On a sunny spring morning way back in 2015 we set out for our second trip to the Allegheny district. This time we had the Morning Glory stamp…
Masonic is a true ghost town just a few miles north of Bodie. Originally founded as three towns by the Free Masons “Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower…
This seven stamp mill is around the corner from Bodie on the east side of Bodie Bluff on Bodie Rd as it exits Bodie toward Aurora. The mill…
Found this one merely by topo. The adit is 1400 feet long with stopes, winzes and drifts galore. We didn’t enter as we were in no way prepared…
The Gold Bug Park features an underground tour of the authentic hard rock mining shaft of “Gold Bug Mine”. The mine started in 1888 and now has a…
The Kentucky Mill is one of the best preserved stamp mills I have had the pleasure to visit. A large part of that preservation is its more modern…
The Empire Mine has been on our list to explore for several years. We finally got a chance to drop in for the mine yard tour. The Empire…
Not much history on the Ophir Mine is out there. It does appear on USGS Topo but that’s about it. The Ophir is best know by off roaders…
The Monte De Oro Mine’s stamp mill still stands in the woods only yards from the busy paved highway south of Woodleaf, CA. The dense forest hides it…
Forest City California now called “Forest, CA” is a real lost gem. The town was once a booming gold rush town. Now several authentic buildings remain such as…
Originally I had written off the Kennedy as a mine to tour because it lacked a stamp mill or underground tour. Then in Oct 2014 we decided to…
The Eby Stamp Mill is an example of the type of facility used in hard rock gold mining to crush ore. It is one of the few stamp…
The Plumas-Eureka State Park consist of the Plumas-Eureka (Mohawk) Stamp Mill, the museum was built in the old miners barracks, the Eureka Tunnel, nearby Jamisin City and mine, and the…
The mighty Plumbago Mine (aka lower Plumbago) and Stamp Mill has a long and rich history. Millions of dollars of high grade have been pulled from small pockets…
Not much is know about this 5 stamp mill other than the men pictured above restored it in 2012 to be placed in the Downieville Memorial Park along…
The stamps at the Herman Mine still stand tall as of our visit in May 2016 despite several forest fires sweeping the steep ravine below Deadwood Ridge. There…
Located just east of Ballarat up Pleasant Canyon around the corner from Clair Camp only yards outside Death Valley National Park the World Beater Mine and Cabin are…
One of my all time favorites. The Lost Burro almost has it all. A well preserved cabin with bed, table and artifacts, many open underground shafts to explore,…
Cashier Mill is located in Death Valley National Park only a short distance east of Harrisburg, California. The Eureka Mine that fed the mill was opened in 1905…
With Lake Don Pedro water levels at an all time low in November 2014 and much ado in the press we set out down Highway 49 to take…
Certainly one of my all time favorites. The giant stamp mill sits right next to a well maintained gravel road only a short distance from the highway. Virtually…
On Main Street in Georgetown is a restored stamp mill from the Slate Mountain Mine. The mine was a few miles south east of town. The mill was…
There are hundreds of mines and several headframes in the gold rich hills east of Goldfield NV. Prominent are the Florence Mine, the Little Florence Mine, The Laguna…
Located only 1 mile north of Searchlight NV and only a few yards off Highway 95 the Southern Nevada Mine is in remarkable condition. The mill house still…
The Blue Light Mine has a fascinating yet grim history. Brothers Nicholas and Glen Anderson entered the mine in 2002 and never made it out. Notorius for low…
Noonday Camp consist of upper and lower camp as shown in the USGS topo map in the photo gallery below. No structures remain only foundations with the exception…
Don’t let the name fool you. This federal government owned mining site began operation in the early 1900. Modern operations began after WWII and continued into the 80′s.…
Bodie is the king of the ghost towns and also the most authentic mining town remaining in California. You wont find any hot dogs or souvenirs here (well,…
I stumbled upon some photos of the Yellow Jacket Mine, New York Mine, Caledonia Mine, and the Kentucky Mine. All seemed haunted, abandoned and isolated in the middle of…
Several miles up the rugged and remote Jail Canyon exist the remarkably unaltered Corona Mine. The road up Jail Canyon has been washed away by flash flood many…
When I found this on Google Earth I thought the satellite image showed a standing stamp mill. However when we drove by we could see it was…
I got excited searching USGS Historical Topo’s when I stumbled upon St Marys Mine. I got even more excited when I saw what looked like a standing stamp mill…
I found this stamp mill searching the internet. No real information other than it is near Salado Creek off Hunt Rd near Milton, CA. You can see it…
A standing 5 stamp mill in LA County, next to a freeway? Hard to believe but true. A website created by the late Hugh Blanchard chronicles much gold…
Chloride City is best known for the ruins of several “dug out” style dwellings (east of the pin) accessible by 4 wheel drive vehicles only. Also known for…
The Keane Wonder Mine (Death Valley) was discovered by Jack Keane in the early 1900’s along the Chloride Cliffs below Chloride City. In 1906 investors made the mine…
The Wall Street two stamp mill is located in the Joshua Tree National Park. The dry desert air along with the corrugated roof and heavy timbers have kept…
Skidoo, located in Death Valley National Park was famous in the early 1900′s. Producing over 75,000 ounces of gold. But by 1917 the town was abandoned. The only…
This Southern California gold mine located in Joshua Tree National Park has been plugged with expanding foam then covered with dirt. But the original stamp mill exist in…
This 5 stamp mill sits in a small roadside park across the street from the “Native Sons of the Golden West” building in Auburn. The park also has…
Here is where the great California Gold Rush began in Jan 1848. James Marshall found gold after trying to clear a larger channel for the water from his…
Mariposa is a true California Gold Rush town without a doubt. It started as a mining camp 6 miles away near a small creek called Aqua Fria in…
Martin Murphy Jr. Historical Park located in Sunnyvale is home to this 5 stamp Hendy Stamp Mill. The Joshua Hendy Iron Works company was well known for building…
There were hundreds of “Eagle” mines in the West but this is the real deal. So close to the millions of residents of LA county but so remote…
Discovered in 1895 by Tom Vincent the Big Horn Mine was named after the sheep he was hunting. He sold the mine and it was worked for many…
This is the real deal. The Eagle and High Peak mines are open for guided tours through a 100o’ tunnel up and down ladders and stairs. Lots of…
Greenhorn Park has a ball mill; an arrastra, which is a primitive mill used to grind gold or silver ore; a stamp mill; a blacksmith shop; and a…
Sometimes the temptation to go ghost towning and exploring abandoned mine shafts is overwhelming. On a family road trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon I couldn’t help…