Twas, part II

 Continuing on our journey, we took to the road and went east. At this point it must be said that Birch Creek road now becomes East Vipont road. Why it does that, I don't know, it just does! Following the trail we came upon a massive stamp mill long since abandoned. According to research, this mill was able to process 200 tons of ore a day. The foto does not do its size nor the steepness any justice. The place is huge and being as it worked on gravity, its built on a very steep hillside.  

 All around the place are leftover relics from days gone by. As you pass through the sagebrush you must constantly watch where you place your feet as to not step on something sharp or jagged and ruin your day. The above foto shows a type of chute that material traveled down to another level.

 We thought that the mine was above the mill but it is said that it was a dumping point for a tram. The ore was brought down and stockpiled to be ran through the mill as soon as it could. 

 What amazes me the most is  how well these old places were built. The boards above are somewhere near 100 years old and they remain intact after such a long time. Other items spotted were good old fashioned iron pipes that could still be used today. Yes they were rusty, but they were still as solid as the day they were made. 

 Honestly, the barrel above could be 10 years old but I am thinking its way older. The iron cone was used to funnel something somewhere and could still be used today. Hell, the cement walls on the place are almost a foot thick. They built the foundation of this place to last. I sure wish the rest of it had been built that way. A stamp mill is such a cool thing. It functions almost like an engine. It has crankshafts connected to iron hammers that continuously move up and down smashing ore to dust. I can only imagine how loud it must have been. On YouTube, you can watch some demonstrations of tiny mills that have been preserved or rebuilt. These small units are very noisy so one can only imagine a whole buildings worth. 

 The mine we were looking for we did not find. Well, we did kind of, but not really. Our objective was the Phelan tunnel and we did find that. Well, what is left of it. According to an old engineering journal, the Phelan tunnel was built to aid in taking ore out of the main mine itself. The tunnel was to be 2000 feet strait in. At that point, they would start digging up and down and tie into the vein of the main mine. By doing this, they anticipated making extracting the ore much easier and  had an idea to install a tram way down to the mill or a small steam powered train. As to what happened???? Who Knows. There are no signs of a tram or rail bed. This mine would be fun to explore too, but alas, there is no way in from where we were. 

 I was standing on the tailings at this point looking back towards the tiny trail to get up to it. The slope is so steep that they are barely 40 feet wide at the top. 

The view looking down is scary. It is well over 500 feet almost strait down. One slip and away you will go. According to the GPS, the road ended just a ways up the canyon at a dead end. Looking on Google Earth you notice that it doesn't end and there are more mines in the area. Needless to say, we will be back out there soon to do some more exploring. I can't wait. Jeep on my friends!