Covered mine now being reworked

[sdcfia]

My pal tracked down an old report describing a promising cross cut that was driven 120 feet +/- intending to connect to a known rich vein (copper, gold) that was forced to close down after the 1929 crash. The portal was collapsed and covered then, hopefully to be put back to work later. That never happened. He finally located the correct spot and went to work. Lots of collapses, rotton timbers, etc. inside. All the improvements in the pictures below - new portal, steel gate, track, timbering, etc were done by him alone. He even built the ore car from scratch on an old carraige. I've been helping him a little lately with stuff he can't do solo. Once the timbering is done (bad ground there), he'll finished grading the floor back to the work face, install the last 20' of track, and start drilling.

Oh, the last photo was of my east fence line this morning in Pinos Altos.

Old portal, cleaned up

New gate, inside

New portal, outside

New ore car

New track, outside

New timbering, track - inside

 

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[tamrock]

Superb work. Especially the ore cart.

 

[sdcfia]

Superb work. Especially the ore cart.

It's on a swivel - front or side dump.

 

[robertk]

That's amazing -- incredible amount of work, and very well done. Whether there's gold in the tunnel or not, that's an awesome find.

 

[russau]

I agree with all of the above comments ! SUPER JOB !

 

[The Rebel]

That's a really cool project you have. I love all the restoration work.

Looking forward to new updates.

 

[bc5391]

Fantastic job, hope he lets you join in on the digging.

 

[sdcfia]

Fantastic job, hope he lets you join in on the digging.

Ha ha . . . I'm sure he will, if I'm willing. We're both well into our 70s with decades of bodily use starting to add up quick for both of us. There's only so much tread on your tires, you know, and you have to learn how to be efficient with your energy usage. His motivation is to have fun doing things the old way. Be nice to get some good ore too.

 

[russau]

swdcfia WELCOME TO THE CLUB !!!

 

[sdcfia]

swdcfia WELCOME TO THE CLUB !!!

Well, thanks - I appreciate the gesture!

 

[desertgolddigger]

Wonderful!!! I sure hope all the work getting things cleared, and ready to go pays big dividends.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Ha ha . . . I'm sure he will, if I'm willing. We're both well into our 70s with decades of bodily use starting to add up quick for both of us. There's only so much tread on your tires, you know, and you have to learn how to be efficient with your energy usage. His motivation is to have fun doing things the old way. Be nice to get some good ore too.

You never know what you might expose! Even if it’s gets tough mining, you can always try to find a trustworthy youngster to help that you can pass general knowledge onto. God knows that generation needs the guidance from YOUR generation.

 

[sdcfia]

Wonderful!!! I sure hope all the work getting things cleared, and ready to go pays big dividends.

You never know what you might expose! Even if it’s gets tough mining, you can always try to find a trustworthy youngster to help that you can pass general knowledge onto. God knows that generation needs the guidance from YOUR generation.

The one existing old report from the 1920s indicated that the cross cut was to intercept a vein that work started on about 300 feet away - one of numerous in the area that ran up to 20% copper and sometimes a half ounce gold per ton. Back then, they wanted a lower intercept where the values were hoped to be as good or better and the haulage would be easier. Unfortunately, the company that owned all these claims must have gone belly-up, as, despite exhausting searching, no more reports, maps, assays, etc. can be found. These workings have all just remained old holes in the ground for the past hundred years.

Of course, even if my pal gets lucky and finds good ore, then he'll have to build his own mill to concentrate it. Then he'll have to find someone to buy the concentrates. Maybe he'll end up smelting it himself too. Ha ha, that's the way he is.

 

[releventchair]

My pal tracked down an old report describing a promising cross cut that was driven 120 feet +/- intending to connect to a known rich vein (copper, gold) that was forced to close down after the 1929 crash. The portal was collapsed and covered then, hopefully to be put back to work later. That never happened. He finally located the correct spot and went to work. Lots of collapses, rotton timbers, etc. inside. All the improvements in the pictures below - new portal, steel gate, track, timbering, etc were done by him alone. He even built the ore car from scratch on an old carraige. I've been helping him a little lately with stuff he can't do solo. Once the timbering is done (bad ground there), he'll finished grading the floor back to the work face, install the last 20' of track, and start drilling.

Oh, the last photo was of my east fence line this morning in Pinos Altos.

View attachment 2129427
Old portal, cleaned up

View attachment 2129428
New gate, inside

View attachment 2129429
New portal, outside

View attachment 2129430
New ore car

View attachment 2129431
New track, outside

View attachment 2129432
New timbering, track - inside

View attachment 2129433

Great work.
Tidy organized mine too..

Meanwhile in your yard. Venison and steel grating sufficient for grilling....I could be creative there.
What are deer browsing on? Berry canes/briers? Cottonwood buds on twigs?

 

[sdcfia]

Great work.
Tidy organized mine too..

Meanwhile in your yard. Venison and steel grating sufficient for grilling....I could be creative there.
What are deer browsing on? Berry canes/briers? Cottonwood buds on twigs?

That's a late-1800s apple orchard they're grazing in, and those trees on the fence line are mostly cottonwoods. The fruit trees are many decades dead, but, yes, there are buds forming on the cottonwoods already. The branches on the ground are deadfall, but there's still a few shoots here and there they can nibble on. There's also dry gramma grass poking up thru the snow from last season.

 

[sdcfia]

Weather has improved, so now the solar panels are being installed on the hill above the portal. The controller, inverter, batteries, etc. will be inside the drift. This will take some of the load off the generators used to power things in the mine. Pulling the wires through the buried conduit down into the mine is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

As you can see, a wildfire swept through the forest late in 2023. The Ponderosas were severely impacted, but the Oak brush is thriving again, of course. I could say more about the fire, but I won't.

 

[Fermion]

This is fascinating. To do all this work though, is there some sign of a vein in the tunnel or did you guys find some gold in the old tailings? I can't imagine just going hog wild into the side of a hill/mountain like that without knowing if I am going to hit something.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Weather has improved, so now the solar panels are being installed on the hill above the portal. The controller, inverter, batteries, etc. will be inside the drift. This will take some of the load off the generators used to power things in the mine. Pulling the wires through the buried conduit down into the mine is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

As you can see, a wildfire swept through the forest late in 2023. The Ponderosas were severely impacted, but the Oak brush is thriving again, of course. I could say more about the fire, but I won't.

View attachment 2133007

We all know a high tech drone went ahead of the fire and kept it going. I don’t even know which fire it was and am positive I’m spot on. Thanks for the update.

 

[Assembler]

This is fascinating. To do all this work though, is there some sign of a vein in the tunnel or did you guys find some gold in the old tailings? I can't imagine just going hog wild into the side of a hill/mountain like that without knowing if I am going to hit something.

Maybe they don't want to talk about it?

 

[detectorcowboy]

Wow, you guy put a lot of work into that.