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Bushiribana and Balashi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bushiribana and Balashi are the sites of two former gold smelters on the Caribbean island of Aruba.

Bushiribana gold mine

Bushiribana

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The Aruba Island Gold Mining Company built the Bushiribana smelter in 1825 to extract gold from the ore that was being mined in the nearby hills of Ceru Plat; it operated for ten years. Today, its remains are a stopping-off point for tourists on their way to view the Aruba Natural Bridge, which collapsed on 2 September 2005.[1][2]

Balashi

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Balashi gold mine

In 1899, the Aruba Gold Concessions Company built a gold smelter at Balashi, at the southern end of Frenchman's Pass.[3] In 1916 during the First World War, it closed for lack of raw materials and spare parts, as most of them came from Germany.[4]

In 1933, a sea water desalination plant was constructed at Balashi.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Account of a visit to the Natural Bridge before the collapse
  2. ^ "Coral bridge, natural Aruba tourist spot, collapses". USA Today. Associated Press. 2 September 2005. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Historische Goudmijnen". Aruba (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Island Insight Episode XXVIII: Yes! Aruba had its own gold rush". Aruba Today. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Water Tower San Nicolas 1939". Monumenten Fonds Aruba. Retrieved 19 February 2022.