Arizona

Arizona

When Gus called he told Linc he was sending the paperwork for the mine
shares, a list of the areas the main office wanted him to check out,
and a check for expenses. He figured that he wouldn't fly down and
rent a car because of the rugged terrain the areas were in. He
figured he would want to drive down and go from there. Linc said that
was what he was planning on, because of Angel. She went with him
everywhere now. Gus said he was sending the stuff down with a guy from
town so he should get it all tomorrow. Linc said thanks, he would be
looking for him.
Linc decided to clean out the truck and get some of his things packed.
He would have to pick up a bundle of stakes and some more flagging,
when he got to Arizona.
He put both of his packs in the truck along with a small tent and
sleeping bag in case he needed them. He knew he could always go to
the retreat if he really wanted to, but you never know for sure what
you could run into, when out scouting around. He packed a bag of dog
food for Angel and some snacks for the pack, along with some water for
them. He also took the gun he had before. Never know what animals he
might run into down there.
The Guy from town brought down the package, but it was too late in the
day for Linc to start for Arizona.
He took the papers for the mine shares to the office then to the
retreat and put them in the desk there. He thought about getting a
frame for it and putting it on the wall there in his office. He was
feeling pretty smug about it.
The next morning early, he hugged Lucas, and told him he would keep in
touch with him, and then he and Angel left for Arizona.
Looking at the areas they wanted him to check out, he could see they
were not all far from Prescott, Arizona. He had never been down this
way before so he was surprised to find it was in the mountains. It
was a lot warmer there than up in Goldfield, so he would have ho
trouble camping out if need be, but only if he had to.
He found the Lowes store and got the stakes and flagging. Went to the
BLM office and got maps, and talked to one of the gals that worked
there, about the mines up where the office wanted him to check out.
She told hem he was lucky there, because there had been a forest fire
in the area the year before, so there was a whole lot less vegetation
to contend with. She also told him about the fires they had over by
the town of Cherry that he was to check out. She said there were no
working mines near Prescott because if the environmentalists...He
asked her if she knew about any mines on the desert, and got some maps
of the areas that he had researched on the web before he left home.
He saw that there had been a lot of mines in some areas down there in
the early days. What was best, there were a lot of places to check
out that were not close to any towns. Some of the very old ones were
in remote places. That was good if there were any that could be
reopened or if there were still any good reserves left in them. He
had sent for some prospectus on three of them, and two looked ok . He
would check them out.
He thanked the gal for the info and went to a local hotel and parked
and locked the truck and then went to the retreat. The truck would be
safe in their parking lot and he really wanted a good dinner, a hot
bath and some clean clothes as well as a couple of days rest, that he
could only get there, with the time element.
While at the retreat, he went over the maps of the area above
Prescott, up in the more rugged places. There were very few roads in
most of the areas, but with the fires up there, they may have pushed
in a few. He wouldn't know til he got up that way. One place was on
the other side of a town on the top of the mountain. There were quite
a few old mines in the area. He would have to check them out. He
wondered if they were out of reserves or were closed during the war
years and never reopened. He thought maybe he better go the museum
and check out some of the history of the area, but you would think the
head office had done that already. Who knows? The gal at the BLM
office said they had a lot of info and pictures at the museum there in
Prescott, on the mining history. The gal told him they opened at ten
in the morning.
Linc had to stay at the retreat until he could go back for the truck
at about nine thirty Prescott time. He and Angel got a lot of rest
and some play time too. Angel was good at catching the frizby now, but
she will not run after it if it goes out in the water too far. She
had never really gotten over nearly drowning. She went in for a swim
if Linc went in but never alone. Just as well he thought.
Down at the museum, he looked for the pictures of the old mines.
There was an older gent who was very knowledgeable about the old
mines, and he gave Linc some pamphlets on a lot of them . He also
told Linc thet he thought the mining days were over for the Prescott
area Too many of the old mines have been reclaimed, and sold to
people who have turned then into housing additions. Lots of small
homes and cabins are bought by people from the Phoenix area for summer
places to get away from the heat of the desert. Way too many he said
for the people who want to go to the mountains to camp and hunt He
told linc, a man used to be able to go hunting anywhere up there, but
now so many areas are closed to hunting with all the new houses. A
man used to take a gold pan and go just about anywhere up there and
get some gold, but now they have stopped a lot of it because the
creeks are next to so many new houses. People now days just have no
idea how much nicer it was before all the people moved in. He shook
his head and apologized for being so outspoken, but Linc told him he
was glad to know all this. It will save him a lot of trouble looking
for some of the places.
Linc went up into the mountains, and found one place the main office
wanted him to check out, was now under construction of a new hiking
trail, that will go right past one reclaimed mine. If the owners of
that mine was holding out for a buyer for a housing development, they
are going to be surprised there. The only other interesting mine in
the Bradshaw range was on the other side of the mountain from
Prescott. That mine hadn't been reclaimed as yet. Linc couldn't get
anywhere near it for all the fences, and no trespassing signs. He
pulled out a pamphlet for the area and found that this particular mine
was under a litigation of some kind. Something the head office will
have to check out. He just knew he wasn't able to
Back over the mountain, and over another mountain on the other side of
Prescott was the last mine in this area for him to check.
It was too late in the day for him to try and go there so he went back
into town and parked the truck at another hotel and went to the
retreat.
After a few days there, he went back early in the morning to get the
truck and go over to the other side, to the Copper Basin mine. This
was an old copper mine, that had been reclaimed and it too was fenced
and posted, no trespassing everywhere. He saw two older guys gold
panning in the creek below the road past the mine, so he stopped and
talked to them. One old guy knew a woman who used to work in the
office of the mine when it was open. He said she told him when the
mine pettered out somewhat, they wanted to open pit the mine but the
environmentalists blew that idea out of the water. The guy also told
him that all the free gold in the creek was from old ancient river
gravels, that went over the top of the mountains millions of years
ago. He told Linc, two old timers that used to live up there,
dredged the creek, back before the mine took over all of their claims.
The only gold in this mine was with the copper, and they had a smelter
to get it. Not heavy in gold. A big mining company own the mine now,
and they are holding on to it to use for collateral when they need a
loan or something. That big mansion you passed up there on the hill
used to be just a small mine. You are wasting your time here buddy if
you think this will ever open as a mine again. In time it will just
be another housing addition. People still get a little gold here and
there on this creek, if they are willing to move some dirt to get to
it. Some days good, some days not so good. Linc asked them about the
gold mines out by Cherry. They told him there are no working mines
that have not been reclaimed for housing. There are a couple of
creeks that have panning claims on them, but more gold found right
here. Waste of time looking out that way. Your best bet is down on
the desert. Darn few people want to live down there. Lots of old
mines and creeks to find gold in but only when you have water or a
metal locator. If you are looking for free gold, try around Hope. If
looking for lode gold, go on down to the next town and take the old
road out to Swansea. Still some good old mines out that way. Yep,
Linc said, "I heard them, and was going to head out that way next" .
The old guy told Linc, if he was still looking in this area, go on up
the road, and when you have passed the second gate on your right, take
the next road to the right. Back in about a half mile you will come
to an old mine with an incline shaft. Whole thing full of water. The
road takes you across the old tailings . I have panned the creek that
runs out of the mine, under the road, down over the tailings, and
into an old creek bed. and got a few pickers and such. Trouble is,
it's a nasty climb up and down that hill, back to your rig. This was
not a big mine, and I can't remember the name of it. Back to the road
and on down it farther are two more mines one reclaimed and back to
the forest service, and the other is now a homestead. The road will
take you on down to Kirkland. Turn left and it will take you to a
junction . Right one will go to a big open pit copper mine at
Bagdad, and left will take you back to highway 85. At the junction,
left to Prescott, or right, to the desert. Linc thanked the old guys
and went on up the road. The road they said to turn on, was right on
the top of a ridge. He turned there and found the mine they were
talking about. He pulled off onto the tailing pile and got out to
take a look around. The mine shaft was just off an old creek bed It
probably had water underground most of the time and now it was running
through the mine itself. They must have had a hard time working it
back in the old days. Maybe in the summer the water was lower in the
mine and they had some pumps that could handle it. Some of the ore on
the tailings looked ok but this would be a very expensive mine to ever
reopen. This area would even be hard to reclaim because it was in a
wash to narrow to do anything with, even if they wanted to turn it
into a housing development. Mountain too steep too, that's why the
road went across the old tailings. Old guy said they made the road
there, to get to the timber in the area.
Back at the road, he turned right and went down the hill. He could
see the remains of an old rock cabin up on a hill, and just below
that was nun old road that had been kelly hunpped three times, and an
old sign that said,
Old Navy Mine. On past it, down the road a bit farther was the
mine, turned homestead. The house and outbuilding were quite old.
Looked like they raised a lot of pigs and some horses.
The creek that drained from the incline mine and all the other
drainages went passed this old homestead. It was deep here because
the canyon had narrowed down quite a bit from the top. Past the
homestead the creek dropped off a great deal, and ran through a
narrow spot. Linc could look down to the creek that was running good
and he could see four guys had a small dredge in it, working by the
boulders . He could also see the remains of an old ore hauler that
had went over the steep hillside into the creek, and they had never
taken it out. It was very old looking, and the motor was the only
thing rescued from it.
Going on down a road that wound along the canyon wall he finally came
out on a ridge top over looking the town of Skull Valley. The road ran
down one ridge after another til it reached the valley floor.
At the end of the road, he turned left and went back to highway 85.
When he got to that junction, he could look up on the mountain and see
an open pit gold mine that was still working. All other mines in this
area are now private property, the old gent at the museum told him.
Linc turned right here and went down to the desert.

When he reached the valley floor from the top of the pass, he went
past a road the went to the town of Stanton It and others in the area
had been turnd into huge camping spots that have recreational gold
panning on their creeks. No more working gold mines here There was
one old mine that had been re-running tailings from another mine that
had been closed by environmentalists

He drove on into the town of Congress, turned there onto the road
that went through the place and out toward California and the desert.

To be continued.

Arizona Desert

Arizona desert

The cut-off road he took to reach the junction at Aguila, he passed
another old mine and ghost town, called Robson's Mining World. They
had turned it into a tourist trap. They did have a small working
mine and mill, not open to the public, but the whole, old town had
been refurbished, and was open to all. They had a hotel, café,
mercantile, drug store, all working and usable. A lot of old mining
equipment and Indian artifacts were on display.
Real expensive place to go. He had read about it in a pamphlet from
the museum at Prescott.
Linc went on down the road and at the junction he turned right and
drove to the town of Aguila. There were two roads out of the town that
went to mines he wanted to check out, but for now, he decided to go on
through town and on down toward the town of Hope. He passed through
several small towns, that at one time had small mines, but nothing
that the head office would be interested in.
At Hope, he turned right at the junction and went down to where a
road crossed over the railroad tracks and went up into the mountains.
On up the road he came to a big gravel pit, and the road past it had
been closed, so he had to turn around and go back down to a side road
that went out around the pit area and then up into the mountains.
Going up the road he saw a man standing by a lane that went to a rock
cabin. Linc stopped to see if he needed help, and to ask questions
about the mines in the area as well. The old guy said he was waiting
for the sheriff. Said his name was Steve, and was the caretaker at
two of the mines. He had reported some trespassers that refused to
leave. They had set up dry washers on mine property.
Linc told him he was a geologist and was looking for property for a
mining company. He said he would like permission to do some
exploration work on them if possible. Steve asked him what his name
was, and when Linc told him, he also gave him a card of his. Steve
told him, he would take him on a tour of the mines if he wanted to
wait for the sheriff first. Linc said fine and a few minutes later the
sheriff's truck came up the road.
After Steve talked to the sheriff, he got into the truck with Linc
and they went to the first mine, called the Queen Bess. When the got
there they could see the sheriff's truck climbing up a steep hill to
where three ATV's were parked, by a deep wash that ran down the hill
past the mine itself. This mine was not fenced, but it was posted no
trespassing on the roads going into the property. There was also a
for sale sign, and a sign that told people to check with the
caretaker before entering.
They took one of the roads up to the mine itself. This mine had two
adits, the caretaker said. The first and oldest one was a vertical
shaft, that was now closed up. It had a metal chute, that mover all
the tailings down the hill so they wouldn't pile up below the shaft.
On the other side of the hill was a newer shaft. All of the old mine
buildings had been torn down. The mine had been closed since the war,
and had been dormant for about twenty years before the owner died and
left it to his Son. The Son tried to sell it for ten million and no
one would pay that much for it. He said he needed money so he sold off
all the buildings, equipment in them and everything in the mine as
well. Even the wiring, and air pipes. It was stripped except for the
ore itself. Steve told him when that owner died the mine went to his
Daughter, just four years ago. She had some exploratory work done,
and even though the price of gold had gone up, she had dropped the
price to five million.
At the main shaft, Steve unlocked the gate, then they went in a ways
and he unlocked the main adit door. Inside was a side room where
there were helmets with lights, and big flashlight too. Linc had
brought his geology pack with him as well. Steve gave him a
prospectus folder, that was on the shelf, and then they went on down
the tunnel. Linc could see there were an awful lot of drifts going
off in all directions. They did take a couple of them that Linc wanted
to check out. Right away, Linc could see that they had only high
graded the mine. There seemed to be a lot of paying ore that hadn't
been removed. With permission, he took samples, in several of the
drifts.
After looking around, they went back to the main adit, where they
found the Sheriff waiting. Linc was introduced, to Bruce, the
Sheriff. Steve told the Sheriff that Linc would be doing some
exploring in the area at both the mines with permission. Bruce told
Steve to call him if those guys came back, because he had told them
that they would be arrested if they came back again.
They had been getting away with going onto other claims in the area,
because the claim owners couldn't post the federal mining claims, and
he told them this mine was private property and it was posted no
trespassing, legally.
The guys were from the big RV park at Hope, and they had a great,
recirculation setup for processing all the buckets of dirt they were
taking from the claims. They had really been cleaning up, stealing
from the other miners. Steve said, from the looks of all the dirt
moved, this wasn't the first time they had been up there stealing
gold.
After Bruce left, they went on up to the next mine called the Blue Boy Mine.
There were still buildings at this mine and a big tank. There was a
leach pad with some un-leached ore still on it. There was an incline
tramway going across the big wash, the road, and up on the side of the
hill, across from the mine.. Steve said the main adit had caved in,
so they couldn't enter the mine itself. The area around the building
and leach pad was fenced and posted. Steve said the mine closed
during the war and was never reopened. About fifteen years ago, a
company had put in the leach pad and began reworking the milled
tailings. It turned out that was not as profitable as they had hoped
it would be and they closed down.
Linc told Steve he was only interested in what ore might be on the old
tailing piles and what might still be in the hill around it.
Linc took Steve back to his cabin. On the way back he told Linc about
how the law that the claim miners couldn't live on their claims
anymore, really put a burden on the owners to keep people out of their
claims when they were not there working it. It may have stopped
snow-birds from filing paper claims to get a spot to stay for the
winter, but hurt the legitimate ones.
Steve said he could see that Linc was set up for camping in his
pickup, and was given permission to camp there by his cabin if he
wanted to. Linc said he would rather go back up and park by the main
adit at the mine, because he would like to check out the area around
it. He would camp up there. Linc got Steve's telephone number too, in
case he ran into those men from the RV park.
Back up at the adit, he checked all around and picked up samples. Took
pictures. He could see as far as the RV park at hope, and the small
RV park down at the road that came over the railroad tracks. He could
also see several mining claims down on the desert floor, where miners
were running dry washers, in some washes down below, on the desert
floor area.
Linc went back to the truck, locked it up and then went to the
retreat. A lot more comfortable staying there than trying to fix
something to eat, and sleeping in the back of the truck.
Linc and Angel spent five days resting and playing at the retreat,
before going back to the truck.
At the truck, the sun was just beginning to come up. Linc could see
down on the desert why Steve didn't see or hear the ATV's from Hope.
They were coming across the desert , after going under the railroad
tracks and then coming up the side wash to the mine, bypassing the
road past Steve's cabin.
Linc watched them come right back to the mine property, so he called
Steve, and told him.
Linc got in the truck and drove on up to the Blue Boy mine. He got
samples, took pictures, and got the GPS readings, before leaving to
go to Swansea area. Going past the Queen Bess, he could see police
trucks with trailers, loading up the ATV's, and a van held the men who
drove them in. He saw Steve sitting on his ATV, watching the whole
operation. He waved to Linc as he went past.
Back at the highway, Linc went on down the road to the next town and
took a poor dirt road out across the desert toward the ghost town of
Swansea. After about a mile of bad road, it went up onto the old
railroad grade. This was a much smoother road now, because it was
used by all the snowbirds who ran their ATV's on it.
When Linc got to the base of the mountains, he could see that there
were four mines in the area. There were no building of any kind. He
could see that one mine had a smelter, at one time, because there
was a massive slag pile. Linc checked out all the tailing piles, the
slag pile, took pictures and lots of samples from all the mines and
slag pile too. This was all old copper mines that carried gold. As
well. Since this area was far from any town, it could be open pitted.
That would be the best way to go he thought, but that was up to the
head office. It looked good to him anyway. Linc had spent three days
exploring the area, before heading off to Aguila.
Back at Aguila, he took a road to the right, and went out that road
about ten miles or so, where he saw some huge piles of milled
tailings. He went up a bad road to some manganese mines. One small
one was an open pit, down close to a wash. The others were up on the
side of the hill. The roads to them was washed out, so Linc parked
the truck, took his pack and he and Angel hiked up and did his geology
thing for each of them. This too was an area that could be open
pitted, since there were no towns around anywhere.
The guy at the museum had told him that a company had started to take
the milled tailind to a smelter many miles away to have them processed
for the gold left in tnem. But the environmentalists closed the
smelter. So that ended that operation. Linc thought if they were able
to do that and still make a profit, there must still be a lot of gold
still left in the mill railings. He wondered why the mines didn't
have a smelter of their own. Who knows? What info he did have on the
three mines didn't say when they were closed, or who owned them now.
He decided to check at the library he saw when he came thru town.
After doing everything he had to do he went back to the town of
Aguila, across the highway and railroad tracks up another road to a
road that went up a wash He stopped here to put the truck into four
wheel drive to go up the wash. It was quite sandy, but he could see
where it was well driven from all the tracks in it. About two miles
up it, it finally came up out of the wash and onto solid ground. Up
about another half mile he came to a big forest service sign, that had
a map showing all the roads in the area. Seems there are a lot of
hunters, campers and ATV riders that frequent the area. There was
also a bunch of towers on top of the tallest mountain.
Linc took the best traveled road that went up to the towers. About a
half mile up this road, he came up a hill to the base of a small
mountain that had at least from whit he could see three shafts going
into the side of it.
There was places to camp all over the area, so he pulled off into one,
next to an ATV road going up the hill. He had already passed three
other roads going up the hill as well. The whole area was covered with
Paloverde trees, scrub oak brush and lots of cactus.
He didn't see another soul anywhere. This wasn't hunting or camping
season anyway, maybe that's why. It was getting late in the day, so
Linc set up his lawn chair by the fire pit, and made a small fire in
it. He sat there a while til it began to get a bit dark, locked up,
and went to the retreat.
After getting cleaned up, fixing supper for him and Angel, he went to bed.
After breakfast the next morning he went into his office to process
some of the stuff he had already accumulated. The bag he had put the
milled tailings from the manganese mine area, had to be put into a
plastic bag because it was dusty. He processed all the pictures and
put them with the reports he had already done. He would leave all this
at the retreat.
He and Angel spent three days resting up before going back to the truck.
Whoa! This was a surprise. The truck was surrounded with wild
donkeys. They were startled as much as the donkeys were. Angel let
out a bark and started to chase after, but Linc called her back. Linc
was about to unlock the truck when he looked up and saw a blue portal.

To be continued.ona Desert.