Jim Crow Creek has a long and extensive mining history reaching back to the 1860’s including numerous “Bonanza” claims. On a hot summer day in July 2017 we decided to check out the area in search of several secret mines we had heard of but not yet located. Lo and behold we spot an open prospect portal on an unnamed road west of Jim Crow Creek.

…we decided to crawl in for a quick peek.

The portal was right along the roadside and had a board for miners tags and a metal plate identifying it as the Bonanza 08. The portal and adit were badly collapsed but we decided to crawl in for a quick peek. There were several collapses and 20 yards in a collapse left only a couple of feet to belly over into the rest of the tunnel. We decided to pass on further exploration but we could see ore cart rails fading into the darkness. On the outside of the portal the ore cart rails crossed the road and dumped into the canyon.

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