Comments on: In California, abandoned mines are everywhere

By: Gary

Gary — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:01:00 +0000

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.

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:31:00 +0000

Hey anyone got anything for the auburn area, i have a few but im looking for more…

By: Narna

Narna — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:30:29 +0000

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

By: Privyman

Privyman — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:20:23 +0000

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.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:34:09 +0000

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.

By: pat evans

pat evans — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 01:40:48 +0000

any one have something on elmirage in southern california

By: gary

gary — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 05:06:29 +0000

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.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:13:03 +0000

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.

By: Pete Olsen

Pete Olsen — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:55:30 +0000

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!

By: JOHN BROWN

JOHN BROWN — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 19:17:19 +0000

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….