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Mining

Mines

245 posts

Sunnyside Mill

Sunnyside Mill

Deep in the forests of central Idaho and almost entirely surrounded by the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness is the Sunnyside Mine. Once a large mine, it has been completely reclaimed. It does have some mill ruins left. Discovered by the Caswell brothers in 1899, they sold the mine

Ward Stamp Mill

Ward Stamp Mill

Up in the high country of the Eastern Sierra and south of Bridgeport, is the old site of Ward. Never a big mine or camp but it makes an interesting place to visit in that a stamp mill still remains there. It's also a bit of a challenge

Vontrigger Springs

Vontrigger Springs

Also known as Von Trigger Springs, the spring and surrounding hills were first prospected in 1858 (some say the 1870s) by a German man named Erick Vontrigger for gold. He found a rich pocket of gold but kept his discovery secret. He died in San Francisco in 1880, taking his

Golden Bee Mine

Golden Bee Mine

Most people who visit the Cholla Cactus Garden don't know is an old mine with an interesting history is just a few miles away, gazing down on them. There are a few minor prospects scattered along this side of the Hexie Mountains, but two gold veins were discovered

Hanging Valley and Tungstar Mines

Hanging Valley and Tungstar Mines

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, surging worldwide demand for tungsten led to the opening of several tungsten mines in the High Sierra above Bishop. Two small but relatively high-grade ore bodies were discovered on the west side of Mt. Tom, which would become the Hanging Valley Mine and

Rattlesnake Canyon Smelter and the Heartbreak Ridge Arrastra

Rattlesnake Canyon Smelter and the Heartbreak Ridge Arrastra

Most people interested in the old mines of Southern California know about the old "Spanish" smelter on the eastern edge of the San Bernardino Mountains. It is just off Burns Canyon Road in Rattlesnake Canyon and is well-visited. The smelter is old. One report states that it was

Hexahedron Mine

Hexahedron Mine

Sometime before 1894, Al Tingman ("The Father of Indio") and Ed Holland (of Lost Horse Mine fame) staked claims on some rich gold ore outcrops high above Pleasant Valley. They sold the mine to Bill and John Garrison, who formed the Hexahedron Mining Company. The Company dug a