For decades, the North Carolina Mineral and Gem Festival was held at the Harris High School Gym in Spruce Pine as shown in this picture.
Hundreds of years ago the “Ancients” – Native Americans, whom we know today as the Cherokee and the Catawba, began digging the earth for glistening pieces of Isinglass. Thus began the mining heritage of the Spruce Pine Mining District. Many tribes throughout the southeast traded this magical, see-through, mineral for years to come. Isinglass (Mica), and the other minerals and precious stones found here have since been highly coveted by not only the Native Americans, but other Europeans who came into the area as well, beginning with Hernando DeSoto and the Spanish Conquistadors that came into the Toe River Valley in the mid 1500’s. Today, the mining industry is an integral part of our history and economy. EVERY computer chip in the world contains a piece of the Spruce Pine Quartz. Since the early 1950’s, Spruce Pine has celebrated our unique mineral heritage with the world. Held each summer, the North Carolina Mineral and Gem Festival brings together dealers and thousands of rockhounds from around the globe for mine tours, special collecting sessions, swap-meets, and lectures.