Ratatotok, A Gold Soil

MITRA, ZONAUTARA.com – Have you ever imagined an area where the soil contains gold? It is exist in Ratatotok District, Southeast Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. This area is known as the largest gold producing in North Sulawesi province.

Ratatotok is a gold mining area and the mining history can be trace back to from 1850s. The Ratatotok residence is situated between mountain and bay area with a mangrove forest in the middle of it.

Foreign gold mining company come to Ratatotok and built a plant in the area.  PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR) changed the situation in Ratatotok being better. They were built roads and port, and since it the gold produce a lot more. They also helped by built school, hospitals, and library.

In Lakban beach area, there is an iron ore pouring machine from Dutch Colonial era was assembled 1900. PT NMR immortalized the machine to be a monument in order to preservation.

According to a people in Ratotok. Berty Pontoh explained to Zona Utara reporter that, “Machine has already in this area when the Dutch people find a gold in this soil in 1989”.

Editor: Eva Aruperes