No (Abandoned Mine) Business Left Unfinished

Returning to this abandoned mine had been on my list for a long time… As I mentioned in my introduction, I don’t like unfinished business and wondering what was up that raise where I left off before had been bothering me for a while. This is an old silver/gold mine (and a dry one), dating back to the 1870s-1880s, and so I was keen to see what sort of undisturbed artifacts from that era might still be present. My optimism was supported by the number of items that dated back to the 1800s that were still in relatively accessible areas of the mine. So, what might be found in parts of the mine that had not been visited in more than a century?
The videos from my first visit are here (I did not repeat the content from my first visit in this video):
Part 1: • Mine With A Few Surpri...
Part 2: • Mine With A Few Surpri...
Part 3: • Mine With A Few Surpri...
That second video shows where I left off last time…
As an interesting “Oh by the way”, Howard Hughes owned this mine for several years during his mine acquisition spree in Nevada.
*****
You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: bit.ly/2wqcBDD and here: bit.ly/2p6Jip6
Several kind viewers have asked about donating to help cover some of the many expenses associated with exploring these abandoned mines. Inspired by their generosity, I set up a Patreon account. So, if anyone would care to chip in, I’m under TVR Exploring on Patreon.
Thanks for watching!
*****
Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them - nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever. But, you know what? We enjoy doing it! This is exploring history firsthand - bushwhacking down steep canyons and over rough mountains, figuring out the techniques the miners used and the equipment they worked with, seeing the innovations they came up with, discovering lost mines that no one has been in for a century, wandering through ghost towns where the only sound is the wind... These journeys allow a feeling of connection to a time when the world was a very different place. And I’d love to think that in some small way we are paying tribute to those hardy miners that worked these mines before we were even born.
So, yes, in short, we are adit addicts… I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#AbandonedMines
#UndergroundMineExploring

[@mickie7873]

Thats a very rough and rugged constructed mine from "its day". As you said, there is visable stress on most of the pillars. The miners of those years did open alot of rock following the mineral seam. Boy! that was some hard mining in "those" days and the miners were some strong and tough individuals. Thanks for filming and sharing with all of us viewers..

[@lironmtnranch4765]

There was a huge old silver mine in Mule Canyon in the Calico mountains that's been sealed off since. When we explored it in the early 90s, the whole tree trunk timbers (diameter of telephone poles) supporting the hanging wall were mostly compression shattered somewhere along their length. This mine went through a few chambers and tunnels, then came to a rickety 3 story wooden ladder down to a lowest stoop high level with tracks covered with a lot of rockfall. I noticed some years ago rainfall had washed a bunch of dirt into the sealed shaft, perhaps opening part of it again..?

[@StarScapesOG]

Ah yes, a "NOPE" mine! Seriously, how has that NOT collapsed yet?!? Wood is surprisingly strong stuff. With all the metal we use now days it can be easy to forget just how strong/durable wood can be.

[@calculator1841]

Five feet in.That's *it*!

[@robertquast9684]

Hard to imagine all that work done with candles. I use a flashlight in my well lit shop

[@crazykev5]

For some reason KZbin quit notifying me on your videos and I've been super busy at work. I have like a year of catching up 😂

[@IHUTCHI]

That was worth going back to see! Thanks for finishing up that business.

[@SueGirling68]

Hi Justin, I bet it feels good now to finally have that itch scratched, the mind can play tricks with all sorts of scenario's as to what was left behind. It is definitely an interesting mine to watch and I imagine better than that to actually be the one exploring it. You all must have balls of steel to push on in to see what was left there by the miners from long ago. Thank you for sharing, much love. xx 💞

[@I.Live4oldcars.prospecting]

That's awesome. Very interesting to see this . Thank you

[@TessellationRow]

Been watching you for years now. Another great video. I love how you’ve circled back around. Great team you’ve got with you now. Your parents would be proud. I’ve been obsessed since researching mines in western PA, where I grew up. Started watching them while taking care of my dad before he passed away. Your videos give me a sense of calm, like it did back then. You’re at home down there. It’s fantastic

[@mikewinings4120]

One of my favorite explores of the year, love the old stuff,thanks Justin for fully exploring the whole mine,I remember your first from long ago,great memories.

[@ivanferguson2509]

Awesome explore as always. Love seeing these really old one's, something about those old unmilled timbers is just super cool to me.

[@rickl.7084]

That timber at 23:00 is one of the most obvious sketchiest timbers I have seen in a mine.

[@calculator1841]

Yeah if I didn't around 5' in, I would be turning back there.

[@CornishMineExplorer]

A lovely old mine that was, nice to see most of the timbers in good shape. Good to finally put a end to the mystery of the missing section.

[@grandy0406]

Awesome old mine great job you guys are much braver than me I don’t think I could crawl through some of the tight places with dilapidated Timbers like you all do. Really enjoy your commentary. What were these guys mining in this old mine? Thanks fora great video.

[@davegrummett1263]

Great to see the mine was even still open for you to revisit it. That looks like a gopher hole of a mine once you ended up in around that sub level. The mine is definitely closing itself back in up there. Thanks for the share. Stay safe and it's good to see you keep on keepin' on Justin. All the best my friend.

[@CentralMusicNation.]

Love these's mines you explore justin find them ever so intresting for sure. Keep up the good work 🙏

[@ozmazone]

Here is a naïve question: when the miners were driving a winze, how did they line it up with the two levels? Did they ever miss and dig straight past? Perhaps I am missing something. Many thanks

[@Dwendele]

At 22:34 you were pointing out the layers and how unstable they were. Well, luckily you made it to post this. Right at that point, you passed over, but missed a big timber. It looks like you were walking between a previous cave and all its support, and the remaining material that hadn't come down yet.

[@paulcooper2897]

Again, amazing explore! Thanks for the effort and Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦

[@archstanton_live]

As was mentioned - so dry in this mine. Old timbers and lumber look that like they were placed just last year.

[@davidfultz6483]

@11:47 🎵"Stuff going off to the left of me " "Stuff going off to my right" "Here I am stuck in an old mine with you"

[@captsam54]

One of your best yet... Shared..... Maybe you will get a few more subs.. Ur stuff is really good..... Thx as always.. I couldn't do it.. a Sailor at sea... nope..

[@tyonarms6735]

Nope soon as I saw those broken timbers. I would have gotten out. Scary

[@frankgaletzka8477]

This mines were amazing and very Sketchie . Thank you for the Video and all your effords you Made to explore this Tunnels. Take care Yours Frank Galetzka

[@williammcdonagh7454]

I almost got killed up in Sierra county went in to the adit back 85ft next year went in the back collapsed the whole damn ceiling came down climbed over 40ft rubble pile into now a ball room.. turned around to a 16ft wide quartz vein this mine reignited the gold Rush in 1912

[@mobtek]

hehe that mid level was a nope for me but then you got to the lower levels, looks so sketchy but so interesting as well :)

[@nitro8529]

So, this mine still has unfinished business after all... Want an expert explorers advice? Buy one of those extendable ladders, man that things are great. 10 feet ladder, can be easily strapped to a backpack, dont take much space and just weigh about 14 pounds. When we go exploring, one always goes with lighter equipment and carries the ladder. Sounds a bit sketchy, but you can climb every height, if you can stand on support beams you can pull it up step by step, level by level, so at least one person can film and report to the others. And if theres something interesting, you can lower it with a rope for the others to use it. Theres also another type of ladder we use sometimes to climb into narrow ore passes or stopes, its a very narrow foldable ladder, i dont know the english name for it, theyre just like 5 inches wide, so you can just put one foot in one step at a time, but theyre also something like 6 feet and foldable, but theyre a little more on the bulky side and a little harder to carry around. We also use oldschool nails and hammer sometimes and just nail these old ladders right back on...

[@nitro8529]

Btw Nailing them back on is so much easier for you guys, cause a lot of these mines youre in are bone dry and the wood is still in top shape. Im in Germany, like 90 % of all old mines here are wet or flooded cause we got much groundwater here. So the wood in most cases is not in any condition to put nails into it, the wood here is more like a sponge most of the times. But we also have some advantages, our mines were all built in a way you have really good airflow, so no danger of low oxygen even if you got lots of rotting wood in it. Every mine here has "airholes/lightholes" every lets say 300 feet, so that are good entry points and have good airflow. And to to make you a little jelaous maybe, the oldest mine ive ever been in, was from around 1300 ad, nobody knows what they mined there, but in some kings or nobles papers from medieval times they found clues about the region being rich in copper, so it probably was a copper or maybe silver mine. Imagine hundrets of miners in there with torches, chiseling the rock with nothing but iron tools, over decades. No tnt, no rails, no powertools, they carried the minerals out by hand or with mules. Thats what we germans call "oldtimers"...

[@thevet2009]

I really enjoy these posts

[@rickyfever]

Damn that was sketchy!

[@DeadReckon]

Man I gotta give you props, I would've taken one look at all those bulging, splitting timbers and said "Nope". Unless the mine was slam full of cool old artifacts or something, I'd chicken out haha!

[@justarandomduo]

I always found abandoned places, mining and stuff like that interesting it’s cool to see what used to be there and how people used to live in like abandoned places and some of the caves have really cool story’s when I was in Minnesota when I was younger I went to a mine they shared a lot of story’s it’s just very interesting

[@bretthumphries7911]

That "wheel" looked like it was put together like a barrel, with long staves? Crazy. Thanks

[@brentkeller3826]

Stokes State Forest in NJ has a silver mine in it. (Snook Silver Mine.) The owner had his kids climb down into the shaft and light the fuses. Across the way in Pennsylvania is a lead mine. The lead mine is closed off due to bats being inside and the problem of white nose syndrome in bats this way.

[@nikolaisikes6245]

I am guessing the raises on the top level held nothing of interest? Jeremy was climbing up there and then there was the skip way with the ladder missing.

[@ralphpatrick3071]

Cool as usual..

[@rolfsinkgraven]

A very interesting explore with quit a few Mc Murphy spots wow, the last part was really bad and Mc Murphy was really rubbing his hands for all that stuff too collapse, a really daring undertaking climbing that.

[@sundjolle]

Epic!

[@davidmicheletti6292]

The blueish rock looks like silver type ore formations ?

[@scotttaylor8498]

Thanks tvr

[@marmar92828]

This was just a random "recommended" video that I watched a bit of because it looked mildly interesting. So I'm no mine expert. I kept looking for the "horseshoes" you mentioned several times...then realized you actually said ore chutes. 🤣🤣🤣

[@TVRExploring]

To be fair, big horseshoes would have been more interesting than your standard ore chute...

[@marmar92828]

@@TVRExploring LOL!

[@napalmholocaust9093]

21:06 very cool.

[@philliphall5198]

Digging with a candle and trying to see where to put post or wooden sides must have been very hard on eyes

[@TVRExploring]

I've read accounts that the miners would sometimes be swinging their hammers in the dark as they would get so used to the rhythm that they wouldn't even need to see.

[@alexduran6742]

I like "No business left unfinished"

[@worldtraveler930]

I am guessing there is a Part Two?!?

[@philliphall5198]

Wonder why they didn’t build a wooden frame around intrance to mine Like a quick glab of gold and run ????

[@sosanation714]

This could have been a narco tunnel. Tread lightly my friend😬

[@chrissaucier9386]

Some of that looked more like the rock shifted.

[@hamsterman2008]

You throw rocks down the chute and Al Pachino says Hey , I'm Walking Here !

[@larryhanlon7776]

What ore was mined and estimate active years? Also what state and closest town? Thx

[@daveg2104]

Justin doesn't usually give mine names and locations, although from the description, Nevada. Also from Justin's description under the video (always a good idea to read them) - This is an old silver/gold mine (and a dry one), dating back to the 1870s-1880s.

[@rh5563]

@@daveg2104 , thanks for the information brother!

[@sethhawkins5976]

Cool!

[@zamistro]

What's with one log in the entire, bone dry place rotting? Everything else is broken or looks like it was placed last week. So, how did that one rot?

[@daveg2104]

Maybe it already had problems (although possibly not visible) when they used it in the mine. The miners only need it to last for as long as that section of the mine is active anyway. And if it started to seriously fail while they were still working that section, they would have repaired/replaced it.

[@rh5563]

If you are going to use raw timber, it must be debarked. Once done, it’s more evident that a log is rotted inside. Also, there is something about leaving the bark on that may contribute to internal rot. Look at all of the new log cabins, all that wood has been debarked.

[@slimwantedman6694]

Good afternoon from Southeast South Dakota

[@4everdisciple]

Your videos are awesome but in the title would you put what state you are in.Plz thanks

[@b-radfrommalibu]

It looks like most of his videos are in the Sierra mountains of California but according to the description it is in Nevada.

[@rh5563]

👍👍👍

[@johncorlett3699]

calcification?

[@1fatcat65]

Based on how many abandoned mines and remote places would it be fair to say you’ve never seen evidence of a Bigfoot? It would seem like a good hideaway in a mine. Just curious 👍

[@andrewmunchkin7212]

Whats the point of risking your life?

[@TVRExploring]

I think it is one of those things where if you have to ask, you'll never understand...

[@glennwall552]

Amazed no one's mined the timbers. Shady ad on if you meet them you wouldn't follow them trust me shady as trust me with two thousand it can be traded up to 25000 in one week just follow me. WTF let's go get your million dollars.... Yar but how can I find you tomorrow hmmmm

[@rogersmith7396]

Did you ever find the hound from hell in Russia?

[@TheMrlister72]

Hay Mr Rodger .... i remember that one 😯 never a word said again 🤫 only that one encounter in all these incredible videos..... makes me pretty certain that was some kind of supernatural experience..... @Justin ... any thoughts Sir ??

[@derdo8684]

2.

[@nextcacade3201]

First