The earliest record of gold production in the Chinkuashih-Chiufen area dates back 400 years. However, the real rush for gold did not begin until 1889. In that year, workers constructing the Patu iron bridge discovered grains of gold in the river, thereby opening the curtain on Chinkuashih and Chiufen's glorious gold mining history.
金瓜石與九份地區最早的產金記載，距今已有四百年，真正興起淘金熱潮則是在西元一八八九年架設八堵鐵橋時，工人發現河中金砂後，金、九風光的採金史也得以揭幕。