Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It is a rare treat for us to be able to enjoy the “Before” pictures of one of the mines that we visit. That was the case with the Excelsior Mine though… However, I felt that due to lighting and camera deficiencies, my first video from early in the TVR days did not do this historical gold mine justice. So, I returned later to document this mine with a proper light and camera.
Yes, the Excelsior is the real name of this mine. It has also been known as the Excelsior Drift Mine, the Excelsior Drift Gold Mining Company, the McCrory & Company and, originally, as the Deacon Long claims (Deacon Long was the original owner that became deranged and committed suicide). However, “Excelsior” has been its primary name throughout its history.
When I posted my original video, the Forest Service had just destroyed several historical sites that I had recently filmed and so I was overly sensitive about locations being shared or discoverable. I called it the “Lost Horse Mine” in the original video, but that was a fictious name to anonymize the site. I am now confident that this mine is not on the destruction list for the Forest Service.
If you’re curious, the first video is here:
youtube.com/watch?v=hIZwQvinss4
I can’t help but look at some of the early TVR videos with a certain degree of embarrassment and to notice a million things that I would do or say differently now, but it is part of the history of the channel and it did document a moment in time for this site that I would not want to have disappear from the public record. So, the videos remain.
I felt like the introduction in the original video when I am going through the pictures in the book was good enough to keep. Not perfect, but good enough. So, there’s that. The book – and the source of the pictures – is the Roar of the Monitors by my late friend, Jann Garvis, who made her life’s work the study of the history of this area. That incredible book (you’ll understand if you’ve seen it) is the result of literally decades of research. May we all be so fortunate to have such a crowning achievement from the efforts and struggles of our lives…
A couple of tidbits that I didn’t mention in the video…
The earliest records of this mine date back to the 1850s.
An 1887 inventory at the mine site listed the following: a blacksmith shop with tools, two ore cars, a boarding house, a dump shed and rails for 1,000 feet. I’m not sure what a dump shed is. Is anyone familiar with that term?
I don’t know why the water inside of the Excelsior Mine is so cold, but it remains some of the coldest mine water that I have experienced. Ironically, I read of several complaints of a lack of water delaying mining operations in the historical records.
*****
You can view the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: 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!
It is a rare treat for us to be able to enjoy the “Before” pictures of one of the mines that we visit. That was the case with the Excelsior Mine though… However, I felt that due to lighting and camera deficiencies, my first video from early in the TVR days did not do this historical gold mine justice. So, I returned later to document this mine with a proper light and camera.
Yes, the Excelsior is the real name of this mine. It has also been known as the Excelsior Drift Mine, the Excelsior Drift Gold Mining Company, the McCrory & Company and, originally, as the Deacon Long claims (Deacon Long was the original owner that became deranged and committed suicide). However, “Excelsior” has been its primary name throughout its history.
When I posted my original video, the Forest Service had just destroyed several historical sites that I had recently filmed and so I was overly sensitive about locations being shared or discoverable. I called it the “Lost Horse Mine” in the original video, but that was a fictious name to anonymize the site. I am now confident that this mine is not on the destruction list for the Forest Service.
If you’re curious, the first video is here:
youtube.com/watch?v=hIZwQvinss4
I can’t help but look at some of the early TVR videos with a certain degree of embarrassment and to notice a million things that I would do or say differently now, but it is part of the history of the channel and it did document a moment in time for this site that I would not want to have disappear from the public record. So, the videos remain.
I felt like the introduction in the original video when I am going through the pictures in the book was good enough to keep. Not perfect, but good enough. So, there’s that. The book – and the source of the pictures – is the Roar of the Monitors by my late friend, Jann Garvis, who made her life’s work the study of the history of this area. That incredible book (you’ll understand if you’ve seen it) is the result of literally decades of research. May we all be so fortunate to have such a crowning achievement from the efforts and struggles of our lives…
A couple of tidbits that I didn’t mention in the video…
The earliest records of this mine date back to the 1850s.
An 1887 inventory at the mine site listed the following: a blacksmith shop with tools, two ore cars, a boarding house, a dump shed and rails for 1,000 feet. I’m not sure what a dump shed is. Is anyone familiar with that term?
I don’t know why the water inside of the Excelsior Mine is so cold, but it remains some of the coldest mine water that I have experienced. Ironically, I read of several complaints of a lack of water delaying mining operations in the historical records.
*****
You can view the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: 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!
