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Thurmond, WV is a historic coal town located in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. It was once a bustling railroad and coal mining town but has since become a ghost town with several preserved buildings and a small museum. It technically has a population of 4 people that are looking to preserve the town’s history. The main street is lined with old buildings that once housed…
The Kaymoor Mine was a coal mine and townsite located outside of Fayetteville, WV. It ran from 1901 to 1951. It’s located in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. You’ll traverse a trail from the well-marked trailhead down to the mine entrance, powder house, former office and lamp house. Descending down to the Kaymoor Bottom requires a bit of effort. The trail drops over 1000…
The Nuttall mine was a coal mine and townsite located outside of Fayetteville, WV. It ran from 1870 to 1955. It’s located in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. There is a gentle trail down to the headhouse located near the top of the gorge. A steep switchback will take you down to the coke ovens and townsite. It has been partially restored by the NPS to showcase what the mine…
The Delaware Mine was a copper mine located in Delaware, Michigan. The mine operated from the mid 1800s until the late 1800s. The site consists of several old buildings, shafts and other artifacts. The site is well signed and preserved. It costs 14 dollars to enter the site. The mine tour is pretty amazing. You get to walk the first level of the mine. All the levels below are flooded.
The Mohawk Mining Company Stamp Mill is a historic site that showcases the remnants of Michigan’s copper mining industry. The mill was used to crush and process copper ore, and today visitors can explore the ruins and learn about the area’s mining history. There is a sign detailing the large sand deposit that is the result of the stamp mill operations. You can actually drive out onto…
The Quincy Stamp Mill was used to crush copper ore from the nearby Quincy Mine. It was first built in 1860. The site consists of large concrete buildings with lots of graffiti. The mill is located right next to Highway 26 east of Dollar Bay, MI. There is a small parking area. You can easily go inside but be careful of broken glass and unstable floors. Due to the state of the mill, I chose not to…
The Montreal Mine was an iron mine near Ironwood, MI and Hurley, WI. It ran from the late 1800s until the mid 1900s. The mine is over 4000 feet deep. The site consists of many old buildings, shafts and other artifacts. The site is well signed and preserved. A cross country ski system circles the site in the winter.
The Quincy Mine is a copper and silver mine located in Hancock, MI. This very large mine site consists of numerous buildings, artifacts, trains and even has a tour down into the mine. It’s extremely well preserved and just off the highway. It’s free to walk around the site and you can pay to get tickets to go into the mine.
The Mendota Mine is a copper mine outside of Lac La Belle, Michigan. The mine site consists of some tailings and a fenced off area with a metal mound mound marker. Directions This mine can be accessed by turning south on Mandan Road off of highway 41. You’ll need to continue straight onto the ORV trail to drive to the mine. The road was recently logged and easily drivable in a Jeep.
Clark Mine is a copper mine located right outside Copper Harbor, Michigan. The mine site has a sign pointing the way and an old smoke stack still standing. There are tailing piles around the site.
The Iron Gold Mine is a gold mine site outside of Goodsprings, Nevada. The mine site consists of footings of old buildings, many metal and wood artifacts and an open mine portal. This was worth the visit.
The Green Copper Mine is a copper mine site outside of Goodsprings, Nevada. I wasn’t able to visit this site because it is now used as a private shooting range. I walked for about an hour and a half with the dog only to find a monster truck advertising machine guns at the entry way to the mine.
Ward, Nevada is a ghost town outside of Ely, Nevada. The site used to be home to thousands of residents. The mine itself operated as recently as the 1990s. The month consists of the Ward Cemetry, Ward Townsite and many buildings and artifacts from recent mining activity. Near the Ward is also the Ward Charcoal Ovens that have been maintained. There are five beehive-shaped furnaces that you can…
The Pilgrim Mine is located down Beaver Creek Road outside of Sawtooth City. There are some structures that still stand and large tailing piles. The road is very fun to drive in a large clearance 4×4 vehicle.
The Sunbeam and Pride of the West Prospect is located far down Beaver Creek Road. The drive to this mine was fine but very much at the end of the season when we went. The snow was starting to blow and there were many large puddles. The mine consists of some tailing piles and wood and metal artifacts. I did not have time to look for any portals.
Hoodoo Prospects is a zinc and silver mine located in Custer County. The mine is huge and started operating in 1973 so there is a lot left. There is a block building on the site and tons of wood and metal artifacts. There are large tailing piles visible for quite some distance. There is also a semi-developed hot spring. I located a possible portal but it has since collapsed and been covered.
The Aztec Mine is a gold mine located in Custer County. Some remnants of the mine remain. There has been some attempt to put a fence around the site but it was burned in a recent wildfire. There is a large depression in the ground that is surrounded by a fence that must be a portal that’s covered in dirt. There are metal and wood artifacts lying around.
Vienna, Idaho is a ghost town located in Blaine County. It has a history as a mining town that used to have over 800 residents. It’s unknown why the town was destroyed and where the people went. The sign states it was active from 1880 to 1887. There is a forest service sign that identifies the location. I was able to find some metal artifacts, rubble from a building, and an old outhouse.
The Golden Star Mine is a gold mine located in Blaine County, Idaho. It consists primarily of several large tailing piles. The mine’s portal is visible but is mostly collapsed and would likely be hard to enter. There are metal artifacts all around the site as well as Federal Mining Claim markers.
The Burning Moscow – Flemming Prospect is located outside of Hailey. This gold mine consists mainly of some small tailing piles. There is a visible collapsed portal just above the tailing piles.
Tip Top is a gold mine located outside of Hailey, Idaho. It mainly consists of several large tailing piles. There are National Forest Service signs outlining a recent claim in the area. I was involved in an accident while attempting to visit this mine that required a tow truck recovery of my Jeep.
The Monarch Mine is located south of Atlanta, Idaho. It’s part of the mine hill located outside of town. If you are even remotely into mining history, the town of Atlanta is worth a visit. There are countless mine sites located outside of town and the town was established in the 1860s when gold was found. There are currently 38 residents. The town is located on the southern side of the Sawtooth…
Carrietown is located near the top of Dollarhide Summit. The town is a short drive off of the main road. It consists of some old buildings, artifacts and creepy relics. The mine held silver, lead, gold, zinc and copper. I didn’t take the time to investigate the mine site.
The Phi Kappa mines are located off of Trail Creek. The mine consists of numerous portals, vehicles, metal and wood artifacts, and buildings. Several of the portals are semi-collapsed and flooded. It seems that the great-grandson of the mine owner visited the site in August 2020. This mine site is located above the valley floor and has an amazingly beautiful view.
I’ve been to Quigley Prospect before but today I went inside the portals. The lower one doesn’t go far but the upper one goes in several hundred feet. At the end of the tunnel are numerous social distancing signs. Directions This mine is located down Quigley Gulch outside of Hailey. Both portals are visible from the road.
The Black Hawk Mine is a silver and lead mine located down Deer Creek outside of Hailey. The mine is mostly a large hole in the ground with several tailing piles. I didn’t locate any artifacts or visible portals at the site.
The Red Cloud Mine is located down Deer Creek outside of Hailey. The mine consists of buildings, many artifacts, tailing piles and an open mine shaft. The building is hidden in the woods and you won’t see it until you’re right on top of it. The mine shaft is partially collapsed but I took a peek inside from the entrance.
The Old Limestone Quarry is found outside of Sturgeon Bay. There is a visible open pit with an old wall along the perimeter. There are also metal artifacts lying around.
The Homestake Mine is located in Lead, South Dakota. The entire area of Lead and Deadwood was developed due to the mine in 1876. The mine operated until 2002. Lead was the mining town and Deadwood is where the miners went for entertainment. It’s still filled with bars and casinos. The gold mine, known as the Open Cut, is in the center of Lead. It’s an amazingly huge hole in the ground.
The Bright Star Mine is located outside of Stanley. It consists of metal artifacts, a tailing pile and a structure. This mine has a good view of the Sawtooth Mountains.
The Constantine Prospect is located east of Bellevue. There isn’t much but tailing piles and a good view found at this mine site.
The Uranium Strike Prospect is located outside Hailey. The mine is located on private property but you can see the tailing pile from across the fence. There isn’t much to this mine. I have yet to gain any super powers.
The Princess Blue Ribbon mine is a lead mine in Camas County. There are numerous structures and lot’s of artifacts lying around. There is a pipe in the ground leaking water and has produced a large rut.
The Westlake North Prospect is a lead, zinc and silver mine outside of Hailey. There are visible tailing piles and metal and wood artifacts. There are some standing structures and some old cars in the area.
The Muldoon District site is located in Muldoon Canyon. The mine site consists of several old homes, mining roads, and some mining buildings. There are lot’s of artifacts lying around. There are tailing piles located up the canyon walls north of the townsite.
The Washington Mine is a gold mine outside of Hailey. The hillside where this mine is located has been restored. It looks like there used to be significant run-off from this mine.
The Consolidated War Dance and Jolly Sailor Mines are silver, lead, copper and zinc mines outside of Hailey. These mines consist of large tailing piles and many metal and wood artifacts. There are still visible structures on the main tailing pile.
The Winner Prospect mine is lead and copper mine located outside of Hailey. It consists of numerous tailing piles with some wood and metal artifacts lying around.
The Empire Mine is located outside of Mackay, Idaho. Although it’s near the Mackay Mine Hill tour, it’s on private property with many signs. I took some pictures from the top of the hill. There are still many buildings standing and equipment lying around.
Mackay Mine Hill is a historic tour that you can take of all the mines west of the town of Mackay. The town was developed in the early 1900s and many mines can be found west of town. The tour provides numerous numbered destinations with signs including information about each of the destinations. There were four mines featured as well as homesites, smelters and a large tram system for bringing ore…
The Broken Wheelbarrow Prospect is a lead mine located outside of Bellevue. The mine consists of two tailing piles but little else. It has a good view of the Pioneer Mountains and the surrounding Wood River Valley.
The Mountain View Group mine is a graphite mine located outside of Stanley. This mine was hard to locate. I tried a few times and it seems like the coordinates are incorrect on the USGS site. I did visit an open pit mining area but it was a little away from the marked area. We also walked directly to the marked area and there are old roads but no evidence of a mine.
The Iron Crown mine is a gold and silver mine located outside of Stanley. The mine is only tailing piles. The entrance is visible but collapsed. The mine is has a great view of the Sawtooth mountains.
The Bronco Mine is a gold, silver and lead mine located outside of Stanley. The consists of a few tailing piles and a few metal scraps. This mine has an amazing view of the Sawtooth range.
The Lucky Boy Mine is located outside of Ketchum down Warm Springs. I didn’t visit this mine myself as my wife took these pictures. There are the remains of several buildings; both wood and stone.
The Jay Gould Mine is located down Bullion Gulch outside of Hailey. It mainly consists of tailing piles and some metal artifacts. This claim was a lead and silver mine.
The Red Elephant Mine is a lead, silver, and copper mine outside of Hailey. There is a very large structure still standing at this mine site. There are also numerous tailing piles and lots of metal and wood artifacts lying around. I saw a snake.
The Rustler Claims Mine is located down Croy Creek Road outside Hailey. The mine consists of several buildings, many artifacts, tailing piles, and a mining structure. The buildings have no trespassing signs posted so I didn’t get a close look. There is a date of 1967 by the Newton Mining Company on the concrete at the foot of the structure near the mine. There were no mine shafts visible. This…
CAUTION: This mine has multiple exposed mine shafts. Do not enter. Rocks may fall and toxic gases may exist. The Quigley Prospect is a lead, gold, silver, copper, and zinc mine outside of Hailey. This mine has multiple open mine shafts. There are some large tailing piles and remains of an old building.
The Camas gold and silver mine is located in Doniphan. This mine consists of some concrete structures, metal and wood artifacts. This mine was active in the late 1800s and then again in the 1940s. This mine is remote but had a lot of graffiti and recent trash.