool and just south of the Middle Fork of the American River. It was worked together with two other mines, the three consisting of a total of 51.62 acres.
The Martin mine was an isolated lode gold mine, three and one-half miles northeast of Garden Valley near Bear Creek.
The Martin Arenz mine was a placer gold claim on ten acres two miles southwest of Rescue, adjacent to Deer Creek.
The Martinez (Hillside group) mine was a lode gold mine consisting of five different mines on 96.290 acres near Martinez Creek (a tributary of the Cosumnes River), south of the Union Mine some four and one-half miles southeast of the townsite of El Dorado. The mine was operated by the Hillside Gold Mining Company in 1915. It was again worked around 1926 when an adit was run 900 feet into the lower part of the hill and and later in the early 1930s. In 1937 some development work was done in the lower workings of the mine, with some ore production. The deposit consisted of a series of parallel gold-bearing quartz veins and was developed by a 600-foot adit driven west with numerous raises and drifts. South of this adit is another 600-foot crosscut adit and some older workings. The ore was treated on-site by a five-stamp mill.
Another Martinez mine was a manganese mine three miles southeast of the townsite of El Dorado, near the Martinez gold mine. Here, the operator of the mine, the Martinez Gold Mines Company, developed two lenses containing rhodonite and black manganese oxide.
The Maryland mine was a lode gold mine on 19.24 acres directly south of Placerville on the Mother Lode.
The Massinni mine was a placer mine on 20 acres one mile west of Newtown.
One mile south of Diamond Springs was the Mathenas Creek (Schneider) Mine. A lode gold mine, it was active between 1888 and 1894 when a two to eight foot vein of gold-bearing quartz was developed by 100 and 300-foot adits. The ore was treated in a Huntington mill.
On the American River near Coloma a Lotus resident, E. B. Matherly, operated a suction dredge called the Matherly Dredge, from 1947 to 1952.
Mauk and Kendall operated a placer gold mine on 180 acres about five miles east of Grizzly Flat near Dogtown Creek.
The Mauner mine was a placer gold mine on 30 acres one half mile northwest of Greenwood.
The May Morton mine was a placer gold mine on 20 acres two miles south of Smith Flat.
At an unknown area or areas in El Dorado County J.W.S. Butler, from Sacramento, operated the McCoy and Butler Dredge, a dry land dredge, in 1941.
Two miles north of the town of Coloma was a chromite mine known as the McCurdy mine. In 1918 200 tons of ore containing 36 percent chromite was produced. The deposit consisted of two groups of chromite lenses in serpentine and talc that were developed by both open cuts and a 45-foot shaft.
The McDonald and Buys mine was a chromite mine one mile south of Four Corners (the intersection of Gold Hill Road and Lotus Road). This mine was also active in 1918 when 350 tons of ore was produced. The pods of chromite at this location were developed by three shafts and an open pit.
The McDonald and Channel mine was a placer gold mine on 50 acres just southeast of Placerville.
The McDowell and Wiltshire mining company operated two locations (the McDowell location and the Wiltshire location) one mile northeast of Nashville on the Mother Lode.
Near Henry’s Diggings, in the south part of our county, was a placer gold, drift mine known as the McKim Mine. It was prospected in 1926 when a 100-foot adit and 20- foot raise were driven.
The McKinley mine was a lode gold mine just to the west of Spanish Dry Diggings on the west branch of the Mother Lode.
The McKinley Goldstandard mine was a lode gold mine on 19.18 acres one half mile north of Placerville on the Mother Lode.
The McLellan mine was a placer gold mine on 60 acres one and one-half mile southeast of Salmon Falls.
The McNulty (Golden Gate, Oakland) Mine was a lode gold mine on the Mother Lode three miles south of the townsite of El Dorado. Here a six foot wide vein of gold-bearing quartz was developed by a 400-foot shaft, 450-foot crosscut adit and a 450-foot winze sunk from the adit. The ore was treated in a ten-stamp mill.
Two gentlemen from Weaverville, Messrs McQueen and Downing, operated a dragline dredge on Carson creek in 1940.
In 1949, near Cherokee Bar on the American River, the Mead Company, from San Francisco, operated a dragline dredge.
The Meder mine was a lode gold mine consisting of 19.09 acres adjacent to Green Valley Road at the north end of today’s Cameron Park. It also shows up in some records as a placer gold mine at this same location.
Another Meder mine was a lode gold mine consisting of 18.18 acres two miles southeast of Shingle Springs.
The Melton Group operated a lodge gold mine two miles northeast of Grizzly Flat.
The Mexican Gold mine was a lode gold mine on 20 acres one and one-half miles southeast of Fair Play.
The Michael B. Ryan mine was a 20 acre lode gold claim two miles southeast of Shingle Springs.
The Michael Sweeney mine was a placer gold mine on 80 acres one and one-half miles south of Coloma in the Gold Hill area.
The Michigan mine was a placer gold mine consisting of 120 acres two miles east of Fair Play in Slug Gulch.
The Mierson Group operated several gold mines one-half mile northwest of Placerville on the Mother Lode. Totaling 53.43 acres they were called the Vitmer location, Wellington location, Sherman location and Grant location.
