How to Find Old Mines

[Springfield]

• Go to a mineralized area where mining was known to have occurred
• Look for old eroded dumps
• Look for old well-used trails
• Look for weird rock contacts
• Look for discoloration of any kind
• Look for old cut, weathered stumps and timbers
• Look for old blazes on Juniper trees
• Look for remnants of rusted metal
• Look for mineralized rock in the drainages
• Pay attention to where your dog leads you

Below are a several old mines I located in a district not far from a major open pit copper mine - out in the middle of nowhere with only an occasional ranch hand on horseback in the vicinity every few years. Some were wide open, some were camoflaged. They date from ca 1750. Many of the photos are scans from film prints (remember film?) and aren't the best resolution, but they give you an idea of what to look for.

[SeaninNH]

Those are some great shots Thanks for sharing.

I'd love to find those. Did any of them produce any goodies for you?

[Shortstack]

Springfield:
Excellent tips. There's one more point to keep in mind through out your searches. Gold and silver can be found where you'd LEAST expect to find it. I found a very old map from the New Spain era that had a silver mine labelled in LOUISIANA. (the area of what is now northern Louisiana NOT way up in the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase.) How's THEM apples? LOL Plus, the diary of a Spanish governor about his stay in Natchez, included his experience of finding surface lode amounts of copper in the Pine Belt of southern Mississippi as well as in what is now eastern Arkansas. As we're all aware; where ever copper is found (in paying amounts) gold and silver is somewhere fairly near.

Your dog has a look on her face like she's saying, "Aren't you ready to go home yet, DUDE LOL

[mdog]

Thanks for the pictures Springfield.

You mentioned watching for blazes on juniper trees. Did you see any rock carvings or stone markers associated with these mines?

Rick

[dog, the treasure hunter]

great stuff springfield,thanks for sharing.i hope i find one someday.i liked seeing your photo of the shovel and digging action too.it great seeing someone actuly moveing some earth in there hunt.

[Old Dog]

Steve,
I must ditto all the above.
awesome stuff, great pix. Much enjoyed.

[Springfield]

Thanks for the pictures Springfield.

You mentioned watching for blazes on juniper trees. Did you see any rock carvings or stone markers associated with these mines?

Rick

Yes. This thread concerns locating an old mine in a small immediate search area. The maps and/or signs that direct you to the immediate search area are beyond the scope of this thread, but in the case of all the old mines shown at the beginning of this thread, the search area was pointed to from a 'bigger picture' - one that had nothing to do with the so-called 'King's Code', which as you know, I don't buy into.

Remember, when the old miners left an area, there were very few humans, if any besides themselves, around. If the mines were successful enough, they were presumably planning on returning sooner rather than later. If so, marking an old mine's location for future reference didn't have to be an esoteric exercise. In fact, they wanted it as simple as they could make it. They wanted something unmistakable for the followers to search for. When the sign was found, then the nearby adit/shaft could quickly be located, whether it was wide open, camoflaged, or completely buried.

Below are some clues that were all found within 100 yards or so of some of the earlier pictured workings. The first photo is a stone cross erected on the ground at the top of the mountain above where all the mines are. The direction it's pointing has significance within the 'bigger picture'. Once this hill was ID'd, locating the workings scattered below was not difficult. It just takes diligence. There's an odd colored rock on a ledge, an old cut stump, a nice big pointer rock, a weird skull-shaped rock in a tree.

The last picture is of a site that I believe may be another covered adit. Trouble is, it's too close to a highway to permit a stealth dig. Still on the list of things to do, but on the back burner.

[mdog]

Thank you Springfield for sharing your pictures with us.

Markers that could be easily spotted if you know what area to go to.

Thanks again.

Rick

[peralta]

Them were beautiful pictures. Your a good seer.

[Fisher Lou]

Thanks for sharing the information and excellent photos.

What about campsites? Did they camp near the mines or various distances away? What remnants would you look for in campsites from the era?

[hadji009]

spring, so the heart in the mine south pic does it have any special meaning or just natural? brent

[Springfield]

Thanks for sharing the information and excellent photos.

What about campsites? Did they camp near the mines or various distances away? What remnants would you look for in campsites from the era?

They camped where there was water and some degree of security. There is an old site at the base of the hill where these mines are located that indicate temporary habitation in the past - a series of raised earth/rock platforms (6" or so off the ground) for tent/arbor shelters, some old, old metal artifacts, fire rings and what appears to be a collapsed hand-dug well. Was this site associated with the mines? I'd say there are pretty good odds that it was, but there's no proof.

[Springfield]

spring, so the heart in the mine south pic does it have any special meaning or just natural? brent

If you're referring to the photos posted Jan 20, 2012, 03:19:06 PM, I'd say all the rocks in those pics are natural. Some are hand-placed, of course, but I don't see any shapes like hearts that wouldn't be natural.

[CanadianTrout]

Great pics Springfield! Thanks!

Your last bullet in the OP says follow where your dog leads you. Where you serious? What does that tell you? What is he following? Certainly not a scent... but maybe an animals naturla ability to pick the easiest trail or something?

[Springfield]

Great pics Springfield! Thanks!

Your last bullet in the OP says follow where your dog leads you. Where you serious? What does that tell you? What is he following? Certainly not a scent... but maybe an animals naturla ability to pick the easiest trail or something?

That black girl dog Aggie (R.I.P.) led me to a number of old mines and many, many Indian ruins and petroglyphs. My present white boy dog Farley has also had lots of finds. I don't know how they do it - I've thought about it a lot. I think they pick up vibrations that we normally can't.

[Shortstack]

Great pics Springfield! Thanks!

Your last bullet in the OP says follow where your dog leads you. Where you serious? What does that tell you? What is he following? Certainly not a scent... but maybe an animals naturla ability to pick the easiest trail or something?

That black girl dog Aggie (R.I.P.) led me to a number of old mines and many, many Indian ruins and petroglyphs. My present white boy dog Farley has also had lots of finds. I don't know how they do it - I've thought about it a lot. I think they pick up vibrations that we normally can't.

Springfield:
I wonder if the dogs smell the difference in the soil of the underground as opposed to the surface stuff. Or maybe a slight gasing-off from underground.

[Pala Y Pico]

One time, across from the Big Bend Park on the Mexican side, I was out in the hills in the middle of nowhere.

I got my wires crossed or something and lost my sense of direction. Everthing I did confused me even more. My heart was pounding and I was scared.

Then I remembered my Grandpa saying that the donkey will find his way home. I let the reins on the donkey loose. The donkey was going in directions that my mind said were 100% wrong. It took all my self control to not interfere.

From a 10 yr old then, not smarter then a donkey, now I will follow a dog or an ass, if I have too.

[Shortstack]

I've followed a few asses before. A couple of them divorced me, though. LOL

Seriously, though; I've always heard that donkeys and mules were really smart and horses were actually dumb. I once read that if you're riding or packing in with a mule and "he" or "she" just stops on the trail, you'd better check out WHY. A mule will sense something wrong and stop on a trail and wait for the humans to figure things out. Most folks (and Hollyweird) think they are being stubborn and hard to work with when, in reality, they are usually a lot smarter than the humans using them.

[Old Dog]

Thanks Steve,
I like too hunt with a dog as well, and am currently breaking in a new one since I lost Tank.
the husky isn't a good trail partner as she tends to follow her nose and get lost, LOL. Has her own Idea of what is treasure.
My boxer however likes to stay within sight of me and will carry her own gear. that's a start...

[Springfield]

Thanks Steve,
I like too hunt with a dog as well, and am currently breaking in a new one since I lost Tank.
the husky isn't a good trail partner as she tends to follow her nose and get lost, LOL. Has her own Idea of what is treasure.
My boxer however likes to stay within sight of me and will carry her own gear. that's a start...

I've had the best luck with mutts. Sight-type dogs - lab mixes, pointer mixes, are my favorites. I've never planned my dog getting though, they have all been rescues. If I did have a plan, I'd probably try a heeler-type mix, or something like that. Very, very smart critters. No Aussie shepherds, though - I no longer have the energy to keep up with them. Speaking of boxers, I have a white boxer/sharpei girl dog (scent-type), and she absolutely has a mind of her own and will not respond to commands - same as your husky, lost all the time.