Exploring the Deep Stopes of a Historic Western Mine - Part 2 of 2

In this second and final part, we complete our exploration of the main underground workings and then broaden our focus to the extensive surface development that once supported this large historic zinc, lead, and silver mine. After descending through the enormous stopes in Part 1, our first task here was to climb back out via the long series of wooden ladders and systematically work through the remaining passages, side drifts, and connections in the main workings. As we make our way out, we encounter one of the most striking geological features of the entire site: a prominent fault wall exposed underground, where mineralization and structure clearly guided the miners’ work. That same fault becomes even more impressive when we later encounter it again higher on the mountainside. In an upper set of workings, the miners intercepted the fault in an open pit and hacked into the exposed rock face in a manner that almost resembles an altar. Seeing the same structure at multiple elevations provides a rare, three-dimensional view of how this ore body was followed from near the surface down into the deep stopes below. With the main underground exploration complete, we turn our attention uphill. The mountainside above the principal workings is dotted with additional adits, trenches, and open pits, many of them interconnected. In several places, adits lead directly into open pits, where further tunnels fan outward in multiple directions from the exposed heart of the excavation. These upper workings illustrate how the earliest mining here relied heavily on adits before expanding into more aggressive surface excavation as the ore body was traced downward. Although these upper workings lack the scale of the deep stopes below, they provide valuable context. Together, they show how different mining methods were applied at different depths, all following the same mineralized system from the surface into the mountain. Before leaving the site, we stop to examine a series of stone foundations near the base of the workings along the access road. A substantial can dump in the dry wash below helps confirms that these structures once served as living quarters. Winding through the area is an intricate network of stone-lined pathways that curve around vegetation and terrain features, suggesting that even in a rugged mining camp, care was taken to shape a livable and thoughtfully arranged environment. With that, our exploration of this mine comes to a close — a site that reveals its history not just through vast underground chambers, but through the quieter details left behind on the surface. ***** You can view the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: https://goo.gl/TEKq9L ***** Several kind viewers have asked about donating to help with the many costs of exploring these abandoned mines. Thanks to their generosity, I set up a Patreon account. If you’d like to contribute, you can find me under TVR Exploring on Patreon. Thanks for watching! ***** Growing up in California’s Gold Rush Country made it easy to take all the history around us for granted. But abandoned mines face many threats—nature, vandals, scrappers, and government agencies. The prospectors and miners who once roamed these mountains and worked deep underground are fading into history as well. That reality inspired us to start documenting as many ghost towns and abandoned mines as we can—before this colorful piece of our past is lost forever. I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!