An Awesome 1940s Silver and Lead Mine
The Pipeline Mine was a Silver and Lead mine that was worked from 1937 into the late 1940s. The outcrop of the deposit was known about much earlier, since around the turn of the 20th century, but no major development was done on the claims until the late 30s. The company that formed to work the mine apparently had high hopes as a camp was immediately built to house 45 miners with 16 small bunkhouses, a recreation house, a change room, and a commissary. I am skeptical if this camp was ever used to capacity as mine appears too small to have ever employed that many men. The greatest number of miners employed seems to be around 10 if the reports are correct. At the camp, there was also a generator and a compressor for the mine. An original tramway actually went all the way to an ore bin at the camp which was located half a mile away. The tramway still standing today was a shorter one built a bit later.
The ore is described as being lead carbonate, aka cerussite, that occurs with oxides of iron in a jasper and calcite gangue. The ore occurs in lenses and chimneys in the surrounding blue limestone. The pipe or chimney-like shape of the orebodies was very obvious in the workings of the mine. The ore was reported to average 15% lead and 28 ounces of silver per ton. Many beautiful jasper specimens could be found both inside and outside the mine.
Inside the mine we found a number of great artifacts, many of them dating from the mid to late 40s. Many were located at what appeared to be a small workshop. Next to the workshop was a walled off room that was possibly a break or living area or perhaps just another part of the workshop. It is apparent that not many people take the steep hike up to the mine as otherwise these artifacts would be stolen.
This video was actually filmed on two separate trips to this mine. On the first we explored the horizontal workings of the upper and lower adits. On the second we rappelled the main winze as well as climbed the connecting raise between the upper and lower adits. I must give a humongous thank you to both Xavier and Cash who joined me on these two great explorations.
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The "Bee" newspaper chain was and is owned by the McClatchy family, with the primary paper in Sacramento, CA IIRC. I think they have other media holdings besides newspapers and are well connected in Calif politics. A really interesting mine to explore, particularly that left turn on the skip track which I have never seen done before.
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the info! I also thought that left hand turn was really unique and interesting.
@TheBeardedAtheist
Жыл бұрын
I checked out the archives online and couldn’t find anything about any of the newspaper articles which I thought was odd considering they have archives going back to 1870s.
i like how you stop and look at stuff and not just walking the mine, most skip everything
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
It took a while for me to realize that going fast doesn't make a good video. Thanks for the comment!
@jonwhite2706
Жыл бұрын
@@forgottenmininghistory some i watch they seem to pass up stuff like the wires so on, im like go back whats that :p
Great video guys ..never ceases to amaze me these miners were such a tough bunch of men .. I really enjoyed this video ..well done .. From Australia .
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
It was definitely a hard job being a miner back then. Thanks for watching!
Nice video! I appreciate you guys for taking the time to look back and pick up video on artifacts you may have missed. It is the time capsule of the mine exploring that attracts me to this genre of videos. Again, great job!
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thank you!
Looks good buddy.
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Ye ye ye. The music is a tribute to your videos
Enjoyed your explore there, thanks! A while back when I went to that mine I forgot to grab my new Ballarat hat on the way out of the portal, bummer ......Lol
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. Sorry about your hat!
Apparently, nothings changed as far as disturbing headlines out of Fresno
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
lmao!
Nice mine, so jealous of how dry that is, ours in the UK are all damp and wet, hence the timbers rot and give way, we see lots of collapses. Love how the desert air really preserves everything down there too! Great video, have subscribed 😉
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! Us mine explorers in the American southwest are lucky to have these desert mines. The dry climate is great on the surface structures as well as the underground workings. Also subscribed!
Nice mine full of artifacts!. Thank you! Regards from Ody Slim
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the comment Ody!
Love it! Thanks for posting and post more!!
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Glad you're a fan. Thanks for watching!
Very good, thats a treasure indeed. We only went up to the 1st collar, so nice to know whats up there. The jug of water was super cool. The artifacts are such a treat, lucky the mine is tucked down that valley a bit and the hike up a difficult one, so pretty intact still. The Big D nearby, of course a no go, but 30 years ago was really fun to poke around. The Big C, i am sure is coming up next. Thats fun too. Thanks for a great video, Ken
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
I posted two vids on the big C a while ago. You're right that the hike up to this mine has really preserved the artifacts. I really like this area and was surprised that even the more easily accessible mines nearby were also in good condition. Thanks for the comment!
The sheet is gasket paper from US rubber Co. You cut your custom size and shape gaskets, a universal fix all tool for a handyman or maintenance man.
@forgottenmininghistory
11 ай бұрын
Cool. Thanks for the comment!
awesome job documenting.
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thank you!
I'm glad Nancy's dog got to see a movie. Thanks for the exploration, you do this right.
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching this one, Frank!
Hey...."Nick for Scale" is back with a great video.... that was one deep mine, just think of climbing up and down those ladders every day just to get to work....good detail on the info also.......Xavier joining in too...👍👍....thanks.....⛏⛏
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Happy to post again. This time it's "Xavier for Scale". Glad you liked the video!
@deepwoodguy2
Жыл бұрын
Yes sir 😊😊@@forgottenmininghistory
I loved this video..Awesome job guys!..It looked really hot and dry there...As a viewer i get a real sense of going back in time..That newspaper, was gold!...lol!..Its the beginning of the reefer madness campaign..I paused to read the paper, propaganda hasnt changed much...The Jasper stone was really great...Thanks for doing the work and putting this up...
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed this exploration!
On that newspaper you look at around 10:00 it mentions the "grand champion Aberdeen-Angus bull of the 1950 Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock show." Which would put the mine in the early 1950s most likely. I was thinking the cardboard box tags and some of the liquor labels were slightly too modern for 1930s/1940s.
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Good eye! It seems there may have been two periods of operation at this mine. One from the late 1930s into the early 1940s. And another from the late 40s into the at least the early 50s. The gap was likely caused by WW2.
another fun explore....keep'em coming and Bee safe out there . Lol
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, Jeff!
@Askjeffwilliams
Жыл бұрын
@@forgottenmininghistory you betcha
Top news from the 40's
9:36 Maybe that was a makeshift changing room? To have a little privacy while changing your clothes. Or maybe a "break room"? 18:27 That is really wild. Creative solution... I wonder how well that worked.
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
It could've been a break room or maybe just a small, insulated workshop for when it was cold. You can tell the miners liked to eat their PB&Js lol. I also wonder how well that turn worked. I imagine it worked a lot better going up than down.
@rickb5946
Жыл бұрын
Was a crapper.
@VegasCyclingFreak
Жыл бұрын
@@rickb5946 I had that thought too
Love the history aspect you put into your videos, I sub to multiple mining channels that don't ! P.S. been smoking weed for over 50 years .... never was influenced to do anything except couch potato, munch out or go to sleep. That person in the headline only used marijuana as an excuse for their evilness, God gave us weed, not the devil !
@mineadventures7938
Жыл бұрын
Weed isnt illegal, We the People beat King George in 1779 or so and we had 13 free countries, then We wrote the constitution, not the government, we gave them some powers, but not many and weed isnt one of them, smoke away and remind the cops, you are We the People, their boss , to mind their own business.
At the opening of the video I thought you were going to tell us that you were at a rubber mine and that was a big chunk of rubber ore.😊
@forgottenmininghistory
11 ай бұрын
There must be a big deposit nearby
Happy to see another great video!
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thanks man!
@AUMINER1
Жыл бұрын
@@forgottenmininghistory Thank you for making excellent and relevant content!
Awsome find great job‼️
@forgottenmininghistory
11 ай бұрын
Thanks!
that faint graffiti said "Emergence Exit"
Expensive beer at 7 minutes😊
Apparently the cornish started some of the mines in America they had lead and silver mines back in Cornwall
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
That is true! Also many of the early mines in the western states hired Cornish miners and mine engineers for their experience.
The racist comics in The Fresno Bee was interesting to see. Especially when selling to an area that’s so culturally diverse, but that was 40 years before my time, so I guess I’m not certain how much that changed over four decades.
very nice explore.
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thank you!
Thanks for the video. I would never go in that hole.
@forgottenmininghistory
11 ай бұрын
I go into holes so you don't have to!
Peanut butter jar is from 1949, and the beer boxes 1934-1953 range!
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this great info!
I would love to see the mine in action,to see how the 90 degree track at the bottom of the shaft,apparently they made it work somehow,thanks for another great historical explore and documenting them while you can,for someday the mine will be gone forever, be it by earth or the lovely b.l.m history erasers😢
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
It would be amazing to see many of these places in their heyday. Thanks for watching!
18:46 I think you mean peanut butter can 😉 Edit: I just saw you corrected it 😂
Just seen you on KZread😊
Is that Galena on the interior of the mine?
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
There could be some left over but most of the galena was weathered into cerussite.
how much silver did you find?
@forgottenmininghistory
Жыл бұрын
No silver but we did find some nice jasper.
🌵🌵💀💀👍👍🌵🌵
Another great video…shame your colleague finds the need to swear…it is possible to talk without doing that and would make the video and your channel much more professional and pleasant to watch and listen to.