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Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:35 am
by CrazyHermit
On July 4th I finally got up the nerve to explore the canyon beneath Big Horn Mine. It's hella-steep, so I figured
it would be easier to come from the bottom up. That's a long walk, starting in Vincent Gulch, going all the way to
the end of Mine Gulch and then cutting up a massive rock wash, looking for the entrance to the right canyon. I was
searching for a mine (that I never found) but there were artifacts galore from up above.

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An early morning view of Baden Powell from Inspiration Point. This used to be known as North Baldy.

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Beautiful manzanita on the way down. People used to make furniture out of this, but now it's protected.

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Along the way I passed this old plane wreck. This was a glider that crash landed in 1974. Both passengers survived.

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Idiots have scratched their names all over the plane, including a dumbass from the Forest Service, who should be fired.
On the way back out happened to meet up with Anthony and his girlfriend in Mine Gulch and showed them the wreck.

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Here's the cutoff for Prairie Fork, but I was going in the opposite direction on this day. Originally Prairie Fork
was supposed to be turned into a dam, but fortunately the San Gabriel Mining company fought the water
company and won. George Trogden was an agent who worked for the water company and lived near Iron Fork.

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It was midsummer and hot, but there was still a good flow of water in some areas.

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Cutting up the big rock wash. Way back there you can see Mt. Baden Powell.

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After locating the mouth of the canyon I dug this artifact out of some brush. Not sure what it was.

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This was my most massive find. Looks like an old boiler that got suspended above some rocks on the way down.

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Near the boiler I found remnants of an old wood cabin perched on a plateau. The boards were all over the place.
I believe that there may be a mine in the side gully here, but I didn't have time to look for it on that day.

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Not sure what this was. It may be a part broken off the base of the Big Horn's original two stamp mill.
I found one of the stamp heads further up the canyon. The mine eventually upgraded to a ten stamp mill
and were thinking of adding a 60 stamp mill to that, but the company was mismanaged and that plan
fell through.

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Now we get to the nitty gritty and start finding the ore carts. Apparently the mining company just shoved
these over the edge after mining operations ceased.

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And of course there were rails everywhere. I'm amazed that they didn't salvage these for money.

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A nice pure vein of quartz. The entire vein was about 2 feet high by ten feet long and went straight into the hillside.

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Not sure what this was. Paul Bunyan's toothpick maybe.

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Chassis of a second ore cart. These were made in two pieces, and you can see the eight holes where the
chassis was bolted to the box.

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Box portion of a third ore cart. On this one you can see the release lever near the bottom of the photo.

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There was no water in this canyon, but a lot of wildflowers. Here you see some Sticky Monkeyflower and Indian Paintbrush.

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Heavy timbers galore down in this canyon. Some were as long as 20 feet.

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This was my big find of the day. It's one of the original stamp heads from the mill. This weighs about 900
pounds, and if it came from the second mill built there would have been 10 of these. You can see how the
concave side has been worn down by use.

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Another cart. This one has a complete chassis but the box has been ripped off. A beautiful piece.

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When I got to this point I wasn't sure where to go. I climbed up the left side, but then something terrible happened.
The Ridgecrest earthquake struck, and rocks started falling all over the place. That was enough for me, I abandoned ship
and headed back down the canyon. I was almost out of water anyways, so it was time to go.

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Now we come to the second attempt, about two weeks later, this time from the top down. This pile of timbers
can be seen from above and reminded me of one of the pirate traps in Swiss Family Robinson. There are only
thin metal straps holding this together, so you better not be under it when those straps break.

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Here's the missing outer gating to Big Horn Mine's lower portal. Somebody tore this clean out of the cement
and rolled it over the hillside.

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More unidentified heavy equipment found in the forest.

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Rarely seen Snow Flowers. These are actually edible and can be cooked like asparagus.

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In the background is an old barrel. In front is a broken boiler, similar to the one I found near the bottom of the canyon.

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Just another random barrel.

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Whoever was driving the truck was doing some radical offroading.

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A nice morning view down the canyon. You can see Baldy, West Baldy and Iron Mountain in the distance.

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Yet another ore cart. The box and two wheels were missing from this one.

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Not quite sure what this was. It might have been part of a grizzly, used in ore chutes to let smaller rocks through.
while keeping the larger ones out.

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This was the most complete ore cart that I found. The chassis is still connected to the box, but at least one
side of the box is missing.

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Another ore cart, chassis only, with two wheels missing.

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More rails. The power of flood water has bent this one with ease.

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Closeup of ore cart wheels.

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Another shot of a partial ore cart, two wheels gone.

Before you go climbing down in this canyon, know that it's dangerous, and there are several dropoffs along
the way. Also no water to speak of, so stock up. It would be interesting to find out if there is a mine nearby
the cabin ruins seen on this page. I'm almost sure there is.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 9:16 am
by Gene
A successful hunt! Thank you for sharing and allowing me a vicarious trip to memorable location.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 2:37 pm
by dima
Thanks for posting! Just so I'm clear, is this the gully directly underneath the mine? Looks like a fun place to visit.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 2:41 pm
by CrazyHermit
Yeah, directly below it. Although at one point you have to cross over into another gully to get around a big dropoff.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 5:00 pm
by Nick G
Incredible finds. Thanks for sharing!

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 5:58 pm
by headsizeburrito
Great photos, looks like a fun day of exploration!

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:54 pm
by HikeUp
Rarely seen Snow Flowers. These are actually edible and can be cooked like asparagus.
I did not know this. I hate veggies for the most part. What do these taste like?

FANTASTIC exploration - thanks for posting it.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:26 am
by Tom Kenney
Now this is a 'meat-n-potatoes' post! Thanks!

RE: tire, looks like a plane tire.

RE: dangerous...yeesh! You ain't kiddin'!!! My brother and I tried to go south-ish/west-ish from the mine, following a good use trail that petered out in some shaley class-4 terrain that was strikingly beautiful but frightening and certainly no place for humans!

RE: snowplant, yes, I also would like to know...how does it taste? I know some reliable locations, and to paraphrase George Carlin "I got no mercy on a clumsy mollusk!"

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 4:47 am
by CrazyHermit
Never tasted a snow plant, but they grow like mushrooms, living on the bacteria in the soil.
I've been to the area you speak of, south of the mine. There's an old mine way out there, impossible to reach, but you can see it across the valley from that shale area. The mine's name is the Oak Knoll or Bunker Hill Claim, but I just call it the Impossible Mine.

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Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 9:34 pm
by tekewin
Super exploration and photog skills. So much hidden there.

I visited Bighorn Mine for the first time this summer and was surprised how accessible it was.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2019 8:30 pm
by Sean
Very nice! Thanks for the report. The "Impossible Mine" sounds like a challenge. Do we know of anyone who's been to it?

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 4:39 am
by CrazyHermit
Hugh Blanchard tried but never made it. There's a very scary washed out trail that goes along the edge of a cliff that you have to rope into. Also last time I was out there I noticed a bizarre waterfall blasting out of the side of the mountain further up the canyon. Looked like it was coming from a hole in the rock, but I could only see it from a distance.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2019 6:27 pm
by tallsquirrel
What an adventure! Kuddos to you Crazy Hermit. I always admire the hardcore bushwackers on this board. I go off trail in the desert and above the treeline, but I don't have the stones to go through chaparral. Thanks for showing us the the real treasures deep in the bush. Great pics and commentary on the mining equipment.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2019 6:55 am
by CrazyHermit
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To Tom Kenney - I wasn't thinking about it at the time, but you may be correct about the tire. I does indeed look like a plane tire, no tread, rounded, with a seam in the middle. I wonder if there's any wreckage buried under that pile of rock. Or if there were any reported planes that went down in that area.

Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2019 8:12 am
by Gene
That center ridge on the tire looks like an implement tire, usually used on the front of a tractor.
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Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2019 9:34 am
by CrazyHermit
Possibly, I was thinking more of the vintage airplane tires from the 1940s. The one you show looks a little too narrow.

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Re: Searching For Artifacts Below The Big Horn

Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:38 am
by Anthony
Awesome photos! It was cool running into a member of the board. Cheers.