Old Plant with trommel on Little San Domingo wash (Anderson Mill)?

[arthos]

Hey everyone I just visited the Club Claim in sec 21 of 7N3w, got skunked btw >.< While I was out there I visited what google maps is calling "Anderson Mill" in SESW of Section 10 of 7N3W. When I got home I couldn't find any legit reference to an "Anderson Mill" on Little San Domingo wash. Anyone know the story of this operation? When this contraption was built and the years of its operation? I just like reading about this stuff.

Its completely built with repurposed steel I think I counted at least 4 axels with differentials attached to various parts, conveyer rollers turned into the base for staircases, more cut up cart track than you shake a stick at. The trommel its self looks to have been salvaged from another home seeing as its main rotary gear doesn't look to have been how they were spinning

it (its hooked up belt drive)

All the best!
Arthos

 

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[Tesorodeoro]

Hey everyone I just visited the Club Claim in sec 21 of 7N3w, got skunked btw >.< While I was out there I visited what google maps is calling "Anderson Mill" in SESW of Section 10 of 7N3W. When I got home I couldn't find any legit reference to an "Anderson Mill" on Little San Domingo wash. Anyone know the story of this operation? When this contraption was built and the years of its operation? I just like reading about this stuff.

Its completely built with repurposed steel I think I counted at least 4 axels with differentials attached to various parts, conveyer rollers turned into the base for staircases, more cut up cart track than you shake a stick at. The trommel its self looks to have been salvaged from another home seeing as its main rotary gear doesn't look to have been how they were spinningView attachment 2002056 it (its hooked up belt drive)View attachment 2002053

All the best!
Arthos

Looks to have been worked on recently with the driven sheet piling and expanded steel stairs. Looks like someone started trying to get the gitup running, but never finished.

 

[leadnugget]

Anderson Mill, Rube Goldburg Mine - Ghost Towns of Arizona and Surrounding States

Pictures, GPS Coordinates and Information about the Anderson Mill in Arizona.

www.ghosttownaz.info

or if you don't like to click links.
History:
The Anderson Mill was run by two brothers. At the start of World War II all of the mines and mills that were not essential to the war effort were ordered closed.
The mill was for obtaining muscovite mica. As part of the mining of the granite pegmatites other minerals were at times selectively hand cobbed and shipped.
The mica produced was used as electrical and heat insulation as well as in joint compound and paint. The mill stopped operation in 1951.

what Club are you with. you drove by a lot of good gold areas to get to the mill.
i was there 3 weeks back.

 

[arthos]

Anderson Mill, Rube Goldburg Mine - Ghost Towns of Arizona and Surrounding States

Pictures, GPS Coordinates and Information about the Anderson Mill in Arizona.

www.ghosttownaz.info

or if you don't like to click links.
History:
The Anderson Mill was run by two brothers. At the start of World War II all of the mines and mills that were not essential to the war effort were ordered closed.
The mill was for obtaining muscovite mica. As part of the mining of the granite pegmatites other minerals were at times selectively hand cobbed and shipped.
The mica produced was used as electrical and heat insulation as well as in joint compound and paint. The mill stopped operation in 1951.

what Club are you with. you drove by a lot of good gold areas to get to the mill.
i was there 3 weeks back.

Thanks for the reply leadnugget. I read description from Ghosttownaz.info it was cited from another website American Pioneer commentary research project. I'm curious which publication this info originally came from. Some of the things I noticed about the plant while I was there. Makes me question the accuracy of that description. I'm not too familiar with how Mica is separated from granite but this sure looks like a gold placer operation to me. I took a long look trying to figure out how the processing plant once operated here was my observations; There is a well (which still contains water down on the LSD wash which pumped water up to holding tanks which supplied water to the wash plant. Ore was dumped from the upper level above the plant into a hopper which then was moved by conveyer (presumably as this piece is no longer present) into the trommel at the top of the plant. The washed material -1.5 " drops down a hopper and slide into the lower section where it looks like they likely had sluice runs (missing) and the larger rock down a different hopper down to a different lower section. I did notice some things that threw me. There was good amount of crushed quarts present scattered on the concrete slabs in the lower level of plant crushed to 4 mesh. Above the plant there are some smaller piles of white quarts stockpiled uncrushed. So maybe someone later was using the site to process their hard rock ore. Anyway I've been searching Az Bureau of Mines publications for a description but have so far been unsuccessful.

GPAA member, I just moved to Az (Suprise) this was my first time in the little San Domingo area. Previously I visited the Sanger Damn just to see the site after reading about his efforts. The claim I got skunked at earlier that day was Vulture Bait (metal detecting). I searched the yellow area. The ground had obviously been detected a lot, only 1 piece is trash and much of the surface had literally been raked by detectorists.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Here is some footage from Jackass Flats, out to the mine (Appears at 3:28 into the ride). Took this a couple years ago during a Bill Southern outing. Debbie Smikoski borrowed Bill's buggy, and I tagged along. It was a very cool experience. We went out to the graves, then back to Jackass Flats.

​

 

[Terry Soloman]

 

[Clay Diggins]

Some of the things I noticed about the plant while I was there. Makes me question the accuracy of that description. I'm not too familiar with how Mica is separated from granite but this sure looks like a gold placer operation to me.

It was a "mica" mill. The mica came from the local pegmatites (not granite but in some ways similar). A lot of the mica was in the form of Lepidolite.

As leadnugget pointed out you had to pass a lot of good gold on the way to the mill. I only know of one nugget ever found near Anderson Mill. The geology isn't right for good gold.

It is great geology around there for mica, beryl, tourmaline, potassium, feldspar, aluminum, lithium and a lot of the lighter elements in really large crystals. In fact some of the largest crystals in the world are found in and around that very complex dike swarm.

The mines in the immediate area of the mill were mining lithium, beryllium, niobium, tantalum and feldspar. The Anderson Mill mostly processed lithium in the form of Lepidolite. Look in the wash below the mill and you will find large chunks of beryl crystals.

The geology of Little San Domingo is quite complex. Highly mineralized areas tend to be that way. Study the geology and you will see why you left the gold behind as you traveled up the LSD. Remember you are in the desert now and the gold doesn't move around or concentrate much with water or mass wasting. You would do well to pay particular attention to where there is exposed bedrock associated with older benches above today's washes.

Heavy Pans

 

[leadnugget]

im not into geocaching, but i accidentally found one within about 60 feet of the mill. keep sharp eyes on a south wall.
for anyone wanting to check out the mill, you should have a 4x4 or atv/sxs and bring water and food, its somewhat remote.
i really should get a gpaa membership, i saw a 1/3 ounce nugget found a little over year back on one of there claims
and the spot where it was found was so obvious it should have been found a long time ago.
don't let the sight of an area that's been worked hard make you think its worked out. the washes out there probably are. try the hill sides/tops if you find trash there, there is still a good chance of a nugget in the area.
i have found 1 each time out for the last 3 trips on road runner claims. so it can be done.

btw i like your avatar picture.