Spanish Mines

[2fishon]

The other mine does have tracks coming out of it. It was a silver mine. The older mine in the original post also showed silver in the surface samples that I had assayed. There is a big enough tailings pile that they went in a ways, not just a coyote hole. I'm just curious to see what's inside. The white in that picture is not entirely quartz. It's kind of chalky- there is alot of quartz in the area though. There are also five or six other holes in the area, but they're all caved in. This is also the only one with tracks.

 

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[BangTango]

It's almost Oct. Update please

 

[2fishon]

I did some more digging at this mine today. I'm very close to having it open. I attached some pics.

 

[homefires]

Good Stuff.

The rock structures I seen are just shelters.

Pit, Rock Walls and Rudimentary roof to keep the winds away.

Indians, Spanish and later folks used the same. Hell, Ive built them to stay a week or two.

The tailing's look like they have signs of Calverite or some kind of Silver Ore.

The Spanish were Good, Real Good at the Minerals.

They only had what they had to work with as far as tools and Technology.

Most Ore was Kept or Chucked by Sight.

When times got tough, No Powder to Blast, No Steel to Drill They could build a fire on the Rock Face heat it up over the course of the day and Volunteer some Indian to go in and splash Water on it Fracturing the face of the Rock into Crumbles.

Slow and Expensive as far as Indians go but it worked.


Look for a Arastra! They would have used one to grind the Ore into a usable state to pan or amalgamate.


http://www.aditnow.co.uk/community/viewtopic.aspx?t=2528

 

[Old Dog]

They would also have had a furnace for roasting the ore and smelting the metal.
Roasted ore grinds better and more evenly.

 

[2fishon]

I just recently found an account of the Spanish mining in this canyon. It was a report from a guy in Arizona that had a Spanish worker that told him how generations of his family had come into Utah to mine. Most of them were killed in by Piutes one year when he was young and they had never gone back. This man convinced the worker to show him the mines. They found them quite easily. The man started a small mining company and they started in. The old mines were too dangerous so they started at least one new one. They found gold and silver in pockets, but not the bonanza they were hoping for. They cut a road in and everything. This was about 1901. I'm guessing this mine I'm playing with was theirs. The report said the old mines were vertical shafts with landings, this one is horizontal. It also said the old mines were up on the ridge, not in the bottom. I want to go look for the old mines, but I can barely make time to work on this one.

 

[Oroblanco]

Great photos! I would only say that it is very unlikely you will find an Arrastra, these were torn apart by the miners when they were ready to leave, and the gold or silver recovered. It is extremely rare to find an intact Arrastra, and also these "Spanish" mining devices were also built by Anglos, right up until relatively recent days so even if one is found, it does not automatically mean that it was Spanish or Mexican.

Keep up the good work!
Oroblanco

 

[2fishon]

The report from 1901 says that they found the remains of an arrastra, but it had already been dismantled. They also said that one of the shafts was sealed with logs with a layer of dirt on top. The other was sealed with what he said was masonry. They found visible silver in the reject piles.

 

[Yellow Hammer]

http://www.geocommunicator.gov/blmMap/Map.jsp?MAP=MC

Here is a good place to check closed and active mining claims....might be worth a shot to see when the last mining was on record! and also to make sure your not digging on someones active claim............Good Luck and keep us posted

You need to use LR2000, geo can get you into trouble.

 

[2fishon]

That is good advice. I use LR2000 quite a bit doing research. There is nothing on there regarding this area. I've checked with the County, the Forest Circus and the BLM- it's clear.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Up Date Please, thanks Homefires for that Mining address.

Incidentally, the drag stones here were in pairs, Two (2) to an arastre. Some stones being perhaps 2 ft high X 2 ft wide b 3-4 ft long generally of granite, close to 1 ton each.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[2fishon]

This mine is now snowed in for the winter.

 

[jimmygoat]

Seeing those pictures makes me want to go out and prospect, but there is too much snow on the ground now. You guys down south have gotta keep us northerners posted Good luck all, Jimmygoat

 

[Oroblanco]

WELCOME TO TREASURENET Jimmygoat!

Jimmygoat wrote

Seeing those pictures makes me want to go out and prospect, but there is too much snow on the ground now. You guys down south have gotta keep us northerners posted Good luck all, Jimmygoat

If the fever gets too bad amigo, you can always try the old Klondykers' way, go out to your prospecting grounds, build a campfire where you want to do some panning and let the fire thaw out the ground - while the fire is going, use it to melt snow for water to pan in. Once your fire is out, you have a small place where you can dig for gold, and water to pan it out in. Slow but effective! Besides, winter camping is FUN and a great excuse to get out there.
Wishing you and everyone here a very happy new year!
Oroblanco

 

[Old Dog]

Happy New Year all,

Roy,
It does a heart good to hear old school methods used and described.
I'm glad to know a few of us are still out there. LOL

Thom

 

[jimmygoat]

Hello Oroblanco, It would have to be some pretty rich ground to do that, but I'm game for winter dredging. If only they allowed dredging in Cal.. Yuba co. used to be open all year. Thanks for the welcome, Jimmygoat

 

[BangTango]

This is the time to go get it!! It's cold and nobodey else will be there are around. Go get it and find out!
Bang

 

[2fishon]

I don't mind the cold. It's the four mile walk each way in two feet of snow that puts a damper on the festivities. The forest service closes the road in during the winter.

 

[Oroblanco]

Hey amigo - two feet deep is TOO deep to tramp through, have you ever tried out snowshoes? It takes some practice but is great fun and you can then enjoy the winter backcountry, may even get to where you look forward to it because you very much have the "woods to yourself" so to speak. Cross country skis might do too, kind of depends on the snow and that takes practice too.

There is always the snowmobile, or even a dogsled - don't let old man winter lick ya!

<Easy for me to say, as I huddle here in winter-wonderland South Dakota, snow and cold can sure dampen a fellow's gold-fever. >

 

[Old Dog]

A good set of bear paws will change your mind about going out.
As Oro says, "you might even look forward to it."
I take a fly rod with me , plant the snowshoes and put on the waders.
Climb in the creek and catch fish !
I have a buddy who has a picture of me in the middle of Rifle creek in the middle of DEC 96.
Horizontal snow coming down, taking off fish from a fly line.
Lots of winter adventure out there.