Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This week’s exploration takes us deep inside a large historic zinc, lead and silver mine once worked on an industrial scale. Although this deposit was discovered in the 1800s, it was not developed extensively until the early twentieth century. This operation followed mineralized zones through solid rock, leaving behind an extensive network of levels, stopes, and internal connections that speak to both its productivity and ambition.
One of the defining features of this mine is its sheer size. Massive stopes open upward and downward from the main workings, forming vast underground chambers. To reach the lower portions of the mine, we first had to cross a narrow, rickety timber bridge spanning a deep void — a reminder that these underground spaces were engineered for efficiency, not comfort.
Beyond the bridge lies a substantial winze dropping through multiple stopes. Descending it requires climbing nearly vertical wooden ladders installed by miners many decades ago. Each rung and timber reflects the practical craftsmanship of the era, and descending through these open chambers offers a rare perspective on the vertical scale of historic underground mining.
Ore followed well-defined structures through excellent host rock of limestone and brecciated dolomite, allowing the miners to extract material while leaving behind enormous open stopes with minimal to no timber supports. Production records indicate that this was a serious, sustained project that contributed meaningfully to regional mining output during its active years.
Today, the mine stands silent. Timber, ladders, and excavated voids remain exactly where they were left, slowly aging underground. Exploring these spaces is both fascinating and sobering — a direct encounter with the working environments of the miners who built them and the scale of effort required to pull ore from the earth.
As always, this exploration is approached with care and respect for both the site and its history. What remains underground is more than abandoned workings — it is a record of labor, engineering, and risk preserved in the dark.
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You can view the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
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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!
This week’s exploration takes us deep inside a large historic zinc, lead and silver mine once worked on an industrial scale. Although this deposit was discovered in the 1800s, it was not developed extensively until the early twentieth century. This operation followed mineralized zones through solid rock, leaving behind an extensive network of levels, stopes, and internal connections that speak to both its productivity and ambition.
One of the defining features of this mine is its sheer size. Massive stopes open upward and downward from the main workings, forming vast underground chambers. To reach the lower portions of the mine, we first had to cross a narrow, rickety timber bridge spanning a deep void — a reminder that these underground spaces were engineered for efficiency, not comfort.
Beyond the bridge lies a substantial winze dropping through multiple stopes. Descending it requires climbing nearly vertical wooden ladders installed by miners many decades ago. Each rung and timber reflects the practical craftsmanship of the era, and descending through these open chambers offers a rare perspective on the vertical scale of historic underground mining.
Ore followed well-defined structures through excellent host rock of limestone and brecciated dolomite, allowing the miners to extract material while leaving behind enormous open stopes with minimal to no timber supports. Production records indicate that this was a serious, sustained project that contributed meaningfully to regional mining output during its active years.
Today, the mine stands silent. Timber, ladders, and excavated voids remain exactly where they were left, slowly aging underground. Exploring these spaces is both fascinating and sobering — a direct encounter with the working environments of the miners who built them and the scale of effort required to pull ore from the earth.
As always, this exploration is approached with care and respect for both the site and its history. What remains underground is more than abandoned workings — it is a record of labor, engineering, and risk preserved in the dark.
*****
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!
