Great Mine At The Top Of A Desert Mountain
I don’t know why abandoned mines always must be on the tops of mountains and require a strenuous hike to reach, but that consistently seems to be the case. When it’s a great mine like this one though, I don’t mind all that much. Of course, any of the suffering involved in adventuring and exploring beats being stuck in a miserable, futile existence.
This particular abandoned mine was discovered in the late 1800s, but was not developed until the early 1900s. I have seen conflicting reports on whether the primary mineral mined here was lead or silver. Suffice it to say, there was an abundance of galena! Interestingly - at least to me - is that much of the host rock for that galena is limestone in this mine.
I didn’t see any sign of a bunkhouse on top of the mountain and so, presumably, the miners made their daily commute in a tram bucket. That would’ve been a hell of a way to commute to work up in the mountains… While we were stopped for lunch a bighorn sheep made his appearance next to the first tram tower that I pointed out on the video. I tried to capture a video of him, but it was too far away to turn out. Anyway, the point is that the mountains are serious enough to be home to bighorn sheep. So, those mountains are no joke.
Speaking of trams… In case you missed it because the wind was muffling the audio, I initially mistook the hoist house for a tram station since it was located so far away from the shaft. I have never seen a hoist located that far from a mine shaft and so it threw me off.
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You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: bit.ly/2wqcBDD and here: bit.ly/2p6Jip6
Several kind viewers have asked about donating to help cover some of the many expenses associated with exploring these abandoned mines. Inspired by their generosity, I set up a Patreon account. So, if anyone would care to chip in, I’m under TVR Exploring on Patreon.
Thanks for watching!
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Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them - nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever.
I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#AbandonedMines
#UndergroundMineExploring
Пікірлер: 225
Those dials on that ore chute were amazing! Never seen anything like that, ever. 👍👍👍
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Yes, we were really impressed by that as well and also have never seen anything else like that before...
@lizzyfrizzy4969
Жыл бұрын
Machinists use dials like that on certain workholding mechanisms, so you can set up an angled cut, rotate until the dial hits a stopper pin, reset the stopper pin, make your cut, rotate again. Its great for keeping track of two floating point figures while your reference moves around. The man running that station was a machinist or a math geek, and i have seen that technique before.
aaaah ...now you are in our backyard ....we know that mine and the owner well .... be careful out there ..... he can get a little upset sometimes.
@russellsmith3825
Жыл бұрын
How cranky is he? Is he grumpier than Slim?
@Askjeffwilliams
Жыл бұрын
@@russellsmith3825 only when he hasn't had his morning coffee
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
So, I've heard... It's a popular one on the exploring circuit (for understandable reasons).
@russellsmith3825
Жыл бұрын
@@Askjeffwilliams so is it proper manners to leave some sort of peace offering, like Jameson's?
What a great mine to explore! Thank you for taking us with you Justin!
12:55 WOW! Double tracked mine! Amazing.
I'm so disappointed that we didn't see that note for the skip guys. That's pretty funny. Great find! This is still one of our absolute favorite mines.
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Yes, it was a good one. The underground workings combined with the setting would make it one of my favorites as well... Definitely a popular one on the exploring circuit though and so I was surprised by even the few artifacts that were left (such as the note for the skip guys).
@sideburngthepeacebringer27
Жыл бұрын
@@TVRExploring What is your number 1 favourite Mine?
The boggle your mind mine....WOW!! Incredible workings and remaining artifacts. The amount of labor to set up the infrastructure is crazy when you think about it, never mind carving out the mountain. It was an extremely ambitious exploration and video production too! 👍👍
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you. Yes, this was an impressive mine!
In modern times COOP was a trade name for Farmland Industries since merged with Land O Lakes. They produced food products and owned Kansas oil wells and refineries and marketed oil, gas, batteries etc. I worked in their test labs in KC for 3.5 years. They had full engine test facilities.
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the additional details and background information.
Love a good mountain mine video to get us through hump day!
Neat mine. That had a lot of great features and a few bygone relics. Definitely looks like it doesn't get explored a lot. No spray paint tags or ribbons from surveyors either. Definitely a good solid looking mine that should be around a long time if the BLM doesn't close it up. Thanks Justin and friends. Stay safe and all the best to you and yours.
@Korey47
Жыл бұрын
Was this mine dug by the slaves or something? What would BLM have to do with the prices of eggs in china?
@davegrummett1263
Жыл бұрын
@@Korey47Hello, BLM as in "Bureau of Land Management" division of the U.S. Department Of The Interior who in part are responsible for closing, remediating and/or limiting access to abandoned mines.
This is the best mine that you have taken us to thanks so much
" Such a Clean Mine " . Too bad the tram is not working . They could truck in some muck and mire for you ? Thank you for climbing up there for us . Neat Place .
Damn dude that might be the best mine I've seen. I was geeking on that headframe too! Modern homes aren't built as well as that mine in the remote mountains. Thanks for a great video!
Wow! Not much for artifacts inside, bot a LOT of workings, and incredible structures outside! Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦
I was thinking that at least some of the workings were from the 1970's because of the cardboard dynamite boxes. I think that is about the time they transitioned from wood boxes which are plentiful in the mine. It is possible this mine was shut down in 1942 and reworked later? The Champion Blower and Forge relic is likely the remains of a drill press, commonly referred to as a camel back drill press. They were extremely common in early machine shops and were flat belt driven.
@TheGophernutzz
Жыл бұрын
The wrapper at the 1:17 mark is from the 1970s. It can't be any older than the late 1960s because the company didn't use Charlie Brown on any its products until then.
After I watch these amazing sites on your channel, I always end up thinking about how the hell these old-timers built these amazing mines. it gives me goosebumps every time Love and respect from India
Those old timers sure knew how to do things. I can’t even figure out they could dig shafts to different levels Thanks for filming it
The Charlie Brown cherry pie dates back to the 1970 era...
@Firedad4132
Жыл бұрын
You beat me to it. Around 1973-1975
@darrenbeavers8099
Жыл бұрын
Dolly Madison apple pies
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for dating those.
That was a very sweet mine, both inside and out. I envy you guys that can see this stuff in person. Thanks for bringing it to those of us that can't get out to places like this...
That was another amazing site. I would imagine all of your team slept well that night. I was stunned by the amount of material that was moved out of that mine, and then when we saw the outside, the waste rock piles made it even clearer. I don't think I have ever seen a Union carbide Can that well preserved. It was really something. Alot of men worked their tails off up there, I wonder where their camp was. These journeys you take us on raise more questions than answers sometimes...but I am hooked for sure. Thank you, Justin. Perhaps one day this winter we can make that cup of coffee happen...
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Ha, yes, that one was a good workout... Indeed, I hope that we can make that coffee happen. I should be back in the U.S. by December.
What a great mine to explore! Thank you for taking us with you Mustin👏!
Just think of it,this whole mine started out as just a rock face of a rock formation,blows your mind the work that went in to these mines,love your videos thank you.
That hunk of iron that said champion I think was a drill press
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you.
Wow, this explore started out slow, then boom all kinds of cool things to see. nice video.
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Some of the best explores seem to go that way...
10:47 - 10:48 below square cardboard maybe a stick of dynamite? And 10:52 - 10:57 looks like old battery cells perhaps for a lantern? To the left of the Hercules box there are still some cells sitting inside a rusted out container. Great Explore!
Lol! I remember those Dolly Madison Cherry Pie's with Charlie Brown on the label, like the one you guys found in the mine. They date from the early to mid 1970's, if anyone is interested. It definitely brings back memories of that time period. Thanks for sharing, as always! Keep up the explorations and find more cool, old stuff!
What a amazing mine cool video nice and long thanks for sharing 👍 🇬🇧
The machine at 59:00 appears to be the engine for driving the hoist winch, looks like an old ‘hit and miss’ type engine. The machine at 59:20 is an air compressor, probably drove off the same engine. Great mine, great video.
@million_heir5298
Жыл бұрын
Good call. That’s definitely the engine.
That was a fricken cool mine 4 sure
Well that was a very interesting big mine wow a lot too see aswel loved this long explore Justin.
I'm glad I did not work there. Based on the tunneling which I know they blasted out of solid rock, they did a lot of hard work in those days. I'm glad we have heavy machinery. Thanks for the tour. I'm glad we still have some mining history sites out in the wilds.
Well Justin you have really spoiled us this time, definitely worth the watching keep up the good work as always!!! 🤠👍
I look forward to your videos so much! Thanks for taking us along. Your videos are the best!👌
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you very much.
Thanks for another amazing mine exploration!
I would have loved to see some of those old mines in action, really amazing. Thanks for sharing guys.
Another excellent mine exploration video. Look forward to the next one.
That was fascinating. So much cool stuff. I always expect more candle burns on those ore chutes. Thanks for the ride along.
It's always awesome watching a video, and recognizing parts of the explore... ...and then watching you continue and show sections that I've not seen before. What a fantastic mine - and great watching it with your documentary style on it. Great explore as always. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, that was a fabulous video. Thanks for sharing Justin. Stay safe guys.
The waste rock pile outside the portal was huge. I remember you pointing out some gobbing but no close up. Did you explore that area? It’s an amazing explore, so much to see. Thank you!
Awesome explore loved watching it. Thank you
Very cool. Thanks for sharing!
That was great explore. Thanks to you all. ;^)
if there was no upc bar code on the back side of the fruit pie wrapper it would have been pre 1975
That indeed was a very nice mine; thanks Justin. I hope all is going well with you and your family and I'm glad this Covid crap is almost over with.
Freaking amazing,Thankyou for this!
they call that the "Stope a Dope". Lol Funny miners. Thanks for ALL you Do!
Deposits like gold are found at the top of mountains because they are stratified by weight when the earth was molten. Lead, gold, uranium being the heaviest sink to the bottom. The earth solidifies then continental drift create wrinkles in the surface we call mountains. The stratified layers push upwards above the plains. Eons of weathering expose the ore and typically carry it down stream with water which is what people pan for. They follow the stream uphill to the mother lode.
@2002MX5
Жыл бұрын
Nice logic.😃
This is one of the most impressive explores I've seen from you. There's still good looking material left in there and my God just think how much they took out. Must have been really rich
Thank you Brother these are fun.
Really interesting. Thank you.
Awesome explore, thanks for the trip
Very impressive locale, workings and explore . Well done Justin and company .
Wow! This is a really fascinating mine, particularly the layout of the surface structures! I can see why they had to put the hoist in such an odd place. The way the mine is situated on the cliff, there is simply no place else to put it. I never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity and determination of those old-school miners.
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
They were indeed a very tough and resourceful bunch!
Wow this one is a good one!
I learned a trick for driving big nails usually without splitting the wood. Not sure about rail spikes but it may work on them. Turn the nail point up and blunt the tip really good with the hammer. Then drive it. Maybe your spikes are too sharp.
Good afternoon from Southeast South Dakota
Thanks Justin good video Cheers Guys ✌👍
Nice filming guys !!
I missed your videos! Wasn't seeing any notifications. Hope all is well keep trucking!
This explore was really worth the trip up the mountain! What a nice mine! The location of the winch, engine and air compressor? Was different to say the least. Very, very nice! Thanks Justin and Crew!
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Yes, it was. "Different" is a good way to put it!
Man, that was a cool mine. Thanks
FYI silver is often associated with and in the Galena And is refined as a by-product of the lead mining.
Whoa! What a mine! Mind boggling.
As a kid, driving up around Scottys Castle in the summer with my grandparents, I vividly remember staring out the back window at these black dots that littered the ridges and cliffs and always wondered what these caves held inside.
I've watched all of your videos. . . no ghosts, no cryptids, no swinging chains. . . the only timer was that noise in Russia. . . makes you wonder about all those cave "discoveries."
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you. Yes, I don't like all of that fake nonsense with the ghosts and such... And, to be clear, I don't think that scream I heard underground in Kyrgyzstan was something supernatural. It was just that I had no idea what caused it.
Hi Justin WOW ! This is one big mine. I just wonder if the wood in your mine will look like that shout in 100 years. That's a really neet counter. I like the writing on the bears body, Cool find. That piller was interesting, I could spend a day just going through the oar ben and equipment that was leftover. Thanks again for a great video.
A well ran mining operation, looked neat to explore.
Awesome stuff
You can see on the skip cart where it hit the rails sticking out and flipped it
Charlie Brown first appears in a comic strip in 1950, but it would have been some time before placement on a product. That is, Charlie would need to generate sales equal or better than the licensing fee for his image. Dolly Madison used peanuts characters on products in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for dating those.
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Must have been left by early mine explorers...
@WhatAboutTheBee
Жыл бұрын
@@TVRExploring You are quite welcome Justin
@eatsleepdrive7034
Жыл бұрын
Cool tidbit for sure!
@WLFF6086
Жыл бұрын
I had to look it up, Charlie Brown was on Dolly Madison Pies in the 1970’s. With a bit different graphics. Great video thank you.
That's Cool That You Got All That DONE 👍👍👍👍👍
I bet they LEFT a lot of good stuff in there, looking at how soft, mottled and textured the edges of those stopes are. Admittedly, they may have considered it too poor to justify digging and just stopped at that point, but NOW those minerals could be worth well more than break-even and fully justify reopening the mine.
An abandoned mine like this would be the perfect place for NASA to demonstrate how a large community could survive and thrive in the isolation of the Moon or Mars. It has lots of space for housing and farming and could be sealed off from outside influences. That would be a more realistic representation of how miners and scientists would live on a hostile world with little water.
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
I like it...
@TheDamageinc81
Жыл бұрын
NASA is a complete waste of tax dollars ... however Space X is ahead by leaps and bounds. I mean ... they CAN'T go back to the moon??? 😂
When I saw an hour long video, I thought “wow! This is going to be great” and I wasn’t disappointed. Thanks for sharing this amazing adventure. When looking at all these stopes I’m left wondering just how the heck they attacked this stuff. They must have worked from the bottom up for the gravity assist in most cases. However, the exit of the mine isn’t always below the inner workings, hence the elaborate main shaft and skip car system. I really wish I had a time machine so I could see this place in action. You can tell this was a serious undertaking in its heyday.
These miners were genius builders amazing❤
Cool mine. Love that ore car counter!
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
That was pretty amazing, huh?
Awesome video
A great explore 👍👍
The cherry pie was of 70s vintage
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you.
Dolly Madison individual fruit pies featured Peanuts characters on their wrappers from the 1970s to the early 1980s. Each flavor had a different character on the wrapper. Charlie Brown -- cherry and banana cream Linus van Pelt -- apple Lucy van Pelt -- lemon Schroeder -- berry Sally Brown -- coconut cream Frieda -- chocolate Peppermint Patty -- strawberry and peach Marcie -- Boysenberry
Hi Justin, one amazing looking mine so far but at 10:52 what were those cannisters for to the left of the I assume dynamite box ???? Wow, I've never seen anything like those dials either to tally the loads, that's a very cool, neat find. That was one fantastic mine, not the normal type where they are very clear cut of drift, winze, drift, this one was way more interesting to look at and I imagine fascinating to actually clamber around. The ore bin and combined headframe showed some great craftsmanship in it's construction, very impressive looking too. A brilliant tour and as always you were a great tour guide, how on earth do you manage to narrate for that long lol, amazing. I haven't seen anything from Graham in a while, is he okay ???. Thank you for sharing, much love. xx ❤
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you. Yes, this was a good one - both for the setting and the extensive workings underground... Also, like you said, there were cool little features like the dials that made it special. Haha, I can assure you that sometimes narrating and filming for that long gets very old. Yes, Graham is doing well. He started a new job recently and hasn't had as much time off. We're plotting out a couple of trips in the coming months though...
@SueGirling68
Жыл бұрын
@@TVRExploring Good to hear Graham is okay, it will be nice to see him back in the saddle so to speak. xx
Nice one!
Great explore hello from Australia
Assuming there's no collapse, what might the presence or absence of tracks mean for a mine? If tracks are present then is it likely the mine was shutdown due to WW2 and therefore still have value? Perhaps it's equally like the mine was played out and it wasn't cost effective to pull up the track/these weren't recovered as part of the war effort? Maybe track presence/absence isn't a good indicator of anything in particular?
It's amazing they hauled all that equipment to the top of a mountain. How much do you suppose that drill sharpener weighs? That must have been a ball breaker!
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
They would have hauled the equipment up in pieces with the aerial tram and then assembled them on site. Even with that being the case though, that drill sharpener in pieces would have been insanely heavy.
Great video a lot to explore in that mine. Looks like the mine raiders have not been there yet.
Wow this one was a big mine! Love it! And here is an interesting thing but the RPM motor oil can at 22:22 is exactly like one i found at a 1942 crash site of a B-18 bomber last year. So i can date that to at least the early 1940s for you.
The silver market collapsed before 1920 so my guess would be this mine suffered the same fate as most of the rest by 1920. Charlie Brown didn't come out until 1950 so the wrappers were probably other mine explores or surveyors. If the mine had been originally silver but changed to lead, the mine would probably have closed right after WWII, which would have prevented the steel salvaging seen during the war on earlier mines, which had closed before or right at the beginning of the war. If that's the case that puts it closing 80 or so years ago which seems consistent with some of the artifacts you saw. One great clue is the cardboard dynamite boxes which might put you in the correct time frame. I also noticed modern nails which dates some workings later.
How do you keep from getting lost in big, multi layer mines like this? I would be so turned around after a couple hours and a few level changes that someone like you would find my body a few years later. 🤪
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
It's a little easier when you're there in person. There's a logic to the layout.
That champion forge and blower part was cool. I have an old flat belt drill press made by them that is still used. The amount of work the old timers had to do just to make the job easier is impressive
I wonder if a haul that big nowadays would just be strip mined instead. Very productive mine regardless!
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
It depends on the structure of the vein. Also, this one is in a location that would be logistically difficult to strip mine.
@Mis73rRand0m
Жыл бұрын
Makes sense, lots of factors are relevant. I live near Bagdad and was amazed at the terrain they had to traverse in this area!
have you guys ever found a gold occurrence inside of any of the mines youve explored? i just think that would be the coolest thing ever. thanks for another great and very interesting video!
Awespme video!, amazing history... you guys got bigger "Cohone's" than me going into the places you do....LOL
Those cherry pies come from the 1970's.
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for dating those. Mine explorers from the past...
At 24 minutes and 20 that pillar has been there for over 100 years he needs a friend he should have another pillar next to him.
Found this on Printerest..... (1970s Dolly Madison Pie - Cherry - Charlie Brown....) Old timers would use gobbing to hide their tools when they would leave, learned that from BC Jeff
This is a great explore,easy to get lost.Thanks Justin,enjoyable mine this one.
The outside is as awesome or more so than the inside!
We’ve missed you for two weeks Justin, but perhaps more urgent things came up that need your attention now! I am concerned for you and your family members you spoke about a few months back. I am praying for safety, peace, rest, healing, etc. for you and your family. Get back to us when it works for you. I am a loyal viewer and will wait for your return to your channel and always will be my friend!
@TVRExploring
Жыл бұрын
Thank you very much for your concern and kind support. No bad news on my end... I have been exceptionally busy for the past two weeks, but with good things! However, I carved out some time this evening and just finished editing and uploading a video, which I'll publish a little later this morning (Thursday).
Wow great mine. I wonder how long you worked there before you knew your way around. Wow.