Abandoned Mine Exploring with Tom and Julie

RARE MILL & UV-GLOWING MINERALS IN THIS DEATH VALLEY MINE

Duration: 24:59 2172 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Tom and Julie begin their exploration at an historic silver lead mine that was originally staked as a claim in 1871, situated on the rugged slopes overlooking Death Valley with Telescope Peak visible in the distance. The site features extensive upper workings carved into steep veins, characterized by haphazard diggings and numerous small openings scattered across the mountain side. As they navigate these narrow passages, they encounter impressive crystalline formations that appear to line entire walls like the interior of a giant geode, showcasing the chaotic yet fascinating nature of this century-old mining operation where miners worked for over 150 years under difficult conditions without modern safety standards or clear trails. The highlight of their initial discovery is the unique optical properties of the minerals found within these veins, which exhibit striking fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light. The hosts turn off their regular lamps to reveal crystals that glow vividly in orange hues, creating an ethereal effect inside the dark tunnels and narrow shafts they investigate. They examine various pockets containing gray crystalline structures and a particularly interesting vein with iridescent purple tones visible outside of direct sunlight, noting how these geological oddities make for a visually stunning experience despite their irregular shapes and lack of deep penetration into the hillside. Venturing deeper toward the base of the mountain, Tom and Julie descend through loose debris and old waste piles to locate what remains of a single-stamp mill located approximately 1,000 feet below their starting point. They uncover remnants of industrial activity including an old ladder constructed from sturdy two-by-fours rather than original timber, ventilation tubing stretching far into the tunnels, track switches for rail cars that once hauled ore via mules or small engines, and even a preserved dynamite box bearing the Dupont logo alongside scattered tools like carbide cans and wooden planks used as scaffolding. The mill itself stands intact with its heavy hammer mechanism still in place, powered by a double-cam system designed to lift blocks for crushing operations, all situated in an isolated location that defies easy access from the valley floor. After completing their descent through hazardous terrain filled with sulfur smells and unstable rock faces, the explorers make the arduous climb back up the steep ridge on foot, emerging exhausted but satisfied with a comprehensive look at this remote mining site. They reflect on how such operations functioned in isolation far removed from civilization, relying on animal power or small engines to transport ore between the upper workings and the lower mill while dealing with constant geological surprises around every corner. The video concludes with their legs shaking from the strenuous hike up a thousand-foot elevation gain over loose scree, yet they remain amazed by the colorful mineral displays, preserved machinery, and sheer ruggedness of this forgotten piece of American mining history that offers both danger and wonder to modern-day explorers.

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These are These are always kind of fun. You never know what's around the corner. >> Just don't hit the brake or the gas instead of the brake. >> And don't go too far to the left. >> will take the fast way. Wow, look at that corner. >> Wow. >> Wow is right. >> That was a little sharp. >> Oh, yeah, here's something else. >> we found out here. Oh, that's a pleasant surprise. That's what you find around the corner. >> Good morning, YouTube Mine Exploring fans. Tom and Julie here. We are here at an old mine. This was first established as a claim in 1871. It's a silver lead mine. And later silver chloride. There was a cool chute here that comes down. There's some higher workings. You can see the waste pile up there. I'm standing on top of a pretty big waste pile. And there are workings all the way down this mountain side, it looks like. And then way in the distance down there probably around 1,000 ft down is a stamp mill, a single stamp mill. And we're going to hike down there later. So, let's get going climbing the hill. We're going to go up to these upper workings and see what we find and we'll start there. That's looking out over Death Valley. In fact, I believe Telescope Peak is straight ahead in the middle of the shot there. This way there are all kinds of little workings on this steeply angled vein. Uh and then up the hill is a few more. So, we're going to start all the way up the hill. Well, here's a pretty big opening. Uh some different looking stuff there. Crystals, you can see all there forming cubes. This kind of goes all over the place, doesn't it? >> Up, down, around. >> Up, down, all around. They're very haphazard workings around here. There's little diggings everywhere. >> Look at this, just sitting in there, too. >> Huh. >> Isn't that crazy? Look at that. >> Yeah. Those are all crystals the way that's cubed like that. Okay, this has the look of inside of a geode. Isn't that crazy? All those crystals. You turn your light off once. For a while they fluoresce. Look at that. They fluoresce in orange. That's pretty cool. Okay, turn your light back on. So you can see what we're looking at. So we're looking at this whole wall of stuff here that would all fluoresce like that. Okay, here are these crystals again. Let's try one more with the ultraviolet. Yeah. I don't know if the camera's picking it up, but it's pretty cool in person. Isn't it, Julie? >> Yeah, it's awesome. >> So, let's go a little further in here. Okay, cut your light. Oops. Look at that. Wow. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> It's like we're inside a geode. Okay, there's a whole big set of crystals up here. All right. I wish I knew what these are. Are these chloride crystals? They might be. So, here's this white vein there of all crystals. Let's look at that in the UV spectrum. So, it's just that narrow band. Man, that is cool looking though, isn't it? >> Yeah. >> I hope it's coming out on the camera. All right. Well, you could sit and look at this all day, but we've got other things to do, so let's go do them. Okay, let's take a slow trip over this way. Wow, look at the echo. Oh. >> It's so weird. >> It must really be a hard rock at it. I don't see any vein here. >> No. >> Well, that does echo. Woo. I can see the face already. Man. >> This would make a good bomb shelter. >> It'd make a good place to play some music. A natural reverb. Here's the face. Here are some pockets they've dug out. And they went back that way, but we didn't see anything. This vein comes over this way. And then we're back to this neat area here with all these crystal structures. And see, we're not very far in here. So, let's see what else we have around here. Besides beautiful views. Look how rugged this is. It's crazy. You want to go down this thing? >> Down it? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> You want to go down in this hole for a minute? See what we see. Man, the 1871, think of those guys digging around here then. That's a long time ago, huh? >> Mhm. >> 150 years, is it? Wow. You weren't even you weren't even born yet. Follow Julie. Looks like it's open to the outside there, too, huh? >> Yeah. >> Okay, we came down that little slope. Short 20-footer to the left. There's an old ladder, it looks like. >> It's a little guy. >> Yeah, it is, a narrow one. >> Mhm. >> Goes up into a little stope. >> It's a good vein. >> There's some more crystalline stuff. These look like gray crystals of some sort. Yeah, there was track in here, some tie bumps. Here's a face [clears throat] on this little mini crosscut. And then here's the face of this other These aren't very long workings, they don't go very deep into the hill. Interesting, though. This vein has a little more red in it. Another opening. Not sure if it goes anywhere. There's a pretty good waste pile outside of it. It's not going anywhere though. That's interesting. >> There's some stuff there. >> Oh yeah, here's more of this crystalline stuff. I'll have to ask one of my geologist friends what that is. >> Look at this. This is a vein. >> Yeah. Definitely a strange vein, isn't it? >> Isn't it though? >> It's kind of a hellacious looking open cut here. A lot of stuff above it on this waste pile. And it goes in and down to the right. I suppose I could try taking a peek. Okay, that's part of it up. And this is the part that goes down. I don't think it's going to go real far. It's like an old door. This is kind of interesting looking van I'm following. Looks like it just stopped down here. The vein is almost iridescent purple when I see it out of the direct light. That's it. Crazy area geologically speaking. That's looking up where I came from. All right, guys. What's this thing? I thought it was heavier duty like a cylinder and a piston inside of it, but it's not. It's It's pretty light duty. And then there's a hub or something right over there. All right, we're heading down to see if that's a mill down there or what it is. Not easy going down this actual uh pile [snorts] and slope. Everything's loose. Well, here's what's left of a dynamite box. Looks like a Dupont, I think. Looks like the Dupont logo there, doesn't it? If you Turn it to Turn slowly turn it a little bit again. Yeah, right there. What does that say? Yeah, that says Dupont. And then the other side is just says high explosives. Okay, there's our new little dynamite box. Maybe the rest of it's around here somewhere. >> Right there. >> Yeah, there it is, actually. Maybe somebody will nail it back together. >> Bridge. >> Bridge ahead. Doesn't look like it's over anything to speak of. Is there something down there? >> Just a little bit. >> What is that green stuff down there? What's that? There's a few stalls and a plank, it looks like a working plank for a scaffold. What is this track in here? >> Another? >> Mhm. Actually, that's a piece of That's like a track switch. Here's a little cross cut. 10 ft left, 12 ft left. And to the right, a little gob wall. A rat's nest. Fuel can and a lot of 20-ft cut to the right. Here's some ventilation tubing. That goes a long ways. Oh, I see a ladder. >> Oh boy. >> Ooh. There was track in here. I'm surprised that they put track for that little distance. Well, that's a nice looking ladder. >> Now, this is a ladder. That is a solid. Look at that. >> That doesn't really go anywhere. >> Mhm. >> Or down there. There's a hole up there. Wow. Let's see if we can climb it. >> Okay, Tom's going to go up the ladder. It's the sturdiest ladder I think I've ever seen. >> Yeah, it's made out of all 2 by 4s. >> Yeah. >> This ladder is not from 1871, that's for sure. >> No, it's a newer one. >> I don't know if you can go up past this stuff. It's pretty slippery. >> slippery. >> Goes up to a little teeny hole up here. >> Uh-huh. >> I don't think I can get up there. >> Okay. Come on back down then. >> Here's a top to a small carbide can. National Carbide. >> All right, we found another portal here. Let's take a look. Goes a short ways over here. Up to the top there. And just a short ways down there. A little pocket. >> Here's another opening. Looks like they had vent line hanging there. I can't imagine it goes that far. None of them have so far. >> Just goes to there. About 30 more feet. I'm not going to crawl in there. There's some big planks. Real 2 by 12s. Look at those things. I think we've intersected a road looks like below me. But I spotted this it looks like a piece of tire. Can you imagine riding on those little old tires? So it looks like this was an old road or a trail of some sort. And we're heading down to the mill. >> [music] >> Okay, this is crazy. There's a once town mill. Out here in the middle of nowhere. It's quite a ways below the mine we've been exploring which is way at the top of the ridge on the horizon as far as you can see. This is looking out into Death Valley. There's a trail that comes up over here which is right ahead of Julie but I don't see how you would haul any ore. Maybe down it. On a mule. This would be the mount for the engine. Which would line up with the big wooden drive wheel there. Which would turn the shaft there and the cams, see there's a double cam there on that shaft. And it would hit the lifting block and lift the the hammer up. Union Tool Company from LA. And the hammer's still here. Everything's here. This is crazy. What's it doing out here? I noticed that this one support on this side I was standing up on top of it was getting pretty rotten. This little funnel here is where you would have fed the ore or down into this area on top of the hammers. And every time it would lift up a certain amount would slip past that and fall into the area where the hammers are. I can't believe this thing's out here. I mean, it's really cool to see it. Bang, bang. Can you imagine this thing banging away out here in the middle of nowhere? And how in the heck did they get ore to and from this thing? I mean, it's crazy. >> [music] [music] >> Hope you guys are enjoying this cuz this is a real treat for us to see. Now we got to climb the hill back up there. It's got to be at least what? >> Steep and rocky. >> Probably a thousand feet or better. And there's no trail to be found. Probably a big hit and miss engine down here. Here's an old Havoline Havoline motor oil can. One quart, made in USA. Final place of the day for exploring and we are going home. The end of this timber's hand the chopped with an axe it looks like. All right. You don't fall down the hole. We're both a little tired after hiking up from that mill. Legs are a little shaky. Yeah, my legs are a little shaky, too. >> You smell sulfur? >> I don't know. Oh, yeah, there's sulfur in front of your head here. And to the right, see it? >> Oh, yeah. Now I smell it. >> Oh, yeah, my legs are tired. Knees are sore. >> You got a little bit of everything right in here, it looks like, don't it? >> Yeah. >> Wow, colorful. Slabbing off a little bit, too, ain't it? All this stuff we're walking on. Anything in there? >> No, it just goes a little ways. It's a bad trap in here. >> Yeah. It's about 10 ft of mine, huh? And we're back out, just about.