Noonday Mine Exploration - Tecopa, California (Part One)

[@AbandonedMines11]

Ah, the Noonday Mine and the War Eagle Mine! Can’t forget the Columbia Mine, too! These mines were where I cut my teeth, so to speak, on exploring abandoned mines back in the day a decade ago. Nice to see they are still as popular as ever. A few years back, one explorer confirmed the fabled rumor that the Noonday Mine does connect up underground with the War Eagle Mine. That had always been an intriguing rumor, and he was able to confirm it. He went in the Noonday Mine and made his way down into the lower levels and was able to eventually keep going forward and drop down into one of the back tunnels of War Eagle Mine. The Grant Mine also connects up with this system. The Columbia Mine, however, does not connect up to anything else underground. It is a separate entity unto itself. A fun hike that you guys might enjoy is to go in the back entrance of the War Eagle Mine and make your way through the tunnels to where an inclined shaft goes up into the Grant Mine. That’s an easy climb and then you come out into a horizontal tunnel and go down a couple hundred feet to where there is an ore chute at the end of the tunnel. When you climb up that chute, you’re at the bottom of a 400 foot inclined shaft on a 45° angle. You can climb up the ladder in that particular shaft almost to the top where you’ll find a huge boulder that has fallen down and blocked the way forward. However, explorers have been squeezing past that boulder on the far right hand side. It’s a very tight squeeze, and I did it back in 2012 or so. I remember getting a comment about a year ago from somebody here on KZbin who said they had just done the exact same thing, so apparently that wedged boulder is still passable even at this late date. The last 50 feet of the inclined shaft to the surface is full of a lot of loose rubble which makes it difficult to get out, but it’s nothing too terribly difficult. Then you simply hike back down over the mountain following an old miners’ trail and return to the back entrance of the War Eagle Mine where you parked your car. Just a suggestion.... There are videos of all of this buried somewhere on my KZbin channel from back in the day. Fun times!

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Thanks for watching and for the detailed comment, Frank! We really like the Noonday and the rest of the mines in that area. I haven't gone between mine workings underground but have heard that some are connected. Those big mines are still fun to visit and become kind of like old friends. Next time we'll probably go further down the winze to see what's there. There are some huge stopes down there. I'll look for the videos of yours.

[@mineadventures7938]

Oh yes, the boulder, I climbed up out of these my 1st time in 1994

[@CactusMcNew]

That boulder was blasted into small pieces in October, 2022.

[@DonWon4725]

This reminds of early Atari game called Pitfall that was totally amazing loved Atari, be careful on your journeys and thanks for sharing your adventure.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

I remember the Atari games but not so much Pitfall. It sounds like a fun one. Thanks for watching, Donny!

[@davidcline123]

Very cool guys, very remote

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

This is a fun mine to explore, David. Very big, too. Thanks for watching.

[@mineadventures7938]

I didn't know you filmed noonday, sweet

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Yes, we did a few years ago. I know a lot of people have been in there, but I didn't find a good video of it, so decided to make one. Thanks, Ken!

[@PidasianHippie]

It amazes me how you remember what direction to go. After so many twists and turns, I would be lost.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

This one wasn't as hard as you might think to keep track of where you are. Some others definitely are real mazes where getting lost is a big concern. Thanks, P-Daz!

[@Sundance54]

Great stuff 😎👍

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Thanks, George! Glad you enjoyed it. 👍👍

[@charlesmartin3277]

I love your vedeos asome

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Hi Charles. Thanks for watching!👍😊

[@Jake-yx7ct]

Again Julie and Tom you have a great tour of a Mojave abandoned mine. Thanks for sharing your passion to explore those mines.👍👍👍

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

This is a fun explore and one of the more popular areas for mine explorers. Glad that you enjoyed the tour, Jacob!

[@DVolvoguy777-x7o]

This is the chutes and ladders mine for sure. It would take a couple two or three days to check out these mines for sure. Awesome video! Tom: No holds barred for checking things out.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

This is a big mine and fun to explore. We never did get to the bottom of the winze. I don't remember how deep it goes. Thanks for watching, Jeremy.

[@blaneycrabbe3390]

So you went thru an whole new 'other' mine, and came out (again) on the other side of the mountain ! ! wowo. . . blows my mind. So the mountain is really a 'Honeycomb' of tunnels and passage-ways! Ugh . . . . that blows mind! LOL. The video is 10 Times better than I thought it would be. 'Hats-Off' to ya! LOL

[@alexanderdowney1964]

This is awesome, I had the opportunity to explore some mines in this area, with my Marine buddies stationed in Yuma back in 1992-1994, but also did it closer to 29 Palms once. It was awesome, like another world, we just used glow sticks. There were HUGE rooms cut out and shored up, I have a photo of four of us in a shaft 1280 meters deep. Some of the huge beams where splintered, and you had to crawl under, it was amazing. There was crazy blue glowing liquid in the bottom, like a blue crayon. It had a sour taste to it. Good times.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

That's quite a story. It can be a lot of fun if you are careful. We are in 29 Palms right now for a few weeks. 1280 meters is quite deep for a shaft and would be a long climb on a ladder. The huge rooms you talk of are stopes, or the void left when ore is removed. Thanks for the comment, Alexander!

[@Okthenkiddo]

It's always good to taste and see . .. you can always find out later 😅

[@bobpace5464]

Another great video thank you for sharing Tom you guys be safe have fun and be good.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Thanks, Bob! We appreciate you watching.

[@blaneycrabbe3390]

So you went all the way thru 'the Mountain'! ! ! I've never done that ! Cool video ! Yeah a better light, would be primo. HEY! thanks for the 'dirt-bike' ! Havn't done that in years ! ! ! . . . . . . .Thank-you again!

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Yes, it a true tunnel. Thanks for the comment, Blaney!

[@gabrielaguilar1391]

I did a mine like that last year in NM. Went in an adit on the west side of the mountain and went up an imclined shaft and the out another adit on the east side. Most fun I've ever had, but access to the area has ben cut off. Im glad i got to go at least once.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Sounds like fun. Why did access to the area get cut off?

[@gabrielaguilar1391]

@@TomandJulieMineExploring it was on a military reservation.

[@gabrielaguilar1391]

@@TomandJulieMineExploring i just found your channel. Great videos! Just subscribed.

[@jackkridler5714]

real nice mine thanx for the upload.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Glad that you liked it, Jack. It's one of my favorite mines to explore. Thanks for watching!

[@giuliom8520]

Great video, but sometimes you don't spend enough time on the little things like when remnants of the miners tool or a table shows up. We're interested in seeing these mines as a time capsul because we like seeing how things were left 100 years ago when the miners were there. We want to see what that can was or what that table was for, where the miners would have sat and why. Sometimes you seem like you're looking for the shortest point to the destination, but aren't interested in the journey to get there. Otherwise, great videos though. You're interested in the mechanics of what the miners did and where the ore was, and I'm interested in what it was like to be a miner in there day to day a hundred years ago. Maybe you could balance your videos to satisfy both curiosities. Maybe you could get a bigger floodlight also. Great videos overall. I love your channel!

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Thanks for the suggestion, Giulio. I will try and spend more time on interesting features of the mines. This is a huge mine with a lot of ground to cover so it's hard sometimes to get everything right.

[@HikeCamp]

Big mine... CA and NV appear to have more ore type mines than other states.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Definitely a lot of hard rock mines in this area. Thanks, Max!

[@MTwoodsrunner]

awesome...onto # 2

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Thanks for taking the time to watch, Dave!

[@mlsmithmlsmith]

I've never seen anyone ride a motorcycle that slowly before.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Not in a hurry I guess.

[@mlsmithmlsmith]

@@TomandJulieMineExploring Keep doing what you do.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

@@mlsmithmlsmith Thanks, will do.

[@bruceerb8324]

Hey Tom how were the miners payed by the day or week or what?

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Good question. Probably a few different ways. I know many laborers were paid a certain amount per day, but probably not paid every day. Some partners might have been paid according to the actual profits. Anyone care to add more?

[@davidsnider1703]

I realize you don't have tons of time but I like to read writing on wood or walls

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

We do too. I usually include a few stills of the miners graffiti if I can. Check out some of our other videos please. Thanks, David!

[@timlanglois5643]

I'm not a miner so how do you get a full mine car up to the top level to dump it in another video tou found a mine car and showed how it dumped

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

It is pulled up a shaft on a cable by a hoist. The car will run on a track that is usually on an incline. There will be a headframe above the shaft that supports a large pulley.

[@mahalomana2]

Always make time for viewing these most excellent adventures thank you for taking the time to share. Was this part of the Sperry hills mines? Thanks again and stay safe!

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Thanks for the comment and we appreciate you watching, TC. This area is generally called the Tecopa Mines. I have not heard of Sperry Hill. I'll have to look that up.

[@royreyes74]

Thank you

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

You're welcome and thanks for watching, Roy.

[@travailer594]

As the ore vein comes from miles down in mines why would the mines for most stop and not continue far deeper following the vein back to source? Anyone know?

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

The deeper you go the longer the ore haul. Dewatering problems. Harder to get good air. A few ideas? Thanks for the comment. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[@travailer594]

@@TomandJulieMineExploring Hi guys, so the deeper you go the harder to pull the ore out, too much water and no air as you say, so there must then be certain places that with more modern equipment one could start these mines back up and expect a good result or?

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

I suppose that depending on the price of the mineral being mined it could be profitable. I'm not a miner so don't really know.

[@brianlanders5306]

@@travailer594 : Back then it was profitable, but only getting 3 to 10 ounces today wouldn't cut it, at $18.50 to $25.00 an ounce doesn't seem like it's worth the risk. Each silver dollar is an ounce, so that's the amount of silver out of a ton of material. A ton is usually a square yard of material. It kind of puts the perspective of mining on the back burner, because it's a very little gain for the amount of effort to labor required to get it out of the ground. Gold at today's price would be worth the effort, but silver, no it's a hobby at those low prices.

[@leftistnazicensorship8882]

No hard hats? No air monitors? Seems irresponsible.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

I recommend wearing protective head gear and air monitoring devices when inside a mine.

[@Brommear]

Where's your hard hat, Julie?

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Good question. We didn't have them that day for some reason.

[@Brommear]

@@TomandJulieMineExploring Sorry, years of safety training on construction sites just kicked in!

[@thor4224]

Someone just fell 300ft to thier death at this this mine a couple days ago

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

I'm sorry to hear that. I haven't heard anything about it. Where did you hear about that, Mike?

[@thor4224]

@@TomandJulieMineExploring I was wrong he is alive I guess kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGXMZauYbJtpatk

[@georgedupes9498]

I can remember when Noonday was in operation back in the early 60's. They were having problems even then. Lived in Shoshone at the time. When I came home from a few tours of Vietnam. They had stopped operations. That was in 1970. I had heard they were doing some exploration work and that was about it. Noonday Camp was a going concern back then.

[@TomandJulieMineExploring]

Thanks for the comment and for your service to our country, George. I bet you have some interesting stories from the past about the Shoshone area and the mines. We like Shoshone and spend a month or two there each winter. We like to explore the mines near Tecopa and also the Ibex area talc mines. I'd love to hear more from you whenever you feel like sharing a story or two.