Help me identify and explore this 100 year old Gold Mine Site!

[StonedArchaeology]

So for 7 years I have been in search of an gold mine in the woods of northern Canada. I have finally found the site! It matched the description given to me by others (the mine is not a secret and has had many hikers pass through over the years) and has several "artifacts" visible. An old, small gauge ore cart axle is still visible. The site is at least a hundred years old and maybe two. A quick sweep with the metal detector has turned up several things such as a large nail (chisel?), pieces of old oil lamps and what I think are parts of a stove (metal with floral patterns). Also, the area looks slightly different that surrounding areas . While the area is all large rock and bedrock outcroppings this area seems to have alot of small stone under the surface. Also, there is a large cavern "under" a huge rock.
My question is what else should I be looking./digging for? Someone told me they thought it was an old shaft that had collapsed. Any advice on how to figure this out? Its not obvious any shaft exists. Also any other recommendations on what to look for and how to unwrap more of the history? It may seem a vague question but I think people familiar with old mine techniques and setups may have good suggestions.
So far, depsite the rumors of a adit, I think its possibly an old placer mine.

 

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[loco oro]

Not likely placer, with lamps, ore carts,they could have been mining a high bench, but laying rail,I lean towards hardrock,look for evidence of crushing, ore piles, or tailings, placer mine will have heaps of small to moderate gravel size tailings,not far from water source.ps,stay out of any opening,obvious reasons.

 

[arizau]

You say there is "small stone under the surface". Are the stones rounded or angular? Rounded would indicate that they are river rocks and were deposited by or washed down hill from an ancient stream bed. In that case there is the possibility of the site being a gold placer deposit and would be worth sampling and panning.

Good luck.

PS: If the site is hard rock then it might have been discovered by tracking "float" uphill from a placer deposit.

 

[winners58]

One thing it could be is from building railroad tracks, to a mine possibly? the wheels look like something that would
be used above ground on a railway, whereas inside a mine the wheels would be much smaller & solid with no spokes
the nail could be a rail spike, might look above that area to see if it came from somewhere up hill or path it could have taken.
the rock in the first photo is not from a mine, it looks like it landed there!

 

[StonedArchaeology]

I havent had alot of time on site and have done very little digging. Its grown in so in areas I just loose rock. At the time I never really got a good chance to have a look at whether sharp or rounded. I had initially thought hard rock but initially theres no sign of a shaft or adit. Also in some spots theres was a fine sand which I thought may have been crushed rock. But now (having not been back to the site) I feel like it was sediment from an old river. The cart wheel confuses me. I think one way or the other it was used to move rock from the opening under the big rock as it looks like a hard area to remove rock from. There is a river nearby. I haven't inspected it much. A quick walk around surrounding area didnt show any obvious oddities but it is very grown in .

 

[winners58]

The big rocks just don't look like something they would be mining around, miners back then were very industrious
they would have used explosives to make it safe, or maybe that is the result of blasting further up the hill...
a lot of mines in the early 1900's used tramways from the mines to processing areas? could have been a workers camp?
without knowing any of the history of the area there's no real way of giving much opinion.

 

[StonedArchaeology]

I only have a vague understanding of its history right now as well. I thought it was weird to mine around the HUGE rocks as well but it did seem to me like it could be an old waterfall location and thus the good pay dirt was under the big rocks. As for the smaller big rocks on the ground I think alot of it came from overhead in the years since its operation. I dont think it was a huge operation, more like two guys trying to find some easy pickings. But I have no idea really. Hoping to learn more over the winter.