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UER Forum > US: Pacific Southwest > Return to the Widowmaker (Viewed 1405 times)
Abby Normal 


Location: Las Vegas
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Return to the Widowmaker
< on 4/8/2019 10:24 PM >
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A number of underground explorers from across four states met recently to visit a mine known as "The Widowmaker". The mine is large, complex, deep, and in some areas, quite dangerous. We have located and explored a number of shafts deep inside the mine. Every time we think we've seen it all, we come across a connection to another part of the mine. We've had to dig our way into "lost" sections of the mine.

I didn't get photos of some really interesting areas. One section is filled with wooden connections from one level to the next. A 2'x 2' ore chute one one side and a 2'x 2' ladderway for people. The boxes are so tight that you can't wear a backpack and sometimes your knees get jammed trying to lift up to the next ladder rung. Oh yeah, they are 40 to 60 feet vertical, so no claustrophobics allowed.


The mine starts at the very top of the mountain and descends hundreds of feet below my trailer.


There are a number of ore cars in various sections of the mine. Usually these cars are removed by collectors, but these remain because they are so difficult to reach.


This is the junction between a couple of drifts. Most of the main level of the mine has been heavily graffitied. Some of the markings have dates back into the 1930s.


The mine has examples of the most common ore chutes. Most are controlled by wooden planks that slide into the chute to stop the flow of rocks and ore. This chute is controlled by a long pivoting lever arm.


This mine has a number of chutes that are lifted with a rack and pinion. The rod would have a large wheel on the end that the operator would turn to open and close the chute.


This is a pretty common scene in the mine. A drift with timbering in various stages of decay.


At some point many of the drifts give way to the forces of gravity. Unfortunately some of these drifts were they only connection to deeper sections of the mine so they are forever lost.


A collapse had broken the top off of the wheel. There are a couple of intact rack and pinion chutes in the mine.


This is one of the winch rooms. The shaft may not look like much but it is over 250' deep and connects with three levels. Two of those levels we can still access. At the top of the photo is the ore hopper where the skip would dump its cargo. From there the ore would be loaded into an ore cart for the trip out of the mine.


This is the other end of the winch room. The timbers at ground level are where the winch was mounted. Amazing timber work.


Ore traveled through this drift on its way to the surface.


Now we've entered another winch room. The shaft drops about 250 to what I believe is the main lower level. When we first started exploring the mine, this was the only way that we knew how to get to the lowest level.


This shaft has rails (tracks) as well as a set of ladders.


The timbering and ladder goes down about 175 feet. It used to go all the way to the bottom of the shaft, but a collapse had taken out the last 60 feet. At that point we have to rappel the rest of the way to the bottom. A bit scary!


Just like the prior shaft, the ore was dumped into a ore bin located right next to the shaft. The ladder will get you up into those workings.


There are a lot of double chutes. They have partitions inside the ore hopper when makes me believe one was used for valuable ore and anther for the waste rock.


This area has been heavily compressed. Almost certainly it would have been lost if it were not for the wood and stone cribbing that is still holding up the overhead timbers. I just can't imagine the loads that would cause a 14 inch diameter log to split like that.


I'm getting ready to head down an ore chute to see if we can find our way into a lower level. Unfortunately it was plugged at the bottom. We come across a lot of dead-ends, but every now and then we find our way into parts of the mine that have been unseen since the mine closed.


This mine dates from the 1890s. Back then their compressed air hoses were made of rubber, canvas, and wrapped with wire to hold the pressure. So different than what we have today.


Over the course of the weekend we watched two wild mares and a foal graze their way across the valley. Just before leaving they were just above camp. Such majestic animals!



Abby Normal



[last edit 4/8/2019 10:37 PM by Abby Normal - edited 2 times]

"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
blackhawk 

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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 1 on 4/8/2019 10:54 PM >
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Excellent work
Really enjoyed seeing the nuts & bolts relics.
Last in operation in the 40's?
What was mined?




Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
blackhawk 

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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 2 on 4/8/2019 11:39 PM >
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2x post, my bad.



[last edit 4/8/2019 11:40 PM by blackhawk - edited 1 times]

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skatchkins 


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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 3 on 4/9/2019 12:40 AM >
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Another awesome explore. Thanks for the descriptions too!




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und3rlie 


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i explore things sometimes

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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 4 on 4/9/2019 1:00 AM >
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Wow amazing post as always! I love the way you lay out the photos into a story.




A collection of my explores:
https://www.instagram.com/und3rlie/
Mr. Bitey 


Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Meow Meow Fudder Mucker!

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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 5 on 4/9/2019 2:13 AM >
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Eff yeah!! I long for your side of town. Some day, I am coming via the top of Rt 66. Awesome as always - enjoyed the "modern" ore chutes!




Give abandonment a reason for its sacrificial reclamation to nature. Love it. Remember it. Take a picture. Share it. Leave the decay to nature.

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Abby Normal 


Location: Las Vegas
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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 6 on 4/9/2019 3:25 AM >
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Posted by blackhawk
Excellent work
Really enjoyed seeing the nuts & bolts relics.
Last in operation in the 40's?
What was mined?



This was a gold mine that operated from about 1898 thru 1909. It was worked on a much smaller scale a couple of times after that. Just before WWII it closed for good. One thing that makes this site so neat is that remnants of the mining town are still standing so there are interesting things to see above and below ground.

It's hard to believe that when the mine was operating, all of the equipment and timbers had to be hauled 150 miles from Milford Utah by horse drawn wagons. There would have had to be a constant stream of wagons going back and forth to supply the mine and town.

As we explore the mine, everywhere you look are huge timbers. Literally millions of them scattered throughout the mine. Every one of those timbers would have been old growth trees. When you look at the end grain of those timbers, the growth rings are amazingly tight. I suspect that modern timbers from farmed trees would not be able to carry the same loads as those old growth timbers.

A book named Drills and Mills by Will Meyerriecks is probably the single best reference for western US mining that I've ever found. It gives the history of mining and equipment from about 1850 to current. The book is getting a bit difficult to find, but is an amazing resource. I've given a couple of copies away as gifts but now it's a bit rare. If you ever find one in a used book store, grab it if it's not crazy expensive.

Also, The Mining Camps Speak is a great book for those who like to explore mine sites and mining towns. It shows examples of old mining equipment in various stages of decay, then shows a good example of the same piece. Sometimes they have old catalog pages showing the item and it's price at the time. A really great reference for anyone who likes to visit ghost towns out west.

Sorry to have gotten so carried away. Obviously it's a passion of mine....

Wayyy Abby Normal




"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
Abby Normal 


Location: Las Vegas
Gender: Female
Total Likes: 843 likes




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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 7 on 4/9/2019 3:29 AM >
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Posted by skatchkins
Another awesome explore. Thanks for the descriptions too!



Posted by und3rlie
Wow amazing post as always! I love the way you lay out the photos into a story.


Thanks! I do like to tell a story to go along with the pictures. Glad you enjoyed the post.

Abby




"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
blackhawk 

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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 8 on 4/9/2019 3:52 AM >
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Posted by Abby Normal

Sorry to have gotten so carried away. Obviously it's a passion of mine....

Wayyy Abby Normal


Wow, that's a damn big gold mine.
In amazingly good shape.
I appreciate your mining insight and knowledge.
Hellacool stuff you play with there.
Some of the best and most unique splores ever posted on UER




Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
stealthwraith 


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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 9 on 4/9/2019 3:56 PM >
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Wow! That’s some incredible preservation and a fascinating write up!




Stealth: adj. designed in accordance with technology that makes detection difficult. Wraith: n. A wisp or faint trace of something
RescueMe1060 


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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 10 on 4/10/2019 11:09 PM >
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We can always depend on Abby for fascinating historically accurate write ups, thats for damn sure.




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becckeez 


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trippin.

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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 11 on 4/11/2019 4:43 AM >
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Super cool. Awesome write up too!




leafloving4x4gal 


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Someday is NOT a day of the week !

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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 12 on 4/11/2019 2:55 PM >
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I really enjoyed this post.
It allows me to have a glimpse into a world I could not possibly otherwise ever see.
I have learned so much from this post and was fascinated with every pictures' story.

I have to agree with you about the density of the old growth trees, now THAT'S something not everybody would even notice !!

Stay safe you brave woman !!!




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Cherokee 


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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 13 on 4/15/2019 6:48 AM >
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If these are recent pictures, then it looks a whole lot worse than the last photo set I saw. How were the big stopes looking?




When there is tranquility, you are in the right place. When there are no footprints, you are on the right path. When there are no tire tracks, you are on the right road.
Abby Normal 


Location: Las Vegas
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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 14 on 4/15/2019 10:41 PM >
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Posted by Cherokee
If these are recent pictures, then it looks a whole lot worse than the last photo set I saw. How were the big stopes looking?


The pictures in the first post are from the first weekend in April, 2019. I didn't notice any significant degradation beyond what I expect from loads of explorers tramping around. The big stopes still look good.

A few years ago there was a 5.3 earthquake with its epicenter almost directly under the mine. I was concerned whether some of the fragile areas would have been damaged, but with one exception I haven't found any. At one time the only way that we knew how to reach the lowest level was to rappel down one of the shafts, then crawl through a large pile of rubble to reach the bottom drift. (I say bottom, but I mean that lowest level that we've been able to reach.)









A couple of my mine exploring friends have informed me that the rubble has settled and we can no longer pass through the rubble pile. It's not a terrible loss, but where there was three ways to get into the lowest level, now there are only two.

Abby Normal







[last edit 4/15/2019 10:41 PM by Abby Normal - edited 1 times]

"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
Cherokee 


Location: Portland
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Consider the lily

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Re: Return to the Widowmaker
< Reply # 15 on 4/23/2019 5:49 AM >
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Ah great! I've gotta get out there one of these days with someone who knows it well before it all collapses.




When there is tranquility, you are in the right place. When there are no footprints, you are on the right path. When there are no tire tracks, you are on the right road.
UER Forum > US: Pacific Southwest > Return to the Widowmaker (Viewed 1405 times)


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