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For urban spelunkers and infiltrators, California is a recreational heaven. For people just minding their own business — and building new homes on once-remote inland foothills — it can be a holey Hell. Literally: after more than 100 years of heavy-mining operations, from the ‘49ers onward, California’s easily-accessed gold and silver have been replaced by at least 40,000 abandoned mines, and many more ancillary mine structures like tunnels and shafts.
While these can be fascinating places — I admit that I have a tough time staying out of dark holes in the sides of hills when I come across them; the idea of finding some 100-year-old miner’s sardine can, still moldering where he left it, is just too cool — they’re also dangerous. In the last few years, homes have collapsed into crumbling mine shafts, swallowed trees and claimed several lives annually. In fact, there are so many mines that California can’t even count them: “We’ve estimated that it would take 26 years for us to complete an inventory of all abandoned mines in the state,” says the mining office’s assistant director, Doug Craig.
More photos:
Mine shaft with rail track:
The blogger/miner:
Comments (12)
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I’ve always liked the idea of exploring and possibly finding some Very Fascinating Debris.
posted by Beth on 4-20-2007 at 1:01 pm
I live in Lake Elsinore Ca. and there is an old mine shaft that is in the hills across the street from my house. I have made it pretty deep into the mine but there is a point where it drops down and is flooded with water. I am hoping for it to subside enough to explore further, I say you make another post sometime over summer so I can update my findings haha. I am hoping to find a society of Morlocks…preferably not hungry.
posted by Jarred Hanson on 4-20-2007 at 4:02 pm
I REMEMBER YEARS AGO WHEN WE WENT CAMPING AND WENT ON A HIKE DOWN A SMALL MOUNTAIN. WE FOUND A CAVE CARVED IN SOLID ROCK THAT WAS ABOUT 5 FT HIGH, 7 FT WIDE AND ABOUT 30 FT DEEP WITH A SIDE TUNEL SAME HEIGHT AND WIDTH BUT ABOUT 10 FT DEEP. WE DID A LITTLE SEARCHING IN DALANOGA GA. AND FOUND OUT THIS WAS A CAVE USED DURING CIVIL WAR AND ITS LOCATION HAD BEEN LOST OR FORGOTTEN. UNFORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO ARTIFACS THERE BUT IT WAS A NEAT FINDING. I AM A LITTLE CLOSTERFOBIC BUT I ACTUALLY LIKE EXPLORING CAVES….
posted by JOHN BROWN on 4-22-2007 at 1:17 pm
In college I was a member of the Geology Club, which was a thinly veiled excuse to go camping and drink beer.
Often our adventures centered on various mines in the Owens Valley region of California. We explored many and often found exquisite mineral specimens.
Rumors abounded about complete steam engines abandoned hundreds of feet underground, as well as other interesting finds. Alas, I never saw the engines, just a lot of rocks, but others in my group claimed have seen them first hand.
Exploring mines was exciting, scary, and incredibly dangerous. Oh, the follies of youth!
posted by Pete Olsen on 4-25-2007 at 6:55 am
I find that steam engine thing very interesting. I have been in basically every mine in the whole Inyo County California. I haven’t found any steam engines, but it is possible through this one huge mine shaft in the side of the hill vsible from the farthest point from highway 395. That just syas how much history there is to explore int this whole world.
posted by Tyler on 9-26-2007 at 5:13 pm
Someone in the last few months… somewhere in Northern California… fell into a shaft that had been covered over with wood, apparently, and then over the yeas dirt & weeds made it appear as ground. The person walked onto, then fell through, the old wood. Can’t recall if the person died. But, I think old mines are cool. Not sure if I’d be that much of a gambler to explore. As one person here said, they’re probably mostly full of water anyway.
posted by gary on 1-13-2008 at 11:06 pm
any one have something on elmirage in southern california
posted by pat evans on 2-8-2008 at 7:40 pm
I was recently in an abandoned shaft. As I climbed an old ladder I nearly slipped into what appeared to be a bottomless pit. Very scary! Always make sure to notify someone of the location you decide to explore.
posted by Tyler on 2-20-2008 at 4:34 pm
I enjoyed reading your blog. Was that last photo taken in Death Valley?
We have hundreds of abandoned mines (mostly iron) in N.J. Unfortunately, most of these have either been reclaimed, or have “self-sealed” due to erosion. There have been quite a few subsidences in recent years, but nothing major or too unpredictable. 40,000 is quite an impressive number. I hope that the state can find an acceptable balance between public safety and historic preservation. I hate to see a historic mine reclaimed unless it poses a serious threat to public safety.
posted by Privyman on 6-23-2008 at 4:20 pm
i’ve been inside an underground mine before and there awsome especially the part were you get to climb up to the top and it was really cold down in the mines at Hill End and i’ve also been gold panning and guess what i found very tiny pieces of gold go me go me i also wish Sydney could have an underground mine without all the gold rush
and if anyone knows a great play area for kids to find gold and go underground in mines let me know
posted by Narna on 9-1-2008 at 5:30 am
Hey anyone got anything for the auburn area, i have a few but im looking for more…
posted by Charles on 1-8-2009 at 5:31 am
There is a California State Park by the name of Black Diamond Mines in the San Franicsco East Bay. The original mine was for coal, then decades later, for sand. It has a total of about 28 miles of shafts, I think it was.
And the State has restored over a mile of it to its former self and safety so the public can view the inside without fear. Its way cool. $6.00 tour cost per person led by State Park employees. The mine was originally started in the 1800’s and one man on our tour said he & his friends used to sneak in there while it was abandoned & before the State took ownership of the property.
Best part: during the summer, the outside temps hover at about 100F. BUT down in the mine, the temp stays a constant 58F. Its COLD. You feel odd packing your jacket with you through the heat. Two brainless guys in their 20’s refused to take the advice of the park staff & went down with only T-shirts. After an hour down there, they had goose bumps on top of goose bumps & were not toooooooo happy by the time they came out.
posted by Gary on 1-11-2009 at 3:01 pm