Lost Cabin Mine - How Many Different Legends ?

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TreasureTales

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It's always been curious to me that there are so doggone many legends about mines and their lost cabins. I know of two Lost Cabin Mine legends here in California alone. There are other such legends in other states, I have no doubt.

How about posting the Lost Cabin Mines you know about, and which state they are in.

I know of one such lost mine that is supposed to be on California's North Coast and another one east of Redding, California.
 

Jeffro

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Re: Lost Cabin Mine - How Many Legends Are There?

There's a few here in Oregon-

The two Frenchmen's lost cabin
Steamboat Mountain lost cabin
Bohemia's mystery mine (actually a lost cabin story)
Steamboat creek (different from above)- found
Merlin cabin- found


Curiously enough, I have some old maps of several gold mining districts in Oregon, with the cabin sites of the times marked.

Even curiouser, Crater Lake was discovered by a party from Jacksonville out looking for a lost cabin mine!
 

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TreasureTales

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Re: Lost Cabin Mine - How Many Legends Are There?

Jeffro said:
There's a few here in Oregon-

The two Frenchmen's lost cabin
Steamboat Mountain lost cabin
Bohemia's mystery mine (actually a lost cabin story)
Steamboat creek (different from above)- found
Merlin cabin- found


Curiously enough, I have some old maps of several gold mining districts in Oregon, with the cabin sites of the times marked.

Even curiouser, Crater Lake was discovered by a party from Jacksonville out looking for a lost cabin mine!

Years ago I did some research on a Lost Cabin Mine that was supposed to be near Trinidad, California. Even went so far as to check the census records of 1860 to verify the existence of the guys involved. They were real, so I think they did find some gold, but maybe not as much as the legend says.

The other Lost Cabin Mine here in California that I know about is on the route to one of my favorite campsites. It's been kinda strange because the mine itself is fairly remote and never had a cabin there, but every time I stop to look around, some guys that look like rejects from Deliverance show up and give me the creeps. It's like they're just waiting for a pigeon.
 

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TreasureTales

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Re: Lost Cabin Mine - How Many Legends Are There?

Montana Jim said:

Jim, that's a great website, thanks. It's unusual to read about a Lost Cabin Mine that doesn't have gold or silver associated with it.

So far we've got legends about lost cabin mines from California, Montana, and Oregon. That's amazing. How confusing that can be for researchers!!
 

Jeff G

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Don't know about a lost cabin mine, but I did have an cousin they called Groundhog. Back in the 30's and 40's he didn't have much money, hated the government etc. He dug himself a cave in a hillside way above a creek an lived in it for years along with his dog. I need to get out there and find it. I think I know where it was at. All the relatives that new him have passed and most of their kids don't know the story. He was kind of an outcast. He lived on what he could hunt or catch. From what I understand he was happy.

I figure his home site should be a descent place to hit. There won't be much money, but there should be some interesting junk.....
 

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TreasureTales

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Jeff G said:
Don't know about a lost cabin mine, but I did have an cousin they called Groundhog. Back in the 30's and 40's he didn't have much money, hated the government etc. He dug himself a cave in a hillside way above a creek an lived in it for years along with his dog. I need to get out there and find it. I think I know where it was at. All the relatives that new him have passed and most of their kids don't know the story. He was kind of an outcast. He lived on what he could hunt or catch. From what I understand he was happy.

I figure his home site should be a descent place to hit. There won't be much money, but there should be some interesting junk.....

Heck yeah you should try to find it. Was it on federal land or private? Lots of people took to the woods in the 30s and 40s. First to eke out a living during the Depression and then to avoid WWII. There is a great book called Bacon & Beans From A Gold Pan which details the life of a newlywed couple during the early years of the Depression, and their quest to find enough gold for basic necessities after he lost his job. Sorta like your cousin, I bet. People like that are always fascinating. I guess I admire their independence.
 

Jeff G

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TreasureTales said:
Jeff G said:
Don't know about a lost cabin mine, but I did have an cousin they called Groundhog. Back in the 30's and 40's he didn't have much money, hated the government etc. He dug himself a cave in a hillside way above a creek an lived in it for years along with his dog. I need to get out there and find it. I think I know where it was at. All the relatives that new him have passed and most of their kids don't know the story. He was kind of an outcast. He lived on what he could hunt or catch. From what I understand he was happy.

I figure his home site should be a descent place to hit. There won't be much money, but there should be some interesting junk.....

Heck yeah you should try to find it. Was it on federal land or private? Lots of people took to the woods in the 30s and 40s. First to eke out a living during the Depression and then to avoid WWII. There is a great book called Bacon & Beans From A Gold Pan which details the life of a newlywed couple during the early years of the Depression, and their quest to find enough gold for basic necessities after he lost his job. Sorta like your cousin, I bet. People like that are always fascinating. I guess I admire their independence.

It was on private land, but I believe it is still in the family, although I doubt they know me. I am going to scout the area this summer and see what I can find out...
 

Montana Jim

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Jeff G - That is an interesting adventure... If it pans out and you do this thing, I'm sure I'd love to read about it here!
 

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TreasureTales

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Montana Jim said:
Jeff G - That is an interesting adventure... If it pans out and you do this thing, I'm sure I'd love to read about it here!

Ditto. And in case no one has said it before - Welcome To TNet, Jeff G.
 

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Clam Digga

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Re: Lost Cabin Mine - How Many Legends Are There?

[/quote]The other Lost Cabin Mine here in California that I know about is on the route to one of my favorite campsites. It's been kinda strange because the mine itself is fairly remote and never had a cabin there, but every time I stop to look around, some guys that look like rejects from Deliverance show up and give me the creeps. It's like they're just waiting for a pigeon.
[/quote]


TT iff'n your going there bring a fairly good amount of bacon fat and some clothes that tear off like velcro cuz them 'dere " rejects from Deliverance " really liked to make Ned Beatty "Squeal like a pig boy".... bring your banjo too.

JK,,, Stay outta there
 

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stefen

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Re: Lost Cabin Mine - How Many Legends Are There?

TreasureTales said:
Jeffro said:
There's a few here in Oregon-

The two Frenchmen's lost cabin
Steamboat Mountain lost cabin
Bohemia's mystery mine (actually a lost cabin story)
Steamboat creek (different from above)- found
Merlin cabin- found


Curiously enough, I have some old maps of several gold mining districts in Oregon, with the cabin sites of the times marked.

Even curiouser, Crater Lake was discovered by a party from Jacksonville out looking for a lost cabin mine!

Years ago I did some research on a Lost Cabin Mine that was supposed to be near Trinidad, California. Even went so far as to check the census records of 1860 to verify the existence of the guys involved. They were real, so I think they did find some gold, but maybe not as much as the legend says.

The other Lost Cabin Mine here in California that I know about is on the route to one of my favorite campsites. It's been kinda strange because the mine itself is fairly remote and never had a cabin there, but every time I stop to look around, some guys that look like rejects from Deliverance show up and give me the creeps. It's like they're just waiting for a pigeon.

Isn't that the site of the Black Sand Bluffs & Beach just north of Trinidad?

The sands were mined in the late 1800's and produced a lot of gold fines. Mining attempts never got off of the ground because of in-fighting, politics, financing and claim jumping.

Some of the beach areas along this portion of the coast and dangerous and have occasional rouge waves.

Would be interesting to get a bucket or two and see what results.
 

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TreasureTales

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Hmmm, Stefen I don't know about a black sands beach, but I do know about Gold Bluffs at Prairie Creek State Park. And because it is at a state park, can't dig into it for test samples. Bummer.
 

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stefen

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TreasureTales said:
Hmmm, Stefen I don't know about a black sands beach, but I do know about Gold Bluffs at Prairie Creek State Park. And because it is at a state park, can't dig into it for test samples. Bummer.



Treasure Tales,

We are both right in our thinking...The area I am thinking about is along the Madd River in the vicinity of Arcata. I wasn't fully aware of the fact that there is a 60 stretch of beach with gold bearing sand...and placer gravel, most of which is not protected by the State.

Here is an interesting quote:

"Even in the olden days it was known that there were thousands of dollars to be made in the gold dust lying waste along the beaches of Humboldt county, but if it was a puzzle that could not be solved then, it is still a puzzle to capture the fleeting dust and flakes of gold from the sand. From Table Bluff to the Klamath river, over a distance of more than sixty miles, there is an almost unbroken gold-bearing sand beach exclusive of the Gold Bluff beach mining claims. The deposit is said to have accumulated from the crumbling debris of old gravel banks which came upon the beach and from the ample discharge of the waters of the Klamath river".

Obviously, more research is required. This would be a good topic by itself.

My apologies, it looks like we sequed and have pirated this string.
 

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TreasureTales

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Stefen, some of the beaches along that 60 mile stretch are nearly impossible to reach, or are part of the Redwoods National Park, aren't they? Don't worry about hijacking the string, it happens all the time. LOL

There is a Lost Cabin mine in Colorado, too. I read about it in one of the books I have, but now cannot find the book. Typical.
 

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