Out exploring in the desert I found this quartz mine, I went in about 400 feet and explored a few branches and went up above and checked out some shafts that go down to the main tunnel.
Picture Rock Mine
30 Wednesday Nov 2022
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Tag Archives: Mines
Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine
23 Wednesday Dec 2020
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The Bingham Canyon Mine was the first open-pit copper mine in the world. Initiated in 1904, it remained the most productive of all the low-grade copper mines which soon appeared. Today it still yields about 14 percent of all U.S. copper production.
Bingham Canyon flourished as a scene of gold and silver mining from 1863 to 1893, In 1887 Colonel Enos A. Wall discovered and filed claim to the vast deposit of low-grade copper ore that was later to become the open pit mine. With the gold and silver mining still highly profitable, Wall’s efforts to finance a copper mining operation were unsuccessful, and in 1903 he sold the property on option to a group of investors who had become interested in the prospect through the efforts of Daniel C. Jackling, Jackling had previously investigated the property and has generally been credited with initiating and promoting the concepts for mining and processing the relatively “low grade” copper ore deposits that has since resulted in open pit copper mines being developed throughout the world. In 1903 the Utah Copper Company was organized and in 1904 completed the Copperton Mill.
From 1904 through 1982 the mine has yielded 1,585,936,689 tons of ore, from which 24,696,043,506 pounds of copper were, extracted. The immense output of this mine lifted Utah from the ranks of the minor copper-producing states in 1902 to fourth place in the nation by 1919.
Related:
- The mine is listed as a National Historic Landmark
- It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (#66000736) on November 13, 1966.
The Bingham Canyon Mine (open pit copper) is terraced into approximate 50′ levels with ramp access between levels. More terraces are added as the mine deepens. In 1983, the mine was more than 2.3 miles wide and a half mile deep, Waste dumps formed from the removal of over burden can be seen from Salt Lake City. Ore is removed from the mine by railroad cars whi.ch exit through one of three tunnels or from the edge of the pit. A visitor observation point provides a comprehensive view of the pit.
The boundary line is a rectangle that encompasses the mine pit and it’s interior. The perimeter of the mine pit is relatively fixed for the next 10 years.
Baker Mine
23 Sunday Aug 2020
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Baker Mine in Box Elder County, Utah.
Not much is left of the old ghost town built around the iron mine, the remains of the smelter can be seen lower in the canyon.
Historic Bay City Tunnel
02 Thursday Nov 2017
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Historic Bay City Tunnel
Behind this building lies the Bay City Tunnel of the Emma Mine. In 1873 the Emma received international attention when its silver-bearing vein faulted and British investors accused mine managers of fraud. British parliament discussed war, and President Grant’s administration scrambled to heal wounds. At the turn of the century the Bay City Tunnel was used to access the elusive ore vein. The Emma closed in 1918 having produced close to $4 million in silver ore. Today the tunnel leads to the source of the town of Alta’s culinary water supply.
Related posts:
Diamond Fork Canyon Mines
25 Thursday Aug 2016
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Diamond Fork, Diamond Fork Canyon, Mines, Mining, spanish fork, spanish fork canyon, utah, utah county
A couple cool mines I was checking out in Diamond Fork Canyon, they are across the canyon from each other, the one on the south side of the canyon is across the river from the road and the other is above the road – both are easy to miss if you aren’t watching.
The Dream Mine
30 Monday Jun 2014
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historic, Mines, Payson, Salem, utah, utah county, Woodland Hills
Jay M. Haymond
Utah History Encyclopedia
The so-called Dream Mine is located east of Salem in Utah County. The mine founder, John H. Koyle, was born August 14, 1864 at Spanish Fork, Utah County. He married Emily Arvilla Holt 9 December 1884. They had four son and three daughters. At about age twenty-two, Koyle experienced a dream about lost livestock and other domestic matters. Gradually he became known as a visionary man. He grew to dream about a wide variety of subjects, including world affairs. Many of his predictions came true and earned him a following of faithful admirers.
His membership in the Mormon Church led him to serve a mission in 1888 to 1891 in the Southern States Mission. His dreams continued and he was known as a missionary with prophetic abilities. Following his missionary service, Koyle returned home to his wife and family to resume farming.
In August 1894 he experienced a dream in which he was visited by a figure from another world. The visitor carried him to a high mountain east of Koyle’s house and into the mountain, showing him the various strata and explaining the meaning of the minerals. The visitor showed Koyle an ancient “Nephite” mine with large rooms of mined-out ore bodies. The rooms contained treasure and artifacts of an extinct civilization. Koyle was instructed that he was to open a mine and extract gold for the welfare of “his” people. Specific instructions were given for the mine development leading to rich ore bodies. The riches would be found and released to him and his followers during a time of world crisis. The wealth would be spread to others through Koyle and the people organized around the mine. In this way the name “Relief Mine” was attached to the project. The heavenly messenger made it known that the wealth would not be available for “self gratification.” The dream was repeated for a total of three times. Koyle talked of his dream to friends and others for support. In 1909 the Koyle Mining Company was formed with 114,000 shares of stock issued at $1.00 per share.
Koyle’s dreams continued. He predicted the First World War and the economic crash of October, 1929. He foresaw “horseless carriages” bigger than railroad cars going down the road at great speeds. He especially received instruction on how to develop the mine. Plans included air shafts, escape ways and drainage tunnels. Instructions came to build a processing mill and storage bins for grain. By 1910, Koyle was appointed bishop of the Leland Ward in Spanish fork. The mining activities closely coupled with his church work attracted attention from the Mormon Church leaders. Apostle James E. Talmage, a geologist by training, came to look at the Dream Mine claims and could find no evidence that precious metals would ever be found in the strata being explored. The Mormon Church spoke out against the Koyle mine and associated activities and released John H. Koyle from the bishopric. However, Koyle’s ongoing success as a seer and visionary continued to attract supporters and money, including some members of the Mormon Church leadership. Koyle was getting a mixed message from the Church. For a time, Koyle moved some members of his family to Idaho to pursue farming and while there Koyle was appointed to another bishopric as a councilor, but released when the Mormon leadership learned of the appointment. He continued to attract opposition from the Church for the rest of his life. He negotiated a repudiation of his claims, in 1947 and then reversed himself almost immediately and was excommunicated from the Church 18 April 1948. John H. Koyle died 17 May 1949 in Payson.
The mine continued in fits and starts under the leadership of Quayle Dixon for another twenty-three years. In 1961, a new company, The Relief Mine Company, succeeded the Koyle Mining Company and continued to do the minimum $100 per claim annual assessment work. Little more can be said about the often promised Koyle Dream Mine.
See: Norman C. Pierce, The Dream Mine Story, Salt Lake City, 1972.
Little Rock Canyon
12 Tuesday Nov 2013
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I love Little Rock Canyon, it is located at the north end of Springville, Utah. The canyon is covered with slick rockslides and gorgeous cliffs, there are a few caves and mines as well.
One cave, far up on the North side has many names, Springville Cave, Another Springville Cave Link, C Cave, Rock Cave, Gold Bar Cave, and is the place where in the 1980′s two boys found a gold bar.
If you want to hike up the canyon there is a trail that goes up the South side, if you’re looking for the caves/mines go up the bottom of the canyon and towards the North side.
On May 5th, 2013 we hiked up to “Rabbit Ears” to celebrate my birthday, I hadn’t been there in a long time.
Here’s a picture of Brady entering, and another of the “ears.”
Visit my list of places in Utah.
EDIT:
Here are pictures I took in 2007 I just dug up, the canyon, the cache I hid there and the “rabbit ears.”
Here’s a few other pictures I took farther up the canyon, a large rockslide I climbed up and explored.
Bullion Beck and Champion Mining Company Headframe
12 Tuesday Nov 2013
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Eureka, Juab County, Mines, Mining, NRHP, Silver City, utah
BULLION BECK AND CHAMPION MINING COMPANY HEADFRAME
This massive sixty-five Montana type Headframe is the only remnant of the Bullion Beck & Champion Mining Company. Discovered in 1871 by John Beck, the Bullion Beck became one of Eureka‘s big four mines. The others, all visible from the Beck, were the Gemini, the Eureka Hill, and the Centennial Eureka or Blue Rock. Constructed in about 1890 these gallows were housed under a frame structure that measured 40 x 119 feet and approximately 70 feet in height. The Bullion Beck & Champion Company Headframe forms part of the Eureka Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 14, 1979.
THE BULLION BECK & CHAMPION MINING COMPANY HEADFRAME
Perched over deep mining shafts, headframes or gallows frames illustrate the development of mining from small individually owned prospects to the large- scale operation of mining corporations. Technological innovations were required to accomplish this change. The Bullion Beck headframe, constructed in 1890, served to transport men, mules, supplies, and ore in and out of the underground workings. “The Salt Lake Tribune”, January 1, 1891, described the newly constructed plant:
Over the shaft is a main building of hoisting works. This is a substantially-framed structure, 40 x 119 feet, and high enough to take in the gallows frame, that being one of the best and strongest in the country and 60 feet in height. There are no better frame timbers or larger ones than these in Utah.
Headframes were of various types- the 4- or 6-post type and the A-type or modifications of it. The Bullion Beck gallows is A-type, also called two-post headframe or Montana type. Mining engineers’ handbook contains stress sheets and diagrams that illustrate how all bracing was placed at angles and in positions designed to hold the weight and stress needed to do the job. Sizes of frames depended on load weight, shaft size and depth, special equipment requirements, and weather conditions if exposed.
The Headframe allowed mining from depths of 300 to over 3,000 feet below the surface. On top of this frame sits sheaves, large wheels over which ran the hoisting rope. The rope, first a braided belt then a wire cable, ran from the hoisting engines some distance from the headframe. Bullion Beck had two Frazer and Chalmers 500 horse-power engines. The ropes from the sheaves were attached to cages that traveled in and out of the vertical shaft. These could have single cages or double-decked and had sections of track attached for rolling in ore cars. In inclined shafts (shafts descending at an angle) all self-dumping ore cars with wheels called skips were used. Thus, the vertical beams running in the center of the frame are often labeled skip guides. Those of the Bullion Beck were partially reconstructed in 1987.
Hoisting was the process of getting men, equipment, and ore in and out of the mine. The headframe served as part of the hoisting plant or works. Basically, the process involved a three-man team – hoist operator, top lander and cage tender. The hoist operator ran the hoisting engine according to a set system of bell signals. Removing loaded ore cars and sending down the empty ones fell to the top lander, while the cage tender delivered the loads to the different levels of the mine and loaded cars of ore or overburden to be sent to the surface. The floor at the top of the shaft contained iron plates and tracks for the cars so that they could be sent to the ore bins or to the waste dumps. Bullion Beck Mine contained a double compartment shaft with a man-way from top to bottom. The timber-lined shaft collar is now covered.
The surface plant of the Bullion Beck Mine was originally enclosed in a wooden building. In 1925 all of the plant was demolished except the headframe, which sat idle during the depression of the 1930s. It reopened due to World War II demand and operated into the early 1960s. Mining historians view the headframe as “the most prominent feature in almost any representation of the ordinary mine of the frontier period.” These wooden gallows are very rare. Those standing symbolize the important of the western mining landscape.
