Samurai, do you know what the purpose of the "bridge like structure" is that crosses Switch back road? We had no idea, it was in the form of probably 4 inch steel piping that crossed the road and then mysteriously went into the woods.
Also, how old is the pile in Mineville which is overgrown? We also saw several snowmobile trails that looked like they used to be railroad spurs. True?

those pipes are just that, pipes for water. It's surprising that no one has taken them down yet... further down the road as you cross under them, there is an old pumphouse on the lefthand side of the road. If you had turned left on to Cheney Road, and gone maybe less than a 1/4 of a mile, there is a little dirt road on the left that would've taken you down to the Sludgepond dam.

The piles in Mineville have been overgrown for awhile, at least since I was in high school (1987-91)... those were abandoned back in the late 50's, so there was plenty of time for them to grow over. You are correct about the trails everywhere. Those were the old tracks that were shared by Republic Steel, Lake Champlain & Moriah Railroad and the Delaware & Hudson. Now, they have pretty much become an ATV/Sled superhighway. And the trackbed goes all the way to Port Henry, too. Behind the gate on the backside of the huge pile on Switchback is the Seperation plant. If you had backed straight back from the gate and turned right, at the end of Switchback Road, where it meets Pilfershire Road, the old tracks cross the road and head off into Mineville. Now, currently, the only way to get pics of the plant is to ride an ATV into it, snap the pics and boogie. The rent-a-cop wannabe is a local weenie and has given my brother a hard time for just riding through the yard. I have a videotape shot in 1990 of the plant and the pile and a bunch of other crap floating around. I was thinking about making a copy of that and my Tahawus trip and sending it your way.

This area has some pretty amazing crap left behind... everyone here just thinks of it as crap. They don't even look twice at it.

By the way, since you have been to my town and seen our deepest, darkest secrets, my name is Scott...
everyone knows me here... the fat guy with the striped blue Cavalier.

Best,
Scott

If you think the things in these pictures are curious, you should see some of the things in the actual mine shafts. There are all sorts of machinery in there.

I will add pictures as soon as I can get my hands on a descent digital camera.

Later

I personally have been at least a mile into the shafrs. I have don't alot of walking. How , because I know some people that have access points to mine shafts on there property.

I also know where the geologists drilled to take samples. I also know where Republic steel drilled to take samples for ore. But they did not get the land where they tested.

One of the richest vains of iron ore still runs in the town. I also know who's property that is underneath.

My great grandfather was a big wig for republic steel in the late 50's to Late 60's

My father is also friends with people that worked in the mines. Most are dead now. I only know of one that is alive that I talk to.

Later

Be very careful entering sludge pond. There is a logging out fit having there way with the land right now.

I have chatted with a couple of the loggers. They have raped the land pretty good. So all that is left is in plain view now. The logging company has ther equipment down and around sludge pond.