Exploring ATOLIA - Mojave Desert Mine -ABANDONED CALIFORNIA

[@syberphish]

The last time I was out there dropping shafts on-rope we got chased off by someone who'd called the cops. That one with the yellow metal headframe, been down that one and have stood at the bottom ~120ft down. There's a drift that splits off the main shaft maybe 80ft down or so that's a neat explore.

[@marklacy7650]

I thought for sure you were going to go in those holes in the ground. Didn't you trust those ladders? lol I hope you have some sturdy boots when you are going around all these places

[@facheap]

Suggestion. Bring an engineer with you a next project. They can provide some on-site analysis as to the structures and functionality🎉

[@adam-e1u4p]

I'm the guy who was working in the bigger building we call the hanger. It is all private property. I live in the house across the street. B and N mining owns it all and please stay off the property just to much liability

[@lord_omsk]

What kind of liability can there be for a mine that is abandoned? 🤔 there are no police in these places. and yes - I’m very sorry that you have to live and work in this deserted place

[@Michellbeam]

Cannot go exploring walking around saying, dude.Wow.

[@TravelingandcampingDeathValley]

Somewhat interesting but you should have took the time to tell people what they were mining for. Done a little research and posted it on the video.

[@syberphish]

They mined tungsten there. Wolframite and scheelite I think. At one point it was the largest tungsten producing area in the world.

[@TravelingandcampingDeathValley]

@@syberphish That’s exactly what they mined ! I lived in that that little white house by the yellow head frame with my dad late 60s early 70s .

[@syberphish]

@@TravelingandcampingDeathValley Oh wow you did? What was that like? Was it a regular little town to grow up in? The shaft under the yellow headrframe only has a single drift coming off of it, as I recall but no stopes. Wasn't sure if they were working down an orebody with the shaft or what. Seemed like nice equipment to only run so far downwards then just stops. Do you now anything about that mine or it's operations? Did you ever go down it?

[@TravelingandcampingDeathValley]

@@syberphish My dad was the welder that built that yellow head frame and a Forman for mines x . I don’t know much about that mine even knowing I lived a short walk from it. Atiola was a little town all of its own at one time but that was years before I lived there. A couple friends of the family worked that mine and I believe the ore vein petered out pretty quick so they quit working it. I do remember dad saying that the old water pipe used to build the head frame was plentiful compared to lumber at that time. All the tin roofing on buildings around atiola came from the Kelly in Red Mountain I know this because I and several others high school kids were hired to remove the material and haul it to atiola . I worked at the barker mill in the summer time running the crusher and helping around the mill. The barker mill was located between atiola and red mountain up on the hill. The stories are endless but probably boring to most.

[@syberphish]

@@TravelingandcampingDeathValley Very neat to hear all of that, thanks so much for taking the time to share! Is Kelly the one with the big metal headframe that's bent over sideways? There's a wooden headframe next to that busted steel with a shaft that I've been down 300ft on rope. Was a bear coming back up because the shaft is relatively narrow in cross-section and I'm 6'7". I had thought that was the Kelly but could be wrong. What's the other tungsten mine on the other side of the road from Atolia but further north? Inclined shaft with a large cement collar. You can drive under the headframe. That one only goes down like 60ish ft to a pile of debris plugging the shaft up. There's the body of something like a Studebaker down there. The inclined shaft closer to Randsburg that's painted orange or red or whatever, that one has drums of toxic waste at the bottom. Some nasty toxic pesticides that are illegal now. I have pictures somewhere. It's a neat area. I spent several weeks all over that area years ago before I went blind. There's lots of interesting history and still quite a bit to see in the area. The malts in Randsburg are delicious too. Super cool to hear about what your dad did on the yellow headframe. I'd often wondered why it was so different from all the other ones, what the story was. Never thought I'd find out 15 years later.