Oh, I'm sorry about your dog. My dogs mean the world to me and so I can understand how much it hurts. I'm glad that I could provide at least a brief distraction.
My heart goes out to you more than I can express. I lost my little Daffodil two years ago, and her passing has left such a huge hole in my life, one that I don't know can ever get filled, even if we decide to get a new four-legged child in our life. Still, the pain and grief do ease with time, though it's a slow process. God bless you!
This mine sounded familiar so, I looked up it's location and it is about 26 miles North of Nevada City, California. When I was younger and touring the mines in Nevada County I remember this mine coming up in conversation however, I wasn't able to get to the mine back then. Thanks Justin and crew for bringing us this very old mine for our viewing pleasure.
Huge thanks to Tanis for watching after the mine - and keeping all the rich history and artifacts in place. Also thanks to him for allowing you to video all the awesomeness and allowing future visitors to the site. Great video!
WHAT A GEM ! This goes in your top 5.......That concretia infrastructure near the Adit has to be the base for all the generating electronics for the entire setup. Most likely fuel oil, coal or wood. Personally I would try use the river to generate electricity. Tho albeit not enough probably. The great Yuma river, what history, it is a testament to mans tenacity to grind out a hole 200 feet under the existing river. Very smart move when everyone was going horizontal and ascending. These guys had the brains to search for ancient river? I could be wrong but with platonic shift in the entire Coastal range and valleys of the S.W. to the PNW... anything is possible. I would love to know the AU to tonnage. 10 years of great American documentaries. You are first and the best!
That is an awesome mine. Too bad the underwater section can't be explored. What a beautiful area. The caretaker was very cool to take you all through everything. Those drills and remnants like helmets, the phones, an anvil. So awesome to see how thorough those miners were to follow a vein. Thanks again guys.
Some of those stringers could be a pinch in a lens. You'd think prior to shutting down the operation they would have done a little exploratory blasting to make sure they didn't miss a lode. With all the equipment I would have been tempted to do a little poking around myself. Great mine and well preserved! Thanks for the tour guys!
Agreed. There could definitely be gold-laden globs of quartz still underground there... I believe the section at the end where the drifts shot off in opposite directions were an effort to locate the vein again. A core drilling operation could potentially uncover a bonanza, but core drilling is not cheap. We spent about $500,000 on each core drilling station at our mine and very few small operations like this one have the budget for that. Also, core drilling is less effective at pocket mines, which the mines in this area almost universally are.
@TVRExploring exactly, I did a little research on the geology of the area. And the amount of fracturing would tend to produce pockets at just the right conditions. A needle in great big rock stack. But they probably didn't get it all.
Wow, The German Bar! Many years ago I was friends with a family that was involved in that mine...my friend, may he RIP, actually sold me a beautiful teardrop shaped chunk of gold in quartz that was set in a pendant...which was I gave to my wife for Christmas that year...and she actually watched this video when I explained the connection...glad you could get down there, J.
Oh, that's great to hear a story connected to the mine... Thank you for sharing that. I'm glad your wife could see where the contents of the pendant came from. What year roughly was that? I'm curious when the mine was worked prior to the most recent work. Are you still in our area?
I am the owner of this property and stated that previously in the comments, i am kirk christmans son. If you have questions about the mine history why wouldnt you respond to my comment @TVRExploring
@@cjchristman4327 Because we don't spend all of our time hovering over our computers reviewing the hundreds of comments that pour in every day across the hundreds of videos... Your effort to provoke us though does not fill any of us with regret at not seeing your other comments until now.
I googled for location information on the German Ba and the AI generated the description in your video...thought that was pretty awesome...thanks so much for sharing!
Given that I only typed up the description a few hours ago, I am impressed that the AI program has already incorporated the information. That is fast learning! That is indeed pretty awesome... Thank you for letting me know.
This is great news. Went through there when the road was open on both sides of the river but got a bit sketched out about going on the property. Going to have to revisit the area. The road on the south side of the canyon was actually washed out and gated shut after the 2016 storms.
@@TVRExploring I probably should have watched the video all the way through before commenting, I got this mine confused with the Plumbago on the other side of the canyon. I believe that property reverted to USFS.
Looks like the lower level where it splits off right after the portal is a huge fault jog, I'm sure it was a rich mine. Another clue is the doors - you don't put those doors on mines unless you've got ore with visible gold. Cool mine and beautiful setting!
Where can I find a caretaking job like this. Absolutely incredible. I'm so used to the people around these places being hostile and trying to avoid them at all costs so its really cool to hear he's willing to take the time and show you guys around. Thank you for the snapshot back in time.
IH TD's actually had spark plugs on each cylinder. There is a carburetor and the engine would start on gas. After it ran for a few minutes there is a lever that cuts off the gas and opens the diesel.
I have a International WD9 tractor and it has the same style motor there are three valves per cylinder and I would start on gas right away and then throw the decompressor lever down and it would run on diesel unless it was real cold and you would run it on gas for five minutes before switching to diesel, it's a great tractor.
Great old mine. Thanks for taking us along. The under-river section is amazing to think about. I noticed at the T-junction in the lower drift the quartz vein started to thicken just above the floor of the adit. Maybe what the miners' were chasing that disappeared as the adit inclined?
I’ll be at my normal RV spot this October if winter doesn’t set in early. Then to my regular spot in Yuba country. Will probably visit your place again for some more exploring And it is my pleasure, hope to explore some with you and crew. Will be available October through November
WOW. 👀 Very cool mine, 💯 Love seeing history and that one is good condition still. It literally looks like one day the boss said fella's U don't need to show up tomorrow to work cause the mine is broke and out of money. They all walked off and never came back even tho stuff is setting there ready for the next day's use. just cool as hell. awesome vid man. ☮
When you were in the old mine building there was an old style miners lamp on the bench, the design of that lamp was originally from a company called Oldham, when I started my apprenticeship in 1980, I was based about 1/2" a mile away from Oldham's factory in Denton UK where they made those mining lamps and high powered spot lights for marine use. I still have two working versions of them, and you can still buy the Oldham lamp brand new same design only has Led technology and lithium battery packs.
Videos on your great channel that show mostly intact mining operations invariably make me think of working one someday for my 2nd career. I'm not saying that I could hit it as enthusiastically as I could when I was a hard charger in my 20s but I damn sure would work with more wisdom at this age and a better attitude than I do at my current job. There's something about this kind of work that calls to me, difficult to explain...
Thanks! Good memories this last spring. I believe the large concrete foundations were where a water powered stamp mill was. The steel bars in the rock face probably supported an aqueduct to supply power to a water wheel. Just speculation.
Edit…more likely electrical power generation system. The flood of 1996 probably wiped out much of the infrastructure. I believe 1996 was the last occurrence of an epic flood.
Thank you very much, Bryan, for the kind donation and for making the connection with Tanis to allow this visit to happen! I miss seeing you. So, hopefully, you'll be back in our area next year. Yes, some pretty serious flooding ripped through the area in 1997 and damaged/destroyed a lot of historic mine infrastructure then.
That scenery is so amazing! Its like a painting from bob ross!. I like the aerial tramway also. Would be cool to just put some friends in the bucket and go over the river haha also curious what is on the posters 7:27 cannnot see it clearly Interesting is also that the miners built a stove next to the mine portal if the stovepipe breaks there could be smoke going in the shaft Thanks for the nice video
If I were to guess, the bars in the wall were probably for a flume and that foundation was either a mill or a power plant and the water was brought to it. Pretty cool place!
Hi Justin, WOW ! Everything is still there. That looks like my grandfather's old red international P/U , snow who cares as long as the dozer still works. Does anyone still work in the mine ? Does everything still work ? Love the tugger, well, 😢for what the upper portal looks like it doesn't look like anyone has worked it lately. Wolf Creek looks nice to jump into. I wouldn't mind fishing it. Now that's a lot of quartz. too bad it pinches out. Thanks for the video and info on the German Bar Mine.
The pneumatic equipment is actually really durable and is pretty easy to rehab. The other stuff I would have less confidence in without some SERIOUS restoration work put in. No, no one is working the mine now. The last effort was the one that Tanis mentioned earlier in the 2000s.
Haha, super sketchy comes with the job. Yes, unfortunately, wet mines are a given in the mountains. The mine explorers based in the deserts are spoiled (although we often hit water in the desert mines as well when you go deep enough).
You know, I bet those bars in the rock by the river were supports either for a trestle fir a flume to bring water over to those foundations for electricity and/or milling purposes, or (and this is far less likely, but way cooler, at least in my mind)for a now removed run of track intended to service that third lower caved adit you found. I couldn’t say for sure obviously, but it seems to me it’s roughly at the right level, and those bars are just long enough to lay some rail down. I wonder if there’s another adit or an old cross cut or something around that corner… man it would’ve been so cool to see that back when it was still in working order, if my hunch is correct. That would’ve made such a rad lookin rail system, all suspended up in the air like that and going around that corner and whatnot…makes me think of the lost boys’ rail system from the movie Hook. Ehh; it was probably a flume though.
i wonder what type of pump they originally plumbed to drain that area, i bet that pvc is new enough you could drain a good portion of that area. maintaining drainage would probably be a big task being under the river
I'd be pretty curious to know how they dealt with the water as well. However, that was not an unfamiliar problem to the Cornish miners that flooded into the area and they had unique ways of dealing with water issues that seem to have worked quite well by all accounts. And, yes, I imagine that you'd have to have pumps running flat out to contend with the water seeping in from the river.
As of a few years ago, the top of German Bar Road had been illegally gated by an ornery resident; I'm sure many would be curious to know whether that's still an issue.
Turquoise cans in shop were Bugler Tobacco. Very cool operation, thanks! You should give Tanis your phone number, incase he gives up the caretaker job, you could take over - your dream job!
Ha, that's funny. There are a couple of other mines in the area with elderly caretakers and we were talking about it would be great to snag a position like that. We (all of the TVR crew) have lives and many interests outside of abandoned mines, but we could take shifts to look after things.
Good antique anvils made of old steel often hit differently than modern anvils. Enough to make a difference in the final product? No, probably not. But when you gotta listen to ringing metal all day the old ones do have a better sound to them, usually.
I follow about 6 or 7 mine explore channels and it continues to amaze me just how many different good sized mines there are in the US! I occasionally see one channel doing the same mine I saw on another, but not nearly as often as you'd think. I know you've been to Russia, Italy etc.... But how about mines in the eastern US? I know a lot are coal mines and while they are cool to see in their own right, I also know they're pretty dangerous. Theres other mines though... I know there's a good sized mica mine in WNC.
I did a video on a coal mine in West Virginia, but, no, I haven't done much in the way of mines on the eastern US. When I lived in New York for a year, I wasn't into mine exploring yet. And, today, I don't have the knowledge to feel like I could make a really successful trip in an unfamiliar area. Mike Sandone (who also has a RUclips channel) does a great job with mines in the eastern US...
@@TVRExploring well, now I gotta scroll all the way through your vids again LOL... I was sure I've seen em all, all the way back to the 870 Rapid fire... And thanks for the new channel tip.
@@Dwendele Oh, wow, that is extremely impressive! Haha, that is going way back. I've often wondered if people that come for the mine videos go back through the older stuff. There's quite an eclectic mix in the older videos. The coal mine was the Kaymoor Mine. So, if you type that in, it should come up.
@@TVRExploring awesome thanks! Yeah, I got into your vids about 4 years ago and just binge watched for like a month. 😂😂 I STILL show people that silver mine with the HUGE ballroom/cave. Has to laugh at you saying something like hoooly shit! when you first saw it.
Interesting, I came across another really small old channel on RUclips, Tom Fisher's. He visited the mine across the river from here ~13 yrs ago. I wonder how interconnected the caretakers are between these 2 sites and others. There's almost a straight line (as the crow flies) between the mine North of here, this one and another the stuff around New York Canyon.
Tanis had it backwards those old internationals dozers started on gasoline and stayed running while you switched it over to diesel some kind of lever. Old timers told me about them.
Amazing as much is still there as there is, and probably most of the leftover hardware and such was from the last crew there. Anvis are usually 2 to 3 dollars a pound to those who use them, and usually collectors pay that much or more depending on condition, and who the manufacturers were.. Imagine the river was cold if a lot of it comes from underground, and looking at the level of water in the lower levels, and the water dripping from the sound coming through on the background noise. I'd say that there's was a good bit if the water from below ground or from inside the surrounding mountains. Wonder how much they actually got out of it on the last venture. If it was worth the time and money invested, or they had similar experience such as the one you fellas got a taste of? I guess it'd be like back in the 70's when everyone was investing in oil wells that never paid out, and was basically tax shelter from best I could tell. For those that had the money to use in order to keep taxes as low as possible. Beautiful around there, and hard to imagine that it gets as nasty in the winter there, as it doesn't look like it from how nice it is in the summer time, but being from NE Texas, and not having any real mountains within couple hundred miles of here, and nothing with the elevation ya'll have nor something I'm familiar with. Appreciate the ride as always, ya'll be safe. PS Where was the normal crew that you usually go on these adventures with?
Small scale mining almost always loses money. One should do it for other reasons (as we did) if they want something out of it... I'd like to think that the last crew was able to come in with a new technology, such as metal detectors, and pull out some good gold (as happened at the nearby 16-to1 Mine), but the odds are not in their favor. Good on them - and all miners - for taking the chance though! Even at the bottom of the canyon, which is obviously lower in elevation, some pretty serious winter weather hits that area. I'm not sure who you're thinking of for the regular crew as that was the regular California crew.
6:45 I would totally steal a good vintage German anvil if I saw one, they are made far better than the crap they make today - better steal means less hammering
@@j-rocsk 🤣 no more like if it was unused for 80yrs then I’d take it. My philosophy is more build good stuff with what you can find rather than preserving rotting history that will die. The amazing tools of the past should be passed forward and used, the people that made them would want this - if you don’t get it then you are from a different world that doesn’t create.
There is definitely gold in the Yuba River. A fortune in gold has come out of that river... I would have climbed over the mucker if we didn't know what was back there. However, Tanis told us what was there and it wasn't worth it.
Close it, there's to much water, freeze and thaw every year it's gonna callaps. A small open pit mine mite support you, start at the top and start shoveling some one will show to help.
It sounds like the owner is an old school miner who's concerned about theft and accident liability. I can understand his basic concerns, but he might have just asked you to post a notice asking people Not to visit the mine. The people who watch this channel aren't the thieves and vandals he has to worry about. But I hope Tanis won't get in trouble. The owner might put a massively reinforced gateway to block all unauthorized access from the outer edge of the claims. Then at least he won't have to worry about theft of any larger items. And simply post a sign forbidding access. Or have anyone there sign a liability release.
@@TVRExploring "the workings consist of four tunnels the lowest close to the river bank, two others 67 and 133 feet above, and a fourth on the opposite side of the peninsula still higher.. mill rock averaging $10 per ton. Supposed to have yielded $200,000 in 1928. The report shows photos and surveys
@@jamesallen9751 Ah, OK. Interesting... So, we found the three adits you mentioned, but were not aware of the fourth on the other side of the peninsula. Now, that "trail" created by the steel driven into the rock of the peninsula makes sense. I guess we'll have to go back! Thank you for the information.
That's what the technical guy on our crew thought as well... It makes sense. It was a good distance from the current course of the river and so I'd be curious to know how that would have looked.
@@TVRExploring I thought those metal rods sticking out of the cliff over the water may have been part of a flume. You mentioned Cornish miners, and they had a lot of setups like that.
$45,000 to pump it out? For that price I'd build a watermill and run the water pump off it. Heck if you pump it up stream of the pump the additional water would power the mill as well.
@@justinspicer8989 Lots of stuff that I've filmed hasn't necessarily been published and won't be. Also, it is very rare that I use the actual name of a mine.
I'd love to know what is down the winze as well... And, yes, that is exactly correct on the torch that you spotted. I bought it 100% based upon your high praise. So, you should get a commission!
@@TVRExploringThey are indestructible. Our batch of M2s are all still going strong 4 years in. One even died then came back to life! Hope you are well bud. Top Exploration as per normal with the TVR uploads. Eb. QAM.
@@qldabandonedmines Doing great, mate. Thank you. I hope that you are as well... Good to know about the durability of those lights. As you know, mine exploring is very hard on gear!
My dog died 5 weeks ago, watching this video is an only bright spot of the week. I’m lost without my best friend.
Oh, I'm sorry about your dog. My dogs mean the world to me and so I can understand how much it hurts. I'm glad that I could provide at least a brief distraction.
My heart goes out to you more than I can express. I lost my little Daffodil two years ago, and her passing has left such a huge hole in my life, one that I don't know can ever get filled, even if we decide to get a new four-legged child in our life. Still, the pain and grief do ease with time, though it's a slow process. God bless you!
So sorry to hear that. I lost my 16 yr old teacup chihuahua in February. She was one great little pup.
I've still got my German Shepherd though
you can't replace a good dog with a new one but you can make great memories with a new dog when the time is right 🙏
Sorry brother. If a pup is doable you'd be surprised how much it helps with grieving. But only if another decade+ commitment is right.
This mine sounded familiar so, I looked up it's location and it is about 26 miles North of Nevada City, California. When I was younger and touring the mines in Nevada County I remember this mine coming up in conversation however, I wasn't able to get to the mine back then. Thanks Justin and crew for bringing us this very old mine for our viewing pleasure.
Thank you for letting me tag along. Another great adventure and I can see why it was on your wish list to explore. Great video!!!
Amazing to see so much equipment still surviving!
Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦
Huge thanks to Tanis for watching after the mine - and keeping all the rich history and artifacts in place. Also thanks to him for allowing you to video all the awesomeness and allowing future visitors to the site. Great video!
Fantastic tour! Thanks for taking me along!
The BEST exploration channel on all of RUclips! ❤
WHAT A GEM ! This goes in your top 5.......That concretia infrastructure near the Adit has to be the base for all the generating electronics for the entire setup. Most likely fuel oil, coal or wood. Personally I would try use the river to generate electricity. Tho albeit not enough probably. The great Yuma river, what history, it is a testament to mans tenacity to grind out a hole 200 feet under the existing river. Very smart move when everyone was going horizontal and ascending. These guys had the brains to search for ancient river? I could be wrong but with platonic shift in the entire Coastal range and valleys of the S.W. to the PNW... anything is possible.
I would love to know the AU to tonnage.
10 years of great American documentaries. You are first and the best!
That is an awesome mine. Too bad the underwater section can't be explored. What a beautiful area. The caretaker was very cool to take you all through everything. Those drills and remnants like helmets, the phones, an anvil. So awesome to see how thorough those miners were to follow a vein. Thanks again guys.
Some of those stringers could be a pinch in a lens. You'd think prior to shutting down the operation they would have done a little exploratory blasting to make sure they didn't miss a lode. With all the equipment I would have been tempted to do a little poking around myself. Great mine and well preserved! Thanks for the tour guys!
Agreed. There could definitely be gold-laden globs of quartz still underground there... I believe the section at the end where the drifts shot off in opposite directions were an effort to locate the vein again. A core drilling operation could potentially uncover a bonanza, but core drilling is not cheap. We spent about $500,000 on each core drilling station at our mine and very few small operations like this one have the budget for that. Also, core drilling is less effective at pocket mines, which the mines in this area almost universally are.
@TVRExploring exactly, I did a little research on the geology of the area. And the amount of fracturing would tend to produce pockets at just the right conditions. A needle in great big rock stack. But they probably didn't get it all.
A time capsule for sure! Thanks Justin and Crew!
I love that you introduced your dogs.
Justin thanks a lot for finding this very interesting museum mine, loved every minute off it, great stuff inside and outside.
Wow, The German Bar! Many years ago I was friends with a family that was involved in that mine...my friend, may he RIP, actually sold me a beautiful teardrop shaped chunk of gold in quartz that was set in a pendant...which was I gave to my wife for Christmas that year...and she actually watched this video when I explained the connection...glad you could get down there, J.
Oh, that's great to hear a story connected to the mine... Thank you for sharing that. I'm glad your wife could see where the contents of the pendant came from. What year roughly was that? I'm curious when the mine was worked prior to the most recent work.
Are you still in our area?
@@TVRExploring Asked the wife...we are leaning towards somewhere between 1986-1996. I don't have any way to narrow it further. Yes, still around.
I am the owner of this property and stated that previously in the comments, i am kirk christmans son. If you have questions about the mine history why wouldnt you respond to my comment @TVRExploring
@@cjchristman4327 Because we don't spend all of our time hovering over our computers reviewing the hundreds of comments that pour in every day across the hundreds of videos... Your effort to provoke us though does not fill any of us with regret at not seeing your other comments until now.
I think the mines that leave as many questions unanswered as answered are the ones I find the most fascinating.
I googled for location information on the German Ba and the AI generated the description in your video...thought that was pretty awesome...thanks so much for sharing!
Given that I only typed up the description a few hours ago, I am impressed that the AI program has already incorporated the information. That is fast learning! That is indeed pretty awesome... Thank you for letting me know.
This is great news. Went through there when the road was open on both sides of the river but got a bit sketched out about going on the property. Going to have to revisit the area. The road on the south side of the canyon was actually washed out and gated shut after the 2016 storms.
Normally, one SHOULD be sketched out about going onto a stranger's property in that area. However, Tanis is very eager to receive visitors.
@@TVRExploring I probably should have watched the video all the way through before commenting, I got this mine confused with the Plumbago on the other side of the canyon. I believe that property reverted to USFS.
@@stanbatchelor810 The Plumbago is still private. The ownership is complicated, but it is essentially owned by Mike Miller.
Tanis sounds like a wonderful gentleman.
He likes dogs and he gave us a tour of the mine. Ha, so, yes, he gets a thumbs up in my book.
Awesome share as always Justin, thank you... Cool area, artifacts and mine. Take care and stay safe. ... till the Next. ⛏⚒⛏ Cheers 🍻
some cool equipment there i like to see the old engines and stuff..
Thank you....i am always looking forward to seeing what you have to share!!
be safe and take care out there
This is a treasure man..
Fabulous explore ..what a beautiful area ..very enjoyable ..thank you for your explore and video
From Australia
I remember my dad (worked at the Brush Creek and Ruby mines in 1980's-90's) talking about this mine when I was a kid.
Real interesting video Justin. Thanks for sharing Story really caps it off, as usual.
Looks like the lower level where it splits off right after the portal is a huge fault jog, I'm sure it was a rich mine. Another clue is the doors - you don't put those doors on mines unless you've got ore with visible gold. Cool mine and beautiful setting!
Those are some thick veins. Very cool
Thanks for the video. Awesome info in description. Would love to visit and donate! One day hopefully
Tanis would welcome the visit!
Great Video guys!
Of all the mines featured, finally one I could visit! Must resist...
Where can I find a caretaking job like this. Absolutely incredible. I'm so used to the people around these places being hostile and trying to avoid them at all costs so its really cool to hear he's willing to take the time and show you guys around. Thank you for the snapshot back in time.
Ha, yeah, caretaker of such a bad place is not a bad gig, huh?
Great video and follow up description 👍🏻
Thank you!
Such tall stopes! Neat
IH TD's actually had spark plugs on each cylinder. There is a carburetor and the engine would start on gas. After it ran for a few minutes there is a lever that cuts off the gas and opens the diesel.
I have a International WD9 tractor and it has the same style motor there are three valves per cylinder and I would start on gas right away and then throw the decompressor lever down and it would run on diesel unless it was real cold and you would run it on gas for five minutes before switching to diesel, it's a great tractor.
Fantastic video, and awesome location and mine. I wouldn't be sharing this location. People can't be trusted.
Did you read the description below the video?
glad to see you made it
thanks for the trip dude, I'm pretty sure I know who built the skip/hoist retrofit
Great Content Mate
Great old mine. Thanks for taking us along. The under-river section is amazing to think about. I noticed at the T-junction in the lower drift the quartz vein started to thicken just above the floor of the adit. Maybe what the miners' were chasing that disappeared as the adit inclined?
bro, i look forward to all your vids ,you dont miss anything, tvr is the most informable channel ,no comedy like jeff williams or gly and laura
Thank you very much.
Thanks mate. That was brilliant.👍
I’ll be at my normal RV spot this October if winter doesn’t set in early. Then to my regular spot in Yuba country. Will probably visit your place again for some more exploring
And it is my pleasure, hope to explore some with you and crew. Will be available October through November
To be more clear regarding normal spot meaning near end of pavement on the Sierra county side.
Look forward to seeing you again . Hopefully sooner than later.
WOW. 👀 Very cool mine, 💯 Love seeing history and that one is good condition still. It literally looks like one day the boss said fella's U don't need to show up tomorrow to work cause the mine is broke and out of money. They all walked off and never came back even tho stuff is setting there ready for the next day's use. just cool as hell. awesome vid man. ☮
Thank you. Yes, the mines where it seems they just walked away are our favorites!
When you were in the old mine building there was an old style miners lamp on the bench, the design of that lamp was originally from a company called Oldham, when I started my apprenticeship in 1980, I was based about 1/2" a mile away from Oldham's factory in Denton UK where they made those mining lamps and high powered spot lights for marine use. I still have two working versions of them, and you can still buy the Oldham lamp brand new same design only has Led technology and lithium battery packs.
A lot of miners still use those!
Videos on your great channel that show mostly intact mining operations invariably make me think of working one someday for my 2nd career. I'm not saying that I could hit it as enthusiastically as I could when I was a hard charger in my 20s but I damn sure would work with more wisdom at this age and a better attitude than I do at my current job. There's something about this kind of work that calls to me, difficult to explain...
I understand... I walked away from a lucrative white collar career in investment banking for this.
Thanks! Good memories this last spring. I believe the large concrete foundations were where a water powered stamp mill was. The steel bars in the rock face probably supported an aqueduct to supply power to a water wheel. Just speculation.
Edit…more likely electrical power generation system. The flood of 1996 probably wiped out much of the infrastructure. I believe 1996 was the last occurrence of an epic flood.
Thank you very much, Bryan, for the kind donation and for making the connection with Tanis to allow this visit to happen! I miss seeing you. So, hopefully, you'll be back in our area next year. Yes, some pretty serious flooding ripped through the area in 1997 and damaged/destroyed a lot of historic mine infrastructure then.
That scenery is so amazing!
Its like a painting from bob ross!.
I like the aerial tramway also. Would be cool to just put some friends in the bucket and go over the river haha
also curious what is on the posters 7:27 cannnot see it clearly
Interesting is also that the miners built a stove next to the mine portal if the stovepipe breaks there could be smoke going in the shaft
Thanks for the nice video
A Ram pump wouldn't cost much and there already is the pipe and it runs on gravity. Great tour
If I were to guess, the bars in the wall were probably for a flume and that foundation was either a mill or a power plant and the water was brought to it. Pretty cool place!
Hi Justin, WOW ! Everything is still there. That looks like my grandfather's old red international P/U , snow who cares as long as the dozer still works. Does anyone still work in the mine ? Does everything still work ? Love the tugger, well, 😢for what the upper portal looks like it doesn't look like anyone has worked it lately. Wolf Creek looks nice to jump into. I wouldn't mind fishing it. Now that's a lot of quartz. too bad it pinches out. Thanks for the video and info on the German Bar Mine.
The pneumatic equipment is actually really durable and is pretty easy to rehab. The other stuff I would have less confidence in without some SERIOUS restoration work put in. No, no one is working the mine now. The last effort was the one that Tanis mentioned earlier in the 2000s.
Hate to see the water in there, haha! I like the way you showed the super sketchy opening then went right in..be safe.
Haha, super sketchy comes with the job. Yes, unfortunately, wet mines are a given in the mountains. The mine explorers based in the deserts are spoiled (although we often hit water in the desert mines as well when you go deep enough).
Quartz everywhere! I wonder how much gold they took out of this mine?
I'd love to know as well... With the really early mines, it seems as if that information is almost always lost to history.
Man thank you so much for an awesome video! Love watching your videos on mine exploring you guys do such an awesome job!
The dogs stopped for some fresh ice cold mineral water 😂
So cool!
You know, I bet those bars in the rock by the river were supports either for a trestle fir a flume to bring water over to those foundations for electricity and/or milling purposes, or (and this is far less likely, but way cooler, at least in my mind)for a now removed run of track intended to service that third lower caved adit you found. I couldn’t say for sure obviously, but it seems to me it’s roughly at the right level, and those bars are just long enough to lay some rail down. I wonder if there’s another adit or an old cross cut or something around that corner… man it would’ve been so cool to see that back when it was still in working order, if my hunch is correct. That would’ve made such a rad lookin rail system, all suspended up in the air like that and going around that corner and whatnot…makes me think of the lost boys’ rail system from the movie Hook. Ehh; it was probably a flume though.
When was this last worked in the 80s/90s?
Impressive quartz vein. Is there any info on mine production?
No, nothing on early or recent production. A report in the early 30s mentioned production of $200,000 then, but there are a lot of missing pieces.
Great video. When can you come explore the New Idria area with me? I know some areas I think you’d enjoy.
I'm overseas for the next few months at least. The earliest that I'll be back in the US is next year.
So, when did work end in this mine? I think I missed that. Some of the things in (around) the mine didn’t look that old
i wonder what type of pump they originally plumbed to drain that area, i bet that pvc is new enough you could drain a good portion of that area. maintaining drainage would probably be a big task being under the river
I'd be pretty curious to know how they dealt with the water as well. However, that was not an unfamiliar problem to the Cornish miners that flooded into the area and they had unique ways of dealing with water issues that seem to have worked quite well by all accounts.
And, yes, I imagine that you'd have to have pumps running flat out to contend with the water seeping in from the river.
Found one anvil over the years, it was it the middle of nowhere. In my youth I packed out that 40lb anvil and still use it today.
Hey guys like how the shop has like the drills and stuff still in it and talking about that anvil that anvil right there can fetch up to $1,000
As of a few years ago, the top of German Bar Road had been illegally gated by an ornery resident; I'm sure many would be curious to know whether that's still an issue.
There has been a lot of road work done in that area and, I believe, the gate is no longer in existence.
@@TVRExploring Good to know! Thanks for these videos.
@@TVRExploring so did you pass by the crazy ladies place
@@oldschoolmoto Yeah, there's a new road that goes around her now.
Turquoise cans in shop were Bugler Tobacco.
Very cool operation, thanks!
You should give Tanis your phone number, incase he gives up the caretaker job, you could take over - your dream job!
Ha, that's funny. There are a couple of other mines in the area with elderly caretakers and we were talking about it would be great to snag a position like that. We (all of the TVR crew) have lives and many interests outside of abandoned mines, but we could take shifts to look after things.
It's not a job and doesn't pay
What a job being the caretaker. I'd love it.
Good antique anvils made of old steel often hit differently than modern anvils. Enough to make a difference in the final product? No, probably not. But when you gotta listen to ringing metal all day the old ones do have a better sound to them, usually.
Ah, that's really interesting. I didn't know that, but I'm not surprised.
I follow about 6 or 7 mine explore channels and it continues to amaze me just how many different good sized mines there are in the US! I occasionally see one channel doing the same mine I saw on another, but not nearly as often as you'd think.
I know you've been to Russia, Italy etc.... But how about mines in the eastern US? I know a lot are coal mines and while they are cool to see in their own right, I also know they're pretty dangerous. Theres other mines though... I know there's a good sized mica mine in WNC.
I did a video on a coal mine in West Virginia, but, no, I haven't done much in the way of mines on the eastern US. When I lived in New York for a year, I wasn't into mine exploring yet. And, today, I don't have the knowledge to feel like I could make a really successful trip in an unfamiliar area. Mike Sandone (who also has a RUclips channel) does a great job with mines in the eastern US...
@@TVRExploring well, now I gotta scroll all the way through your vids again LOL... I was sure I've seen em all, all the way back to the 870 Rapid fire...
And thanks for the new channel tip.
@@Dwendele Oh, wow, that is extremely impressive! Haha, that is going way back. I've often wondered if people that come for the mine videos go back through the older stuff. There's quite an eclectic mix in the older videos. The coal mine was the Kaymoor Mine. So, if you type that in, it should come up.
@@TVRExploring awesome thanks! Yeah, I got into your vids about 4 years ago and just binge watched for like a month. 😂😂 I STILL show people that silver mine with the HUGE ballroom/cave. Has to laugh at you saying something like hoooly shit! when you first saw it.
@@Dwendele Ah, yes, that was an incredible scene... That area has the best mine exploring that I've experienced. Our "Lost Worlds Project" was nearby.
Quartz with Galloping Iron Horse!!!; )
When was the last time this mine was operating? I see some modern pvc piping
The caretaker indicated that it was in the early 2000s.
That international dozer starts on gas to warm the engine then when it is hot enough you switch over to diesel and shut off the gas supply and spark
Interesting, I came across another really small old channel on RUclips, Tom Fisher's. He visited the mine across the river from here ~13 yrs ago. I wonder how interconnected the caretakers are between these 2 sites and others. There's almost a straight line (as the crow flies) between the mine North of here, this one and another the stuff around New York Canyon.
I looked for that channel you mentioned, but I couldn't find it. Could you steer me toward it?
Neat!
This vidya was well worth the 48 min. investment. Now we are expecting even better, but we'll take what you can find. Thanks.
Some older international dozens would start on gas and then once they were warmed up you would switch them over to diesel
I believe that was the case here as well.
I heard the broad who owns the place near Hagerty Ranch Rd had blocked off the access down here, is that still the case?
There's a newly built road spur that bypasses the crazy woman.
At the lower portal that could have been the foundations for a gravity processing mill maybe
no pony motor on that dozer it literally starts on regular gasoline then you switch over to distillates diesel /kerosene /stove oil
Wow! It's amazing how much stuff is still there. But it's only because of Tanis. Classic mining fixtures. Except for the satellite dish.
Tanis had it backwards those old internationals dozers started on gasoline and stayed running while you switched it over to diesel some kind of lever. Old timers told me about them.
Koreason fuel
Amazing as much is still there as there is, and probably most of the leftover hardware and such was from the last crew there.
Anvis are usually 2 to 3 dollars a pound to those who use them, and usually collectors pay that much or more depending on condition, and who the manufacturers were..
Imagine the river was cold if a lot of it comes from underground, and looking at the level of water in the lower levels, and the water dripping from the sound coming through on the background noise.
I'd say that there's was a good bit if the water from below ground or from inside the surrounding mountains.
Wonder how much they actually got out of it on the last venture.
If it was worth the time and money invested, or they had similar experience such as the one you fellas got a taste of?
I guess it'd be like back in the 70's when everyone was investing in oil wells that never paid out, and was basically tax shelter from best I could tell.
For those that had the money to use in order to keep taxes as low as possible.
Beautiful around there, and hard to imagine that it gets as nasty in the winter there, as it doesn't look like it from how nice it is in the summer time, but being from NE Texas, and not having any real mountains within couple hundred miles of here, and nothing with the elevation ya'll have nor something I'm familiar with.
Appreciate the ride as always, ya'll be safe.
PS
Where was the normal crew that you usually go on these adventures with?
Small scale mining almost always loses money. One should do it for other reasons (as we did) if they want something out of it... I'd like to think that the last crew was able to come in with a new technology, such as metal detectors, and pull out some good gold (as happened at the nearby 16-to1 Mine), but the odds are not in their favor. Good on them - and all miners - for taking the chance though! Even at the bottom of the canyon, which is obviously lower in elevation, some pretty serious winter weather hits that area. I'm not sure who you're thinking of for the regular crew as that was the regular California crew.
6:45 I would totally steal a good vintage German anvil if I saw one, they are made far better than the crap they make today - better steal means less hammering
You’re the reason that people don’t let anyone on their property.
@@j-rocsk 🤣 no more like if it was unused for 80yrs then I’d take it. My philosophy is more build good stuff with what you can find rather than preserving rotting history that will die. The amazing tools of the past should be passed forward and used, the people that made them would want this - if you don’t get it then you are from a different world that doesn’t create.
@@vintageexcellence you straight up said you’d steal it you retard,
I bet there is gold in that river too. I would not climb over the mucker either.
There is definitely gold in the Yuba River. A fortune in gold has come out of that river... I would have climbed over the mucker if we didn't know what was back there. However, Tanis told us what was there and it wasn't worth it.
Close it, there's to much water, freeze and thaw every year it's gonna callaps. A small open pit mine mite support you, start at the top and start shoveling some one will show to help.
It sounds like the owner is an old school miner who's concerned about theft and accident liability. I can understand his basic concerns, but he might have just asked you to post a notice asking people Not to visit the mine. The people who watch this channel aren't the thieves and vandals he has to worry about. But I hope Tanis won't get in trouble. The owner might put a massively reinforced gateway to block all unauthorized access from the outer edge of the claims. Then at least he won't have to worry about theft of any larger items. And simply post a sign forbidding access. Or have anyone there sign a liability release.
Paperwork I have shows 4 levels in 1934
Four levels or four adits? In other words, is that counting the two open adits and then stating that there were two additional levels down the winze?
@@TVRExploring "the workings consist of four tunnels the lowest close to the river bank, two others 67 and 133 feet above, and a fourth on the opposite side of the peninsula still higher.. mill rock averaging $10 per ton. Supposed to have yielded $200,000 in 1928. The report shows photos and surveys
@@jamesallen9751 Ah, OK. Interesting... So, we found the three adits you mentioned, but were not aware of the fourth on the other side of the peninsula. Now, that "trail" created by the steel driven into the rock of the peninsula makes sense. I guess we'll have to go back! Thank you for the information.
My bet is the foundation outside was for a water wheel, maybe powering some pumps?
That's what the technical guy on our crew thought as well... It makes sense. It was a good distance from the current course of the river and so I'd be curious to know how that would have looked.
@@TVRExploring I thought those metal rods sticking out of the cliff over the water may have been part of a flume. You mentioned Cornish miners, and they had a lot of setups like that.
Not a jaw crusher, it's a rock crusher.
$45,000 to pump it out? For that price I'd build a watermill and run the water pump off it. Heck if you pump it up stream of the pump the additional water would power the mill as well.
That would undoubtedly work. However, I doubt the regulators would ever let you do that.
@@TVRExploring true
There is another mine right near there that has the biggest quartz vein I’ve ever seen. Have you been there?
Probably. There are only a few mines that I haven't been to in that area...
@@TVRExploring you haven’t filmed it if you have.
@@justinspicer8989 Lots of stuff that I've filmed hasn't necessarily been published and won't be. Also, it is very rare that I use the actual name of a mine.
@@justinspicer8989 Or I may just not have edited and published it yet...
16-2 0ne I bet.
Too bad you couldn’t use a water wheel and the river to pump that out. Forget PG&E use gods energy. :)
The regulators would never allow someone to set something like that up now...
Looks like a video game
@ 22:15 where those battery banks beside the caretaker? like that be crazy if so
Yes, that was one of them. It obviously came off of the trammer.
Those old international tractors and dozer started on gasoline, once warmed up you would switch to diesel, so the engine acted as it's own pony motor.
it’s all fun and games until you find a mine that goes into a red fleshy cave
Epic mine. Would love to know what's down that huge flooded winze!! Was that an Olight M2 I spotted? Top torch!
I'd love to know what is down the winze as well... And, yes, that is exactly correct on the torch that you spotted. I bought it 100% based upon your high praise. So, you should get a commission!
@@TVRExploringThey are indestructible. Our batch of M2s are all still going strong 4 years in. One even died then came back to life! Hope you are well bud. Top Exploration as per normal with the TVR uploads.
Eb. QAM.
@@qldabandonedmines Doing great, mate. Thank you. I hope that you are as well... Good to know about the durability of those lights. As you know, mine exploring is very hard on gear!
That might have been scaffolding and all that for dredging
It does that the td14 I've got one
Don’t wait get another dog there are thousands that need good homes….another friend that’s a good thing!😊
I bet I can buy that anvil off the care taker
You’d be buying stolen property then. Man people are idiots.