The Mission Mine has become the old standby for every trip to Joshua Tree and the Old Dale Mining District. It is easy to get to with a high clearance vehicle and makes for a great “line up” photo spot. As many time as we have been we never explored the creek behind the mine nor followed the large vein on the hill next to the head frame. After looking a little closer on google earth it appears there might be an air-shaft back there to explore. Each time we go it appears less and less remain.
…its demise, seriously folks.
The Mission Mine and its resilient steal headframe have been featured on many websites over the decades with detailed GPS coordinates, so there is no need to blame this website for its demise, seriously folks. The most notable examples have been AmericanAdventurist.com‘s article with photos from when the Mission still had a crane, storage containers and much more. Mike Schriber and crew from UndergroundExplorers.com documented the underground workings for a client in 2011, revealing a fire had severely damaged the underground workings and covered everything with toxic ick. Darthjenni has a cool shot of the mine with dozens of vessels, vehicles and more from 2008. It is absolutely fascinating to me how quickly these locations transform.
…in 1883 and once featured a twenty ton ball mill.
I suppose the Mission has seen many transformations come and go over the decades. It was discovered in 1883 and once featured a twenty ton ball mill. Where the heck did that go? By 1930 the mine reached a depth of 570′. In 1949 a two compartment shaft was dug to 600′ and operated by a 6HP gas engine. The last work at the Mission pushed the shaft to 650′ in 1981. It is estimated the mine has over 280,000 ounces of gold in reserve. But 336 million in gold is apparently not enough to overcome the bureaucracy of working underground and a toxic cleanup in today’s dollars. So is the saga of the modern gold mine.