The canyon where this gold mine and mining camp are to be found is one of my favorite places... Sure, it is the ultimate bug out spot with its remote location, abundant water from the river and the infrastructure that is present, but, at least for me, there is more to it than that. I think the natural beauty of this canyon is unparalleled and there is just so much going on here... Every time we visit, we discover something new.

Mining in this canyon dates back to the 1850s. So, this was one of the earlier areas that was worked following California’s famous Gold Rush. The first prospectors up this canyon would have simply been using picks and pans, but the physical layout of the canyon and the amount of mining activity here convinces me that they must have done very well. I’d love to know how much gold the earliest miners simply picked up and panned out of the river! It’d probably break a modern gold prospector’s heart… The number of buildings, Pelton wheels, electrical equipment, rock terracing, stamp mills, etc. are evidence that those miners that came later weren’t messing around either though. This was quite the developed, prosperous hive of activity more than a century ago.

I’m sure many are curious about the interiors of the cabins (as am I). This may all be located on public land, but I’m not going to break in and damage historical sites like this to satisfy my curiosity or that of someone else. And I'm not trying to come across as "holier than thou" with that statement, but the reason I started doing these videos in the first place was to try and share how much was being lost, not to contribute to the problem. As such, destructive entry on a perfect mining camp like this wouldn't sit well with me... Obviously, the gold mine is not being actively worked at this time (the last mining I am aware of that took place here was in the 1990s), but it seems that at least some are still coming up to enjoy a great spot along the river.

I’ve done videos on other parts of this canyon, which I know that some of you will recognize, and can, therefore, add to the mental folder documenting more of the amazing stuff back along this stretch of the river. And there’s even more! On our most recent visit, we found three additional adits, including one that punches back almost to the next canyon over. We also discovered more infrastructure supporting these mines - and the canyon does such a good job of hiding things that we know there is still plenty waiting to be found. So, there will be more videos from here.

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All of these videos are uploaded in HD, so I’d encourage you to adjust your settings to the highest quality if it is not done automatically.

You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: https://bit.ly/2wqcBDD

As well as a small gear update here: https://bit.ly/2p6Jip6

You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: https://goo.gl/TEKq9L

Several kind viewers have asked about donating to help cover some of the many expenses associated with exploring these abandoned mines. Inspired by their generosity, I set up a Patreon account. So, if anyone would care to chip in, I’m under TVR Exploring on Patreon.

Thanks for watching!

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Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them – nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.

These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever. But, you know what? We enjoy doing it! This is exploring history firsthand – bushwhacking down steep canyons and over rough mountains, figuring out the techniques the miners used and the equipment they worked with, seeing the innovations they came up with, discovering lost mines that no one has been in for a century, wandering through ghost towns where the only sound is the wind... These journeys allow a feeling of connection to a time when the world was a very different place. And I’d love to think that in some small way we are paying tribute to those hardy miners that worked these mines before we were even born.

So, yes, in short, we are adit addicts… I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!

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