In March of this year I set out to explore what I believed to be the best abandoned mine related building in the United States. This iron sintering plant sits in a very beautiful mountainous area and has been sitting abandoned since the early 1970's. There were a few problems on my mind I knew I could run into while exploring. One being the numerous rumors I had heard of a watchman who lurks on site and who apparently doesn't treat too kindly to trespassers. The second thing I had heard was that this plant was sealed like a jail cell. All the windows and doors were sealed with metal bars.
Upon arrival I was able to climb under the front gate. Piece of cake. However, as I walked down the long driveway I could only feel that the watchman was waiting right at the building for me. Because of this, I took a route through the woods so I could see if I was alone. As I walked through the woods I was filled with one of the weirdest feelings I had ever gotten while exploring. It was as if nature stood still. Almost everything was completely silent. As I walked I could hear the leaves crunching under my feet echo for miles. I could hear someone cutting down a tree who knows how far away, and after some time I could hear a dog barking. That's it, besides the occasional small gusts of wind. It was cold, too. It didn't take me too long to find an entrance. The door to the storage building which was separate from the main sintering building was open. However, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get inside through here. These two buildings are connected by three conveyors that reach four stories above the ground.
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Keeping in mind this plant had been abandoned for nearly half a century, I was hesitant to go up. However, I knew this explore would be very rewarding, so I reluctantly began walking up. Every small gust of wind would shake the conveyor and would produce a not so fun sound. As much as I was nervous walking up that thing, no one had fallen through previously... so I'd probably be fine, right?
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Once I reached the top I realized why it was all worth it. Right in front of my eyes was quite possibly the most well preserved vintage mine workings in the US.
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Everywhere I looked was amazing. This place was frozen in time.
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There were even some newspapers from the 70s. This place was really a gem. There were so many other cool places to check out, however the entire first and second floor were filled with ice. And rather than slip or break through, I decided I'd wait for another time to check those floors out. Not only this, but temperatures were under 10°F, so I decided to leave. Hopefully I'll return from day for an entire explore of this wonderful place. Thank you for reading.
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