Lost Gold Mines Of The Sierras
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- The brief explanation in the introduction didn’t really do the process of our discovery of this lost gold mine justice... So, for those with longer attention spans that take the time to read the description, here is some more detail for you: This started out as what I would best describe as a “speculative” mine exploring day. We had no specific destination in mind, but wanted to revisit a very old mining district in California that has been kind to us in the past. We weren’t in a rush and were simply venturing down ravines and across old mine workings that we had not explored before. One can actually see a number of interesting things when looking around these historic mining districts - we saw old bottles, bits and pieces of antique mining equipment, the remains of old miner’s cabins…
We stopped for lunch beneath the shade of a thick overhang of trees and brush and, while we were eating, we noticed the remains of a rock wall covered by the brush. Well, naturally, this piqued our curiosity and so when we finished eating, we pushed through the thick brush and discovered that the “rock wall” was actually the support for a trail cut into the side of a cliff rising above us. The interesting thing about this trail is that one literally had to be on it before being able to properly see it and to follow it.
Well, naturally, we started following the trail, which twisted higher and higher up the steep cliffs. We could see that animals had been using the trail, but there was no sign of any recent human activity at all - no modern trash, no branches cut back, no signs of old campfires… Nothing. After a long, sweaty, strenuous climb up, the trail abruptly ended at a landing created out of carefully stacked boulders and leveled out with fine dirt. This landing is completely invisible from the valley below and, in hindsight, is likely the terminus for the tram system employed by the miners. At the time, however, we did not know this.
So, we continued in the general direction that the trail had been trending. After literally crawling through the thick brush, dodging a rattlesnake and struggling to maintain our balance on the steep cliffs for about fifteen minutes, we were about to call it when we happened to spot some quartz through the thick brush. We made our way over to this quartz and discovered that it was fractured and had tumbled down from above. Well, in our experience, fractured rock is often waste rock from a mine. This was enough to send us charging straight up the steep hillside that the quartz had tumbled down and, sure enough, before long, we were slipping and sliding on the loose rock of a massive waste rock pile.
It was an old waste rock pile and so it had trees and brush growing all over it, but it was undoubtedly a waste rock pile. We soon began to additional encouragement from the waste rock pile in the form of old riveted ventilation pipes, pieces of a stamp mill, pieces of rail and countless other bits of unidentifiable metal that had been tossed down it. Scrambling up a rock pile covered in loose leaves and pine needles that is on a step slope is very much a case of 2 steps forward and 1.99 back!
What can I tell you about this mine other than what you saw in this video? Absolutely nothing… It is a phantom that doesn’t exist according to every database and map resource I have examined (and I have been doing this for a while, so I am pretty good at digging things like this up). I went even deeper by asking very knowledgeable local historians and miners that I trust and they all indicated that no mines are in the area where this mine is located. The lost gold mine remains a mystery.
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All of these videos are uploaded in HD, so I’d encourage you to adjust your settings to the highest quality if it is not done automatically.
You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: bit.ly/2wqcBDD
As well as a small gear update here: bit.ly/2p6Jip6
You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
Thanks for watching!
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Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them - nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever.
So, yes, in short, we are adit addicts… I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#AbandonedMines
#UndergroundMineExploring
This is so awesome you got to document a mine that doesn't show up on anything, nice one.
Thank you. Yes, it sure made our day!
Thank you for another great adventure. And I'd like to say thank you for having smooth video work. You don't jerk the camera around and move side to side too fast. So many other RUclipsrs make people motion sick moving to fast. You do a good job of trying to keep it smooth and slow looking around. Please keep up the good work. Remember us people who love to come along on your adventures but can only take it if it's smooth and slow. Adventures without motion sickness 👍
Exactly! Couldn't word it better if I had to. I really enjoy his videos due me not getting motion sick 5 minutes in, not to mention his content is simply on point every time as well. Class act videos always.
Thank you both for the kind words... I agree, it is terribly annoying when someone shoots a video with the camera swinging around everywhere. So, I definitely try to avoid doing the same! The excessive RUclips ads are annoying as well, but RUclips shoved that change down our throats a couple of months ago and we don't have a choice in the matter. That's why you're seeing way more ads on RUclips videos now. Oh well, I control what I can about the videos!
@@TVRExploring I don't have cable tv because I can't stand so many commercials. So I do have ad free RUclips premium. I would rather watch real unscripted adventures like yours. Keep it real and Awesome as always. Thank you again for great content and filming.
@@tracyaynes5230 Thank you, Tracy.
My jaw is dropped. What a discovery! You found it, you name it.
The best chance discovery we've made, I believe... It is hard to reach, but you more than most know people the rewards in those hard to reach places!
The first TVRX mine
Great video. I appreciate the time you take exploring the mine and your narrative along the way. Keep exploring!!
Remarkable. This site makes my imagination run wild trying to imagine what this mine and it's supporting structures looked like during its heyday. Trying to date this mine by artifacts relies on the history of what you've found. Steam powered drills were introduced to mining in 1838 but were not readily accepted due to their weight, the exhaust steam, and being unreliable. Since there didn't appear to be any sign of boilers the drills were run on air. You can check out the drill bits to see if there are holes in them. No date is given for the introduction of hollow bits that used air to remove chips but using water became common place after 1913. Stoping drills didn't need air to clear chips since gravity handled that. The Ingersoll drill was considered a vast improvement on earlier drills and became more common after being used to drive a shaft in Colorado in 1870. Reliability was a major factor as well as, if you can believe it, it's ease of use. That drill you found was considered light weight when compared to drills used earlier. Supposedly, it's claimed one man could set it up. That's the jack leg, drill, hoses, and all. These were tougher men than I. This dates the use of the single jack drill from discovery of the quartz vein up to around that 1870 date but probably a year or two after. You can assume they used black powder up until about 1868. Considering the condition of the road from civilization to the mine I would guess they shied away from 'blasting oil,' nitroglyerin, as it had a reputation for exploding if a miner even had a cross thought about it. But they definately used dynamite evidenced by the box or it's remains. So, essentually, after examining all that I don't have any idea about the history of this mine. It was obviously a major operation. Those rock retaining walls weren't put there my machine. It was a bit disturbing to see that 1972 date scrolled on the wall but it makes me wonder, no one has returned to pilfer soveniers or leave beer cans? Sites this pristine are rare indeed. Thank you for a most excellent video, dead batteries and all.
Based on the clues we saw and the history of the area, I'd estimate the origins of this mine to be in the 1870s to 1880s. However, it also seems apparent that a second generation of miners worked here - probably for a brief time in the 1930s when the price of gold was increased to $35 an ounce. Back in 1972, there were still open mines full of stuff all over the place in California. Plus, this mine is really difficult to reach. So, it may not have stood out as much then. Of course, that individual from 1972 may also have looted some amazing artifacts. We'll never know... Either way, it sure didn't seem like anyone had been here since then, which was great! Thanks for the comment.
My guess (as a retired mining engineer and minerologist) is that the main quartz vein was too hi temp to have very good gold values. The gold will be found in the orange limonite and in the contact zone between the vein and the wall rock.
The pay was there but it took huge effort to get sufficient tonnage much of the time.
Definitely one of the best mines I have you explore over the years I have been watching your video's Justin thanks buddy.
Awesome, thank you! Definitely one of my favorite finds...
There's something about a "secret" or Lost Mine... And this one seems to be so well set up. Incredible amount of work, both inside and out. I find it fascinating that, while apparently there were two generations of this mine, no one seems to know anything about it. Are all the people who knew about or worked this mine gone?? So many of us LOVE a good mystery. One of my favorite things!
If the last round of miners worked here in the 1930s, which is most likely based on the graffiti, the big increase in the price of gold to $35 an ounce in the 1930s and the War Act ordering the gold mines shut down during World War II, then, yes, I would say that everyone is gone. Say the last miner was 20-years-old and last worked in 1940. Even with those generous estimates, that miner would be 100-years-old now. That shows you how easily amazing places like this can become lost.
Just think! There may be more lost mines out there, waiting to be found!
@@MsSurigirl Is this a new show on discovery channel
@@TVRExploring There could be a few who may of been 17-18 in 1941-1942 before gold production was shut down, and if that is the case, they may still be alive today (but very old of course). Still the chances are that everybody who worked here is as you guessed, dead. One possibility is that some who worked here told their descendants about it and that they are still alive, but finding these people would be impossibly difficult.
These Type's of Video Are my Favorites,Going into the Mines as a Older Guy With the Mine Explorers is A Bit like Being in it with THIS Awesome Site ,the BEST Guy's Thank You Very Much ! 😅
An hour? An hour and 11 minutes? I know nothing, but seems like a lot of editing. A lot of battery life for both camera and flashlight. That’s two or three videos in one. You are living a mans dream. Outdoors exploring and away from all the people.
Haha, yes, this one took a fair amount of editing and batteries... It has been fun.
@@TVRExploring so, how old do you think this mine is ?..and , what sort of assay level would be considered enough for them, in those days, to mine this ? I am in New Zealand, and have always wanted to have a go at this, in some form or another, I often wonder what is left, after the gold rush days...
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Not just a man's dream haha. I really would love to see many of these places myself. But I know some men are still reluctant to take women sadly. But why miss out on all these amazing places because of my gender? I'd love to collet samples and see it all in it's native habitats (rocks and any organic matter).
Hi Justin I just haven't said much lately but I still can't believe you're luck lately with finding some great mines. You are going through some beautiful places. Can't wait to see what you find next. Keep it up !
Before I even begin watching this video, I already know I'm going to love it... partly because I am one of those with a longer attention span, and also partly because I know, all too well, about the difficulties and rewards present and available on any journey that requires 2 steps forward and 1.99 steps back. Those are the adventures most worth taking!
Absolutely, I couldn't agree more... The best adventures I have had were, invariably, those that I had to work the hardest for. Having a longer attention span places you in a distinct minority these days!
I started reading this but too long. Needs TL:DR
@@sugarnads LOL!! I see what you did there. 😉
Awesome video! The hidden mines are such Gems
I agree. There aren't many like this still out there!
Without a doubt, the best abandoned mine tour ever!
Gratitude.
Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed it...
You, and one other Channel, are really the only two of many to actually use the space correctly that your provided for a descriptive narrative of what's to come.
Unfortunately, I'm sure many viewers miss all the heads up intel you provide us, and I find it does two things.
It gives you some insight to what's ahead, but it also fills in a lot of the blanks that is lacking in more videos than I care to think about. Those are the ones that you find interesting, but your left with so many unanswered questions, which you know will never be answered to your satisfaction, and so it takes some of the enthusiasm out of me. I believe that's the best to word explain it, it's like yeah, cool, but at same time, bummer I wonder this, this, and this, knowing it's sorta always going to be lacking just little more background information to kick it up that extra notch.
Your background research is very much appreciated, as is your narration as you progress through the mine systems, and you always seem to find the real deal characters bicycle training helmet, in places they probably shouldn't even be.
So thank you for taking the time to correlate the information, and present it beforehand, which vastly improves the adventure your about to guide us through.
Thank you very much. I appreciate you reading the descriptions as, yes, I normally find there is a lot of additional detail that isn't in the video that I like to add there. Not many people read the descriptions, but they're missing out on a lot of context and background information by doing so... Haha, well, that is our society today, no?
That mine was incredible. Those stopes were crazy with the quartz pillars. Those flooded drops were cool too. Oh and the bear poop that was squared off was funny that you mentioned that. Great stuff. Stay safe.
This mine was huge. A great find for sure. Must have been some really rich ore. Them winzes go deep. Oh and you say there and here way too much. Beautiful quartz veins and I'm sure were full of some very rich gold. Way to go. Finally a long one. Thanks for the explore Justin, have a adventerous week and stay safe.
An underwater drone would be amazing for mines like this. Im curious to see what is under that water and how deep it is!
Yes, we'd love to know as well!
I was thinking about that too while watching this. The downside to an underwater drone in a mine is that it would all but require an umbilical. Drones in general are expensive, with an underwater one being even more so, which all but guarantees that the umbilical will wind up getting snagged on its maiden voyage. Murphy meet law...
@@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88 Yes, it would be great to know someone that had one so that they could lose theirs down there... Haha, yes, I agree with you that it would almost certainly be a trip from which an underwater drone would not return. I would love to see the effort made though!
@@TVRExploring I'll supply a generator.. Let's get to pumping!
@@anonymousprepper1463 I'll bring the beer and sandwiches....
Great find. You do such a great job with your videos and showing a lot of details in the mines. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much. I appreciate you coming along...
Very cool, Video! Nice exploration of that ole mine. Stay Safe and Watch Out For The BEARS!
You are totally spoiling us, especially with the past few episodes. Awesome to see so many artifacts. So cool! Congrats on the find!
Wonder if the sheave wheel was mounted on that ore bin / chute platform. Interesting that the rail continued out of the winze up beyond the haulage level. Don't recall seeing that in a video before.
Finally, Halloween is soon approaching. You missed your opportunity to point out "sasquatch dung" and have some grainy out of focus footage of an excessively hairy miner. lol!
Thank you. Yes, I was wondering about the sheave wheel and I think there is a good possibility that it fell down the winze when that part of the wooden headframe collapsed. You're right about the way the rail came out of the winze... I would love to have seen this one in its prime to understand how it all worked.
What a fantastic find. With all the infrastructure that you found evidence of on the outside, and the work that was done in the mine itself you have to conclude it was a serious producer. To think there is no record of it in any of the usual sources is amazing, and fortunate and the same time.
It'll be there for another generation to discover.
Yes, definitely. There would not have been this much work done at the mine if it were not producing a good amount of gold... As solid as this mine is and given how hidden it is, yes, I expect this will be one of the few gems for the next generation to see and to learn from.
The sheet with rail on it is a “Turnsheet” for turning ore trucks on at intersections.. You can actually turn fully loaded trucks on a flat steel sheet pretty easily, because steel on steel slips..
That makes a lot of sense... Thank you for sharing that. Given the two four-way intersections in this mine, I can imagine that got a lot of use!
The sheet had rail mounted on it and they flared out. I am guessing that it would have been used at the end of the last rails end so that you could push the ore off of the tracks to load the ore car and then push it back onto the rails acting like a funnel or a re-railing device. Just a guess.
^^^ ore car ^^^
Cool explore! I can only dream of finding something like that up here. Thanks for taking us along!
Another cinematic exploration! No one could make this up. No doubt if you worked here back in the day you didn’t have much time or inclination to take two steps back and try to take it all in as revealed mysteries and raw wonder at the scope of it. But thanks to you, us folks in the early 21st century have the opportunity. . .to just feel the awe.
In all seriousness, there is a good chance that the lights used by the miners of the time would have been incapable of fully illuminating the large stopes of this mine. So, indeed, I doubt the miners here really did take in the full scope of what they carved out here.
@@TVRExploring wow, never thought of that. You found those burnt-down candles and the graffiti dating from the Industrial Revolution.
I wonder if dust-suppression water drills were used.
Great colors. I am recovering from spinal fusion so limited walking. thank you for taking me along.
Thank you for coming along! I hope your recovery is a swift one...
This is "The Old Bear Mine!" This is incredible! This is an old mine that a group of black bears formed back in 1863. This mine was operated entirely by black bears. They never hit it rich but it was the only mine to be operated by bears. Researchers have always known of this mine but have never been able to locate it. Thanks for posting this. Please note the GPS coordinates so it doesn't get lost again!
Haha hahahahaha yeah it's bull in the front yard right to be mad if you want the gate and I am interested to see how you were feeling well they were good for me 😊😁😂😊😁
@@jquest43 I have no idea as to what you are saying but I really dig the emoji faces. I do know their meaning.
Absolutely brilliant find and exploring. Thanks for sharing. Paul in Lower Boddington UK
This was just outstanding. Thank you for what you do. Love that it was so long too.
Thank you. Yes, this was a lucky find that turned out REALLY well. Glad you like the longer format... Some people like the videos to be long and some like them to be short. So, I mix it up a bit...
@@TVRExploring I can see that. But the multipart part series always leave me hanging over a cliff...or, a winze? Which I guess is the point of creating Pavlovian trained cave video junkies!
One other thing about this cave specifically. With ALL that quartz being hauled out, where did they process it? You’d think more evidence of a stamp mill would remain as there’d be a ton of milling needed. Maybe they took it with them when they wrapped up, but with past mines most didn’t. I’d almost expect more than one mill for this mine as quartz rich it must have been.
@@JustAnotherPaddy Haha, I'm not that much of a schemer to intentionally create abandoned mine video junkies... I just try to give a mix. The ore was processed on that lower landing where the shaft was. You can see the metal fragments of the stamp mill scattered around, including the shoes on the stamps. Remember how old this mine is - the mills were mostly made out of wood and all of that rotted away a long time ago. There wasn't even a trace of that wooden headframe for the shaft either. Oh, and who knows how many other artifacts are hidden under all of the leaves scattered on the ground? Lastly, a good amount of material may have gone down the aerial tramway as well. This is speculation, but a tramway is a complex system. The miners may have started with the stamp mill and once it was revealed how rich the mine was, they may have graduated up to the aerial tramway. So, it is about what I would expect to be left for a mine of this age.
Thanks for sharing your secret unknown mine, so glad I could see it with you guys !
Glad you came along to see it! Thanks.
@@TVRExploring Yes, I'm was back to see this again!
Man I just sat down with a plate of homemade taco's, clicked youtube to see if there was anything to watch and up popped a fresh TVR Exploring video! Life is good! Awesome old mine, thanks for taking us along.
Excellent timing. Thanks for coming along!
I enjoyed this. I live vicariously. Thanks!
Wow! Now that is a great find!! Thank you for taking us along.
Next time trying to video down a flooded winze, turn off all lights above the water while using a bright one with lens below the water. You will be amazed.
I had the same thought,it would stop light reflectiing back off the waters surface
Excellent work as always!!
Hear is a thought, could this have been the same group of miners that were improving their mining equipment as the mine became more and more profitable?
Definitely Enjoying the longer format!
This was a great mine, really interesting. Thank you for looking for mines. Thanks again.
Glad you enjoyed it... Haha, I wish they always turned out this well when we went looking for them!
Have you ever tried to find information on the various mines you have found? When I lived in Colorado I found a little book store where I purchased many a book on hard rock mining. Your explorations bring it to life. I thank you.
Amazing find!!! Thanks for leaving everything as is. Thanks for sharing!!
Great video and its awesome you take the time to show us the rock composition and what the miners were looking for. Very informative and entertaining. You def got my sub after I watched this one!
We had to watch this again. Very good video. Thank you. Hope you had a great thanksgiving. Thanks again.
Thank you very much. I did have a great Thanksgiving (this is the first time I've been back in the U.S. for Thanksgiving in more than a decade) and I hope you did as well.
Really nice job at about 10:48 -- you did a great job giving perspective about how large the mine is by using your buddy in the distance. Small detail but great!
Thank you for noticing... I try to include things like that when I can.
What an incredible find. Unbelievable it wasn't mapped. Fantastic.
Hi cutie pie, you really found a nice mine this time beautiful colors . Thanks for showing it to your fans. We loved it
31:25 Frank Ray Trunnels died January 11,1984. He was 78 years old. Born April 15, 1905. Buried in St.Angels Camp, CA. at Altaville Protestant cemetery.
How curious. I hope in the future you will be able to find out just who and why does mine is there. Thanks so much. Safe travels.
I hope so too!
Thank you for stopping to talk about the actual stone and geology. So many mine explorers just skate by all the fascinating rocks and oxide stains. I love the slow pans you did there sometimes. I can't wait to see one of you explorers discover the 360 camera rigs that shoot in 4k and catch all the action around your head from front to back. It's good stuff.
At the 12:35 mark I began to wonder where they put all the dirt they dugout. The mountainside must surely have been covered with it in some manner, but vegetation probably made it invisible.
The screen studdering may be because of the framerate dropping from over compression. Or maybe the camera was overheating. Sometimes the older cameras would get hot and the A2D converters would drop frames. I also had it happen when I didn't get Adobe's settings just right and RUclips would screw up the import.
Astounding! What a surreptitious discovery. Thank you for the completely captivating and thorough exploration. Well done.
Is it claimable? Let's be miners!
I just rewatched this video. It's just amazing the interior size of the mine, plus all the pottery shards, and even melted glass (love anything glass). An especially good video! The amount of machinery parts, too. You can tell that no one knows it exists!
One of my favorites...
You Guys are The BEST Doing These GREAT Mine Exploring ! Thankful to have Found YOU Ive Subscribed 😅
That was excellent for a by chance mine I’m glad you took us with you
Thank you for coming along!
You know, sometimes a big thank you is all y'all need. Thank you!
I wonder what this mine would look like under UV light!
Great video!
Gorgeous!! Rocks jutting out at the entrance!
Awesome adventure man. The amount of hard labor the old timers put in is just incredible. Some of them stopes were pretty impressive and it didn’t appear they missed much. Its amazing to me how they could chase and remove ore from overhead.
Indeed, the old timers were tough! The stopes were very impressive for the time they were made and where that mine is... And, yes, it seemed like they were very thorough in clearing out the gold-bearing quartz inside. Working overhead with those heavy drills must have been brutal work.
TVR Exploring yeah man for sure. Thanks for taking the time to reply...
Amazing video again, loved it! How about bringing one those laser-distance-measure thingies to look at the size of those stopes? Just an idea.
Looking forward to the next!
Awesome find! One of your best videos.
I truly appreciate your video 📹 I love old mining operations and you did an excellent job on this one. You have a great voice and you covered everything in great detail. I really enjoyed it and can't say it enough!
One of the best mines you put out in awhile, great find.
Thank you. I wish we made chance discoveries like this more often!
Great find. Those old timers really work in that mine
Not much on Mining Equipment, but fairly mechanically minded. Love the videos. I have been in a few mines in NM. I looked down thru the comments for awhile and could not find a comment on the broken metal piece at 58:10. I am thinking it may be a hub on a large flywheel or throw on a crank to create offset. Imagine a wood spoked wheel. The part that He picked it up by even resembles some kind of counter balance maybe. The length of the bolts would be the thickness off the wood that probably burned out in a fire some time in the past. Really would be fascinating to see that in its original form. Had to be massive. Never know, maybe they built an air compressor for ventilation.
Thanks for putting size references in descriptions of stope, helps get perspective!
That first ore chute i think you are misreading it, i think that stope above it was another level at one time and they just stope it out, and winze they just lifted to that level, and ore chute just was that, for other level. I could be %100 wrong of course, but like you said old mine, could of did anything.
Unreal? A hidden mine? You guys "rock"! thank you!
incredible, beautiful mine just forgotten like that, congrats on finding it!
Great video my friend. I enjoyed all of it!
I don't know jack about mining, but you sure the hell have me interested & i don't know any of your terminology that you are using, but you make it easy to understand you & what you are saying, i just subscribed to your channel & I'm a forever subscriber, i think that what you are doing is amazing & awesome & i will watch as many of your posts as i can & lean about what you're doing, thanks for sharing
Thank you. Glad you're enjoying the videos and are finding them interesting...
@@TVRExploring your welcome
What a find! I know you’ll keep it a secret as you should. A mini drone sub would be excellent! Great video, keep up the good work!
Thank you. Yes, I would love to know more about those sections that are underwater! They must have been pretty large... And, yes, it'll be kept secret.
We should of never ran the Chinese off
Absolutely insane find! 👍👍👍
Fantastic find! From what you said, you've found a couple of mines that weren't listed in any of your sources. Given how you feel about the government making these old mines 'safe'.. I'm guessing you don't advertise the locations.. which is probably the best way to protect them. At least that is how I think I would deal with them. Again, fantastic find, thanks a bunch!
The Forest Service would have a field day with this one. So, yes, we'll be holding this location close to the vest... This mine is a real treasure and it is in fantastic shape. It would be a real shame were it to be destroyed in the name of safety when I expect the last visitor this mine has seen was that one from 1972.
I love the look the dog gives you guys! Lol!
Incredible find. Thanks for sharing.
Holy echo! I'm only a few minutes into the video and I'm already stoked!
This was a fun one, to be sure...
What a great find! Good job!
The piece of metal sticking out of the tree is a skip car frame.
nice old mine, hope you find many more lost mine's
This is just plain amazing !! I am flabbergasted by this discovery. It does look like it was picked pretty clean. Those are some huge pillers and the stopes just plain incredible. I wonder if there is a good chance that the vein is contunued in the lower workings. You would have to pump out the winzes to make a thorough exploration of how deep the mine goes. Thanks for a well done adventure and great video work !!
Thank you. Yes, I was blown away by how lucky we were to find this and by what an amazing mine it turned out to be... I'm certain the vein continues into the lower workings. The miners would not have run three separate winzes down had there not been something good down there.
That certainly was a great chance discovery, so well concealed. Just getting to such locations originally must have been some ordeal. I never cease to be amazed by the superhuman effort it must have taken getting to these places, then creating and maintaining them. Had to laugh when you found the need to explain "cars passing".
Once again, thanks for sharing.
Awesome exploration video. Enjoyed every second of watching. The size of stopes, old machinery, flooded winzes, indicated an extensive mining operation and a mining camp. The foundations were most likely used for the ore tram. It is hard to believe there is no record. It is sometimes better to keep it secret.
Glad you enjoyed it... Yes, this was a really fun one to discover and to explore! It is hidden very well!
What a great find. I wonder what lies beneath all that water. More levels for sure. Cheers, thanks for sharing. ✌❤
Yes, I wish we happened across mines like this more often! Definitely more levels underwater... Those winzes were big!
With today's gold price that first drift to the right may assay out wonderful. I saw the drill holes at the end, ready to blast deeper!
The Drill is an Ingersoll Sergeant D9, telegraph code name "NIMROD". It cost $325 in the 1903 first edition catalog. (more than $8K today). This was top of the line technology at the beginning of the 20th century, mid-range for that model which was an improvement on the "Eclipse" (hence the "New Ingersoll" designation).
The mine as you see it is probably is a 1930s operation. During the Great Depression gold mining was encouraged, resulting in many unmapped hardrock operations. They often came between usfs topo map updates and were often uninspected. The size of the workings is against this being a very old working, as hand drilling did not make such spacious workings. IT cost money and time to drill out by hand, but with air drills larger workings didnt cost all that much. The high cost drill with the strap rail suggests probably used equipment and a tight budget. Had it been contemporaneous with the drill, I would have expected real rails throughout. The hoists were probably air tuggers. THe compressor and large machinery was likely leased and was removed when the operation shut down.
That quartz vien at 4:14 is incredible! The orange streak running off the quartz is probably iron oxide. A good sign that more gold might be present!
I think you're right - the miners left the quartz vien at 12:32 intact for a reason. It looks rich, but it runs through the middle of a major pilar. The roof would probably come down if the mined it.
I'm sorry for the multiple comments, Justin, but I'm totally jonesing this quartz vien! At 40:33 and 41:38, I found myself wanting a rock hammer and chisel so bad my fingers were twitching!
Nah, don't apologize for comments... They are most welcome. And, believe me, I was in awe of that fat vein of quartz as well! You can clearly see why the miners were so active in this mine.
Just a heads up : if your flashlight is waterproof it would be better for the video to dip its bulb into the water, instead of aiming at the surface. This way, you would eliminate reflections that throw off camera software, instead directly lighting what lies below. I would love to see you take still shots of the more scenic views like Mines of the West does (especially as you visit more numerous, diverse and anonymous mines) but I can imagine that even a tripod is a lot to add to what is already plenty of hiking/exploring gear.
Amazing mine and very interesting video!
I'll try that trick with the flashlight the next time I've got a situation like that. I'm not sure of the flashlight is waterproof or not, but that is one way to find out... I do take a lot of still images of the mines and surroundings, but I'm not in the league of Mines of the West. I'll leave it to him to lug the tripod around... I've got to give him credit though because we did some tough hikes on our last trip together and he hauled that tripod everywhere.
@@TVRExploring Awesome, looking forwards to the results! Yes, it's always great to see you two collaborate.
The mine was probably worked when gold was $35 an ounce and abandoned when the grade of gold ceased to be profitable to mine. Today with gold near $2000 an ounce, this abandoned mine may be evidence of a large ore deposit that could be feasibly mined today, especially with modern recovery methodology. It might be an interesting and profitable endeavor to stake or otherwise obtain the mineral rights to this area and market it to existing mining companies and negotiate a royalty interest.
No this mine was abandoned because of the Second World War.....
@@maezzee Which means that theoretically, it could potentially still have a decent enough gold orebody to be recovered. Unfortunately though, the mine is stuck in california which is a very anti-mining state due to the liberal coastal environmentalists. Gold mines that were closed due to the war production regulations in interior western states like Idaho and Montana are more likely to be reopened for this reason.
Dude that bolt is awesome ,but the fact that it is bent is even more amazing.
Can you imagine the force it would have taken to bend that!
This is definitely one awesome mine and I'm glad you were able to find and share it with us. BTW what happened to your friend adit addict haven't seen him in a while hope he's doing well.
What an amazing location, some of what I miss about California. Nevada mines have little to compare. Thanks for sharing.
Wow that is a find! Scrambling up that waste rock pile you must have been so excited. I really enjoy reading the complete descriptions. The footage in this mine is great! That flooded winze is creepy! Hope this one stays hidden. It would be so sad if the forest service blasted it closed. Keep up the great work and stay safe. Oh and with all the fires in CA maybe some new sites will be revealed!
I was cautiously optimistic when scrambling up the waste rock pile, but wouldn't have been at all surprised to find a caved adit or one that had eroded shut. Obviously, the reality wildly exceeded even the most optimistic expectations! Indeed, it would be a tragedy if the Forest Service were to get to this one...
@@TVRExploring If you ever get a chance to talk to an old-timer who worked for the CCC in Death Valley in the 30s-40s you can get an idea of the scope of stuff that was pulled by officials, private collectors, and just the average bottle hunter at the time. Even as late as the 70's you would see the occasional flatbed trucks pulling out mine carts and the like driving out of the valley through Trona. Pretty sure the early Rangers at least always had the best bottle and headlamp collections.
@@johnhubbard6262 It is hard for me to even imagine how much stuff was there originally and was hauled out...
The ground fall was inevitable.
Because you said there wasn't any.
Lol.
Amazing video. Very nice find
Haha, yes, I absolutely guaranteed some groundfall by saying that!
Probably the best chance discovery of a mine that we've ever made...
Cool video. I been down in many mines in Nevada County, California . Glad the bears did not eat you.
Absolutely incredible find! gorgeous mine
This one was a lot of fun to explore!
At 1:07:18 that frame on the ground near your gear is a tipping skip car/bucket frame, either used on an angle up and down a wine or straight vertical with a bucket, both tip over when release is Tripp at top of haul.
Thanks for filling in the details like this. I wonder if that is connected to the shaft or to the winzes in the adit above?
@@TVRExploring could be for either, it could also have been in that area for repair to the frame and just left there.
If used on the inclines into the winzes there would be dolly wheels for it to run on, if used vertically in a shaft there are generally paired wheel pairs that fit around the rail (Steel or timber runners) that run up two side of the shaft.
I love the way you write i could read you stuff for hrs.
That's the Smartest Dog in the Whole World Right Away He Joined you two in the Mine Cause He Knew He Didn't Want to become the New Poo!!!, Thank's for Unexplored Mine really A Golden Gem of History!!!; )I Personally Think the watched one of those Jarrasic Park Movie's with Dog chained to Dog House Part in the one of the film's!!! Ha haha!!!; )
Haha, an excellent point about the dog! Hard not to love a mine that I'm certain has never been filmed before...
One of the cast components you look at early on at the compressor mount is almost certainly part of a sliding valve assembly for a steam engine.
Your shaft there looks like an open stope, that spot may be what clued them in to the quartz vein.
Absolutely incredible. Thank you 😎
Just came from one of your mineshaft explorees
Lets just say I'm gonna have fun watching your videos now
Cool! Which video was that?
@@TVRExploring ruclips.net/video/DYIiCL1KREE/видео.html
Yt reccomend brought me to you and brought me into mines and what not
Stumbled on to your excellent adventure. Sub and 👍 look forward to watching some more of your exploring. Love this stuff ✅ be safe
Amazing! I was trying to imagine what it was like visually for the miners that used Carbide Lamps. It must have been poor, compared to your flashlights.
A friend of mine bought an old miner's carbide lamp recently. So, it is my intention to do a video comparing the different light sources underground that miners would have used. I'll start with candles and then work up through carbide lamps and then get to the modern LEDs. Should be interesting...
@@TVRExploring I am looking forward to that video.
Based on the dates given for this mine, the first generation of miners here likely wouldn't even have access to carbide (1860s-1870s timeframe), but only oil wick lanterns. Carbide only became popularized in the late 1890s/early 1900s iirc
Nice find! Thanks for sharing💝😀
Nice find and you didn't need to slog through deep mud and water! Win win!