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So on a frequent basis I get asked how we find the old mines that we explore. I suspect that it's not much different from the urban guys finding all the "great" locations. This might disappoint some of you, but this is how it's done.
It starts with research. For us, our primary tool is Google Earth. We gather information on prospective areas (there's a bad pun in there somewhere) from paper maps, Google searches, old mining journals, and discussions of other explorers. It's pretty easy to find out about ghost towns and old mining districts, so that's where we start looking first. We use Google Earth to get an overview of the area and identify potential sites that we want to visit. We mark maps with GPS coordinates of those sites.
Now comes the hard part. We pack up the truck with exploring and camping gear, and head out for some first-hand exploration. Sure, we could go the same places that everyone else goes and see the same things that everyone else has seen, but that's not what we want to do. We want to find the long-untouched mines. We spend days on end bouncing down old mining roads to get to the next mine site. We hike miles up and down mountains looking for old diggings. We are disappointed more times than not. So many of the prospects are just a little drift that goes back 25 to 50 feet and ends at a rock wall and a huge pile of rat droppings.
But every now and then we find a jewel. One that no one has been in during the last 60 or 70 years. These are the ones that keep us going. The ones that we don't share, not even to our exploring friends. We've gotten burned too many times.
So the bottom line is that if you want to be on the leading edge of exploring, you have to put in the effort. It doesn't matter if you are in the middle of a city or out in the middle of nowhere, nothing happens if you don't work at it. Now there's nothing wrong with going where everyone else goes. Just don't be disappointed when other people mention that they were there years ago.
This was one of our hopeful sites. A deep shaft, a head-frame, and decent tailings. A lot of hiking, hauling gear, and in the end, disappointment. Maybe next time!
Abby Normal
"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan | |
In what ways have you guys been burned by sharing locations. Like I understand from a urban perspective, but not with dealing with mines. Did these people trash them up or get them closed or whatever?
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Posted by Captain Chernobyl
In what ways have you guys been burned by sharing locations. Like I understand from a urban perspective, but not with dealing with mines. Did these people trash them up or get them closed or whatever?
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We have confided some good locations and the next thing you know loads of folks are going there and posting photos on the net. One mine specifically I've heard that folks are now being chased off the property. We want to do some more exploring there but we will have to be quite careful of where we park and how we enter the mine. I absolutely understand wanting to share a prime location with an exploring buddy, but they don't then to stay prime for very long.
Other mines still have relics. Letting anyone know the location is a fast way to see them get cleaned out.
There is always the possibility that someone else will find the mine on their own, but we don't need to speed along that process.
Abby
"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan | |
The effort! The research! The keeping it to yourself. Yeah!
Or, just wait 'til a location hits Instagram, and show up for some extra tagging!
RIP Blackhawk | |
Ugh, the ever elusive headframe!
I likely don't want to know how many -days- (weeks?) worth of time I've spent researching mine locations, believing that I found a location with a headframe still standing, then later discovering that the info is well out of date. Google sat is often years out of date in a lot of the areas that mines are found in here in Canada (not sure about the US), so sometimes the only solution is to show up and see, which is hours/days of driving.
Mines are also one of the easier places to get killed at.
But when you find one of the goodies, it makes it all worthwhile.
"Adventure is the respectful pursuit of trouble." - Expedition Overland | |
Posted by randomesquephoto
The effort! The research! <snip>
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That is exactly the reason I made the original post! The specific details of how we do it aren't nearly as important as the mind-set of 'effort leads to results'.
It's easy to play follow the leader, but it's work to BE the leader. It's true in all aspects of life.
So whether you driving your Jeep down a trail, riding your bike around old industrial areas, or looking at old city maps, in the end the effort will pay off.
I'll get off my soapbox now. 
Abby Normal
"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan |
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