Barton Gold Mine, Middle Creek Goldfield, Nullagine, East Pilbara Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Barton Gold Mine	Mine
Middle Creek Goldfield	Ore Field
Nullagine	- not defined -
East Pilbara Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

According to the State Heritage Council, there are two stories regarding who opened the Barton Mine from 1898. The first involves Maurice McKenna, who held the local pastoral station. The mine is named after Australia's first Prime Minister. McKenna managed the Meentheena pastoral station near Marble Bar, and was the father-in-law for Australian air pioneer, Charles Kingsford Smith. McKenna was described as a tough man who worked his men hard to establish the station in the 1920's. He was then convicted of cattle rustling, and sentenced to prison for two years, including a whipping with a cat-o-nine tails. After his sentence he returned and lived in the Marble Bar district for many years. His ashes, along with his wife Gertrude were scattered at the Barton Mine, with a plaque erected, although it is uncertain if this remains. It has been the experience of the writer that plaques at old mines, are later bulldozed by modern mining companies.

The second story states the mine was established by A. Bogan Barton in 1898. He later entered local politics, being chairman in 1906 of the Marble Bar Road Board, and secretary of the Railway League Committee. He played cricket in the local area.

The writer proposes a third option, as according to local newspapers at the time, the mine was established by well known Nullagine prospector M. Doherty.

First production was in 1898 for 81.77 ounces. Up to 1906 the mine had produced 4680 tonnes of ore for 4930 ounces of gold. It focussed on re-treating battery sands after this to 1909 when its first active period closed.

Gibb-Maitland in 1908 states the Barton Reef is the most continuous in the district, traversing GML's 116, 113, 106, 84, and 11, as well as the Barton Mine on GML 109. He states there were three shafts down to 15, 30 and 65 feet, on a reef 4 feet wide wall to wall. On another reef was a shaft down to 40 feet, and yet another to 110 feet on a reef 8 feet thick. The lease contained a 10 head battery from its early days, but a lack of water caused Doherty to abandon it around 1900. It was quickly taken up again as the Barton's Success, although the name never stuck. The lease also contained a cyanide plant, and the battery crushed for the public until 1909.

The deposit shows a complex history of folding, re-folding, and several generations of shearing, hosted in metasedimetary rocks. Barton contains three north north-east to north-east trending quartz reefs, 300 metres length overall, with the West and Main reefs dipping 60 degrees east, and the East reef dips 70 to 75 degrees south-east. Historically it was four ore shoots in the Main reef that were worked. In modern times the Barton Mine is often named Barton/Hopetoun, the latter being a neighbouring prospect.

The death of two of its shareholders, saw the mine sold in 1909. Some minor crushings emanate for a couple of years then little happens for many years after this. M. Sugrue processes the sands in 1914. The lease was pegged in 1923, but by whom is not mentioned. Ora Banda Mines NL were planning development work at the old mine in 1934, then no more is heard.

Local prospector, Douglas Gallop, takes up the mine in 1937, and a 10 head mill is erected. He marries Thora Stewart from the Bonney Downs Station in October 1942, but only two and half years later in March 1945 he suddenly dies at the station.

In April 1947, battery manager, Arthur Gordon Clemesha (33) died in a dynamite explosion. Vic Tonkin went out to visit the mine, and found it strangely quiet, except for a dog incessantly barking and running towards the blacksmith shop. He found the building demolished, and Clemesha within the rubble, by a work bench where he had been preparing dynamite, when it exploded.

Around the same time, the mine and battery is purchased by the four Heath brothers from the Gallop estate. One marries while at the mine, the rest were single. The mine was active by the Heaths, with regular crushings until at least 1953 when the references stop.

George 'Musso' Branchi, who was connected to the nearby Alice Mine, would operate the mine while the brothers were on Christmas breaks down in Perth. He was not paid, but could take out whatever gold he found during these hot summer months.

The old 10 head battery remains, with much mining relics. The area contains a lot of bulldozed areas, mullock, shafts, small pits, and a shed/prospectors shack. How much of this remains is uncertain, as in 2015 Millennium Minerals began developing open pits at the site. There is an argument the site should have remained as it was, and developed for tourism instead.

The mine is about 35 kilometres east of Nullagine and one kilometre south of the Skull Springs Road. The Hopetoun mine is 500 metres to the north-east, and just south of the road.

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References