In Search of the Lost Hobo Mine, Mine exploration Colorado

[CGC Miner]

Thought you guys might enjoy this trek into an old abandoned mine here in Colorado.

Chest deep snow and a harrowing descent into the old abandoned mine shaft! Is this the squatters fabled gold mine!?
The story goes; "There is a long haired scruffy fellow, living in an abandoned gold mine here in Summit County Colorado. Once a week he ventures into Whole Foods n buys $800 worth of tasty food. He pays with crisp $100 bills and always has a raggedy empty burlap sack tucked into his waist". He must be selling his high grade gold ore here locally to someone.
I want to find him! and make friends!!Lets Go!

 

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[russau]

Thanks for the tag-a-long CGC!! Its been awhile since we've "chatted" ,I got to old -n-beat up to do anything anymore . I enjoyed the vid but I cant do it anymore! Nice sound effects!

 

[cyzak]

Excellent video i use to hang around that country up French gulch, Buffalo mnt, Hoosier pass lots of country to look at Breck was were the biggest gold nuggets came from in Colorado.

 

[AnnaMountain]

Hey CGC! Thanks for posting...fun to ride a long

How big is the tailings pile on this beast - and what does it look like - all fine powder material or did they have it sorted? Any sign of a stamp mill being there at one point? IMHO the veins don’t appear to be mined out, and I wanna say that shaft you found most likely goes all the way to the surface.

If you can find out what they classified this as...like, did they call it a “tunnel”...would tell us a bit more. If they classified it as a tunnel, most likely that shaft goes straight up to the surface and they were following the vein that way.

 

[CGC Miner]

Thanks for the tag-a-long CGC!! Its been awhile since we've "chatted" ,I got to old -n-beat up to do anything anymore . I enjoyed the vid but I cant do it anymore! Nice sound effects!

Hey Russ, Thanks! It has been too long.
I'm starting to fall apart too
Just know that if you make it out to Colorado again, you've always got a place to to camp and prospect with us!

 

[CGC Miner]

Excellent video i use to hang around that country up French gulch, Buffalo mnt, Hoosier pass lots of country to look at Breck was were the biggest gold nuggets came from in Colorado.

Yea, it's awesome up there. Problem is that Breck has been growing at an alarming rate and the new residents are super anti any mining.
I'd like to pick your brain a bit sometime. There are still nuggets hiding out there, just waiting....

I really like your "signature"

D

 

[CGC Miner]

Hey CGC! Thanks for posting...fun to ride a long

How big is the tailings pile on this beast - and what does it look like - all fine powder material or did they have it sorted? Any sign of a stamp mill being there at one point? IMHO the veins don’t appear to be mined out, and I wanna say that shaft you found most likely goes all the way to the surface.

If you can find out what they classified this as...like, did they call it a “tunnel”...would tell us a bit more. If they classified it as a tunnel, most likely that shaft goes straight up to the surface and they were following the vein that way.

Hey Thanks Anna, my pleasure!
The tailings are mostly coarse, golf ball to softball sized so they were hand sorting the ore. I panned a little super fine yet coarse gold in the river below here.
Interesting about the terminology. I have not been able to find any history on this particular mine just a little info about other mines in the direct vicinity. Mostly polymetallic with about equal parts values of silver to gold. It's in a transition zone/pocket where the ores go from primary gold to primary silver. Pretty neat. I will have to go back and explore some more once the snow has melted off. That will be in July, hehe

 

[tamrock]

Yea, it's awesome up there. Problem is that Breck has been growing at an alarming rate and the new residents are super anti any mining.
I'd like to pick your brain a bit sometime. There are still nuggets hiding out there, just waiting....

I really like your "signature"

D

Ya got that right. There was an old fella I knew that had some claims up around Farncomb Hill. Back in the later 1970s Hecla Mining made him a several million dollar offer for his claims. Last I talked to him was maybe 10 years ago now and he said with the way it is now, no one with any large sums of money is now interested in any potential underground mining property in Summit County Colorado and he's been kicking himself ever since thinking he could of been a multi-millionaire, if not for his stubbornness to hold out for more. I still have his phone number and last address, but I'm afraid he might not be around anymore. It is of my opinion the ski industry has been the most environmentally destructive entity the Rocky Mountains have ever seen. All that development and the support it requires ain't nothing to what the miners had done to the natural beauty of it all.

 

[cyzak]

I use to hike around the wire patch what a very interesting ore structure it was used to find a lot of garnet up there on that north side at the top. One time when I was clear on top found a vein they had raised big old cables going down in there it was wide open but it didn't matter if there had been a million dollars down there i would have never dropped in. Also use to go up the Tiger that is way cool back up in there.

 

[cyzak]

Colorado is following California they forgot that all them big ski towns were mining towns to begin with I remembered back in the 70's you could have bought the town of Breck for something like $30,000. In the mining days they almost ran one of them big dredges right in to town trying to get at that gold but they got em shut down and turned it around.

 

[arizau]

Colorado is following California they forgot that all them big ski towns were mining towns to begin with I remembered back in the 70's you could have bought the town of Breck for something like $30,000. In the mining days they almost ran one of them big dredges right in to town trying to get at that gold but they got em shut down and turned it around.

Telluride was still primarily a mine town the first time I was there (no ski area) in the early to mid 50's. We stayed with a family friend who worked at the mill and lived in company housing. The housing area was still there in the early 70's but later was replaced by condos or whatever. I can't stand the town now.

 

[tamrock]

Colorado is following California they forgot that all them big ski towns were mining towns to begin with I remembered back in the 70's you could have bought the town of Breck for something like $30,000. In the mining days they almost ran one of them big dredges right in to town trying to get at that gold but they got em shut down and turned it around.

Indeed I remember old town Breckenridge. I don't think much any of it's left anymore, as I can't recognize what I first saw of it 40+ years ago. Sure is lite up a lot more from those dark streets that once were.

 

[cyzak]

I live close to Telluride now I can not even go up there any more,last time was 4 years ago the only time I get close to it is when I go over Lizard head into Cortez.

 

[tamrock]

I've got a couple of customers down that way. They do surface blasting. One in Durango and the other in Cortez. Some time ago I met up with one doing a job that overlooked the airstrip in Telluride. He pointed out who's home was who's below. One was Oprah's and think the other was Tom Cruise's mansions. Indeed we've become a California and it'll only increase towards that direction I'm sure. I guess the good things for me is, instead of selling to the Idarado's and Campbird's we've got billionaires moving in who need to level mountainsides so they can have place in the wonderful Rocky Mountains.

 

[StreamlineGold]

Oh ya funny how anti mining people are totally fine with urbanizing an area of natural beauty like that. Stupid lib tards

 

[Johnnybravo300]

We worked at Tom Cruises house in Telluride this last summer. We chip sealed his basketball courts into a parking area for all the snow removal equipment.
The driveway is a full mile long through elk herds and a really cool place up high but just about the weirdest job site I've ever been to.
We were told before starting the job that we were to refer to him as "Mr Bond" and to act like we didnt know who he was. Hes a super weird guy and borderline douchbag.
Oprah is building another huge mansion just down the road from there.

Telluride is one of the hardest towns for us to work in. Theres WAY to many people in that valley and WAY too many cars. Every child has to be driven to school each day cuz lil precious cant ride a bus, creates total gridlock.
They also dont allow buildings like fast food, Walmart or auto parts stores since it might bring in those disgusting working class people. I had to find jumper cables once and took me forever.
Theres a hippy festival every weekend so good luck finding a place for the crew to shower and sleep.

The history around there is cool but that town straight up sucks balls.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

I did catch the naked bike race once when I was there. There was lots of scenery that day!

 

[Johnnybravo300]

That old timer ate $800 in groceries a week?! That would feed a small crew.

 

[tamrock]

We worked at Tom Cruises house in Telluride this last summer. We chip sealed his basketball courts into a parking area for all the snow removal equipment.
The driveway is a full mile long through elk herds and a really cool place up high but just about the weirdest job site I've ever been to.
We were told before starting the job that we were to refer to him as "Mr Bond" and to act like we didnt know who he was. Hes a super weird guy and borderline douchbag.
Oprah is building another huge mansion just down the road from there.

Telluride is one of the hardest towns for us to work in. Theres WAY to many people in that valley and WAY too many cars. Every child has to be driven to school each day cuz lil precious cant ride a bus, creates total gridlock.
They also dont allow buildings like fast food, Walmart or auto parts stores since it might bring in those disgusting working class people. I had to find jumper cables once and took me forever.
Theres a hippy festival every weekend so good luck finding a place for the crew to shower and sleep.

The history around there is cool but that town straight up sucks balls.

Yeah a lot a high falutin snobs there in Tellu-pride. I took that customer out for lunch there in town and it was an average meal, but I don't recall it being to out of line. What I do remember we are on a patio and there was this vacant corner lot next to the place for sale about the size of the rug in my TV room for close to $500k. That was around 05' and no telling what it's worth now. Personally I have little interest to ever go into that town when I'm in that area, but I will say that blue grass festival in the later 70s and early 80s sure blew me away. Of course I was young and single back then and making money as a miner and blowing it all on wine, women & song. I can't figure out if I regret all that or I was simply just living the dream.

 

[barrelroll]

I'll have to check out the video when I get home. I laugh on a powder day how the semi turn around outside the mine gate is full of hybrids and stations wagons with bumper stickers for anti mining politicians and groups but yet the mine is the one who plowed the road for them to get in that morning. If you look at who funds the Clear Creek County government it isn't recreation, it's mining.


I really wish there was more underground mining going on in the state. It's provides me a great income and benefits, more so than "recreation" ever could.