Ruggles Mine

08/10/2026

Another busy weekend is in the books! Time is flying by this year! It's hard to believe we are a little more than half way through the season! We are open through Columbus Day weekend. If you haven't had a chance to visit yet there's still time to join us for a couple of hours, a whole day, or even a weekend of rough camping!

08/03/2026

We enjoyed a very informative, fun, hands on mushroom workshop yesterday with Tracey and Rick from Heart of the Forest Farm! Can't wait to see the results!
If you missed this one follow them and watch for future dates!

08/03/2026

What a busy and amazing week we have had here at Ruggles Mine ! The weather was very cooperative for the many, many enthusiastic rock hounds and the campers who spent time with us this week.
On Saturday morning we hosted a mushroom workshop with our friends from Heart of the Forest Farm. Very informative and a lot of fun! We can't wait to see the results! If you missed this one keep your eyes open for future dates this fall!
Today was a super exciting day for us! We hosted a family reunion for a group that brought family members from many areas of the country. Not just any family reunion!! A very special group of people! Today we met 17 members of the Ruggles/Randall family! Direct descendants of Samuel Ruggles, the founder of Ruggles Mine! There's more to this story! Dorene will do a post soon with more info and some pictures! It was truly a magical day with wonderful people!

07/20/2026

Have you reserved your spot for the August 1st workshop here at the mine? Dorene is really looking forward to it!!

07/20/2026

Sometimes it's fun to look at rocks that don't even look very colorful to the naked eye through a microscope! It's amazing how beautiful they can be! These are some rocks found recently that we were trying to identify. We didn't expect such a fun color show, but there it is!

07/19/2026

Today marks 3 years since we first purchased the mine. In some ways it seems like yesterday and in others it feels like forever. We have accomplished so much but still so many projects that are ongoing and many future projects in the plans! We love the fact that we have seen so many kids becoming future rock hounds!

07/19/2026

07/19/2026

Once known as the largest and oldest mica mine in the United States, Ruggles Mine in Grafton has found new life as a destination for rockhounds, history buffs and families looking for an unusual outdoor adventure.

Jason Schreiber of Grounded in Granite talks with owner Joe Bodge about how he brought the historic mine back to life — and why he hopes a new generation of visitors will discover the magic of digging for their own mineral treasures.

Read more: https://www.unionleader.com/nh/grounded_in_granite/ruggles-mine-reopening-attracts-a-new-generation-of-rockhounds/article_224dab4e-343d-47da-8901-0c995a7b9302.html