An unexplored abandoned mine is one of those "holy grails" for a mine explorer... Discovering an unexplored abandoned mine on this scale and of this quality is really a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience. Sadly, given how quickly this part of our history is disappearing, I fear that new mine explorers will never have an experience like this one.
It is not uncommon for mines to consolidate and to eventually connect with other mines underground - sometimes dozens of other mines in extreme cases… I don’t know if the tiny prospect that we entered even had a name, but the incredible labyrinth that it led to is truly remarkable.
Very few people read the descriptions I write below the video and so most will end up being surprised by the fact that, in this video, we're only getting started in this mine... It gets truly mind-blowing in the depths!
In case you couldn’t tell from the ore, this was primarily a silver mine. However, as is almost always the case in highly mineralized zones, gold and other minerals of value were also extracted. Work at this mine started in the 1800s and, apparently, continued up until the 1930s.
*****
You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: bit.ly/2wqcBDD and here: bit.ly/2p6Jip6
Several kind viewers have asked about donating to help cover some of the many expenses associated with exploring these abandoned mines. Inspired by their generosity, I set up a Patreon account. So, if anyone would care to chip in, I’m under TVR Exploring on Patreon.
Thanks for watching!
*****
Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them - nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever.
I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#AbandonedMines
#UndergroundMineExploring
29 ноя 2022
