1863, Joseph D. Gould (Sam Ruggles' nephew) was appointed trustee of the estate and managed the mica business until he was removed as trustee by Sam Ruggles' heirs in 1879. Sam Ruggles' grandsons George H., Charles L. and Samuel H. Randall (by Sam's daughter Sarah Ann and Henry Randall) ran the business until 1896 when it was abandoned amid bankruptcy and litigation. The operation grew over the years—by 1869, more than a year of mica was being extracted from the mine. The value of the mica mined at Ruggles was estimated to be about $12 million by the 1960s, by which time there were new applications for the mineral in cosmetics, cement block, asphalt roofing, and electrical insulators in appliances such as GE brand toasters. Beginning in 1912, mining began for feldspar, which was used as a nonabrasive scour in the production of china glazes. Later on beryl was also mined. In 1960, the mine was put up for sale. It was purchased that winter by the Wahlstrom family, who bought it for its well-deserved reputation for top-quality mica. Soon thereafter, however, cheaper sources of mica from foreign suppliers became available and domestic demand correspondingly dropped. The Wahlstrom family decided to turn the mine into a tourist attraction, and in 1963 Ruggles Mine opened to the public. Current status The mine was open to the public from mid-May to mid-October from 1963 through 2015. The mine was closed in 2016 and put up for sale by its owners. In 2018 an online petition was started by a local resident to turn the mine into a New Hampshire state park. The New Hampshire State Park Advisory Council was exploring the issue. In September 2019, the Searles family, who had bought the mine more than a half century earlier, sold it to Exciglow LLC, which was described as being "affiliated with a production company." To reach the mine, the drive up Isinglass Mountain is steep and over meandering back roads. At the top of the mountain, visitors were greeted by a panoramic view stretching for miles. After paying admission and gaining entrance, visitors would walk down a steep descent into the mine. Visitors were allowed to keep the minerals that they found. References External links Former website for Ruggles Mine (archived 2016) Ruggles Mine photos at pbase.com "Outdoors: Dig through Time at Ruggles Mine". Don Wickman, Kearsarge Magazine Geology of New Hampshire