How To Find Abandoned Mines

How To Find Abandoned Mines

So, you want to know how to find a specific abandoned mine or abandoned mines in general? We will dive into answering that question in this video by taking you along on our search for an abandoned mine that took us two years to locate! Along the way you’ll have the opportunity to observe the tools and techniques we use to find the historic mines that appear in our videos and you will, hopefully, be able to incorporate some of what we have learned over the years (and are now sharing with you) into your own search for mines and mine sites. I will cover how we find out about mines in the first place, the research that we do, the online resources we utilize, the technology we take out in the field with us and more.

Whether you are a historian or a gold miner looking for promising sites to file claims on or a mine explorer interested in documenting our industrial heritage or are just curious what is around the area where you live, this video will, hopefully, have something useful for you. Some of you will obviously already know many, if not all, of these search techniques. However, this video is intended to have something for everyone – from the novice to the experienced mine hunter. Many people have no interest at all in finding lost mines, but enjoying seeing them and the efforts of others to find them, and so I have included the footage of the mine when we finally found it for that demographic as well.

Fortunately, we don’t normally have to work this hard to find an abandoned mine, but if our search for this mine, although quite unpleasant and frustrating at times, was useful to someone else out there, then it was worth it. Happy hunting!

Here are the links for the websites mentioned in this video:

https://thediggings.com/

caltopo.com

http://www.mylandmatters.org/

http://www.westernmininghistory.com/

https://www.google.com/earth/

https://goldrushexpeditions.com/

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All of these videos are uploaded in HD, so adjust those settings to ramp up the quality! It really does make a difference…

You can click here for the full playlist of abandoned mines: https://goo.gl/TEKq9L

If you like these videos on exploring abandoned mines, please subscribe! https://goo.gl/yjPxH1

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 niche of our history is gone forever. But, guess what? We have fun 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 hundred years, 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!

#ExploringAbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#AbandonedMines
#UndergroundMineExploring

50 Comments

  1. TVR Exploring on January 10, 2022 at 10:42 am

    I should have mentioned in the video that I am more than happy to answer whatever questions (to the best of my ability) that viewers might have about anything covered in this video. I can already see though that a second video covering the specific gear that we use – especially out in the field and inside of the mines – is called for…

  2. Robert Thomas on January 10, 2022 at 10:44 am

    Justin. Love your videos! I got a series of Death Valley maps years ago that has hundreds of mines marked on it. The maps are hand-drawn and indicate the roads also. Email me at bertmass@yahoo.com and I’ll send them to you.

  3. zardozica on January 10, 2022 at 10:45 am

    Stumble into an illegal grow area could be very bad.

  4. Mike Jason on January 10, 2022 at 10:47 am

    HUGE scary spider 22:14

  5. Simple Auto Solutions on January 10, 2022 at 10:49 am

    The new lidar overlay with the USGS is cool.

  6. 577 Jersey Customs Adventures on January 10, 2022 at 10:51 am

    Thanks for this man,helped alot!
    Get diggin!! lol 🙂

  7. JustAnotherPaddy on January 10, 2022 at 10:52 am

    Still was worth it for the surface features. That portal was reminiscent of some of the effort the Soviets put into their portals as you illustrated in later content. I like the social engineering tip too. That’s how I found the only mine I ever visited in the Mt. Loop area in Mt. Baker. Just a conversation at gas station outside the national Forest getting our visitor permits.

  8. Robert Kamenoff on January 10, 2022 at 10:52 am

    HA! You could have saved me the time! I happened upon Thediggings.com just an hour before I watched this! I was snooping into the Lucky Break mine you showed and found that gem! I really wanted to see what the water system looked like around that just wondering about that spring under the shed. But you probably mentioned it before I was just too caught up in the vids and comments!
    By the way, you are THEE most interesting and entertaining YouTuber I have seen, you also changed my perspective a lot! I stumbled on your channel trying to research gold recovery, hoping to get active in that soon. But when I first watched you I got irritated at your constant descriptions, bits of metal here, machinery there… BUT having watched quite a few of your vids, you give an in depth perspective! I didn’t realize that at first. The different camera angles you show help see things as they really are, like how deep a winze really is when it only looks shallow on a video. The history you present has me fascinated now and you show a lot of what the mining life was like! Thanks man! Your vids are more informative than I even imagined when I first started watching.

  9. Jones Factor on January 10, 2022 at 10:53 am

    Well worth the work when you find a great site.

  10. Lizzy Cunha on January 10, 2022 at 10:57 am

    I got a question for you there is a gentleman in my area that’s always selling gold claims is that you mean that you’re not actually buying the land just the rights to the mined

  11. censor this. on January 10, 2022 at 10:58 am

    Haha this is my first time seeing your face after watching probably 50 to 80 of your videos.. You look different than I pictured

  12. YeOldeOgre on January 10, 2022 at 11:00 am

    The knife hand never really goes away, does it?

  13. Snowleaperd131 on January 10, 2022 at 11:00 am

    Is there a way I could email you or something along those lines. I know of a location with an abandoned gold mine near silver city Nevada that I would like to see you explore.

  14. Callen Stewart on January 10, 2022 at 11:02 am

    I have no idea how or why, but this has become my favorite bedtime channel

  15. kevin moore on January 10, 2022 at 11:02 am

    You should offer to be a guide to people. Bet l would go

  16. hopeOFnope on January 10, 2022 at 11:03 am

    Does anyone have any other websites they use?

  17. Pam England on January 10, 2022 at 11:04 am

    When using Google Earth to adventure, is there a way you know if the property is occupied or already private & not abandoned? Like you said, it may look easy until you’re out there. Maybe taking a couple days to reach the coordinates only to find you’re on someone’s property.🤨

  18. Russell Nelson on January 10, 2022 at 11:04 am

    7:42 the reason the locations are so inaccurate is that their locations are truncated to a small number of bits. Being that low resolution, mines can end up being way off, as you noted.

  19. Ryan Ramsey on January 10, 2022 at 11:04 am

    I was working for old man 25 years ago for a summer job on his farm. I was cleaning his barn for him, then I realized the hole barn was full of old mining equipment. I asked the old man where did find all the old equipment? He looked
    at me and said that for my mining claims. And before I could even say anything he was asking me if I want to see his old claims. Needless to I spent the hole summer with a 80+ year old miner Bush wacking through the mountains. I watch your channel hopefully to see if you found one of his old mines.
    You came close to one by "rainbow"

  20. Gary Wheeler on January 10, 2022 at 11:04 am

    So finding an old historic gold mine and filing a new claim on it can help preserve it and protect it from destruction by the Forest Service! Sign me in . lol Plus its a little bit like a prime bug out location and camping spot, exercise spot and possibility of gold.

  21. Hamilton Mechanical on January 10, 2022 at 11:05 am

    way cool man. I hope to one day come out west! My mom grew up in arizona, but I’ve never made it past topeka kansas (I’m from and currently located in East Tennessee). Thank you for making videos of stuff i can only wish to do at the moment haha. I came in on the 16-1 series recently, now i’m working through your archive. While I know nothing about mining, I’m going to try to give you input anytime you come across some electrical 🙂 I love electrical archaeology LOL

  22. Scott Taylor on January 10, 2022 at 11:05 am

    Nice info thanks

  23. Garret Lux on January 10, 2022 at 11:06 am

    I’ve just been binge watching your videos. So educational. I love this channel. I just cant get enough. Thank you for what you do. Its amazing work!

  24. Pat Ruddiman on January 10, 2022 at 11:06 am

    👍👍👍👍👍👍

  25. MofoJuto on January 10, 2022 at 11:07 am

    Your videos are just fascinating, I’ve watched about 20 so far, most folks never get to see the inside of a mine and it really shows how hard this work was and the rough dangerous conditions they lived in. My question for you is how are mining claims made and who do you make the claim with? It seems like there must be some historical records of old mine claims and they must give some kind of location data. I’m talking about late 1800’s , early 1900 claims before BLM took over. I wonder if that may be a source of info to locate old mines. It makes me wonder how often someone strikes it rich and is set for life or if they mostly just get by or go bust. It obviously takes a bit of money, equipment, food etc to start a mining operation whether it was a couple guys or a couple dozen. Keep up the good work – stay safe

  26. Jones Factor on January 10, 2022 at 11:07 am

    That is crazy- I’ve never seen a concrete portal like that either

  27. james bivens on January 10, 2022 at 11:07 am

    Your right…..it’s in the Adventure 😉

  28. takingu2skoo on January 10, 2022 at 11:08 am

    I look up topo maps and it will show me all the mines but no detail on how big deep or anything just it’s a mine.

  29. BurntCheerio on January 10, 2022 at 11:09 am

    I’m quite late to finding this excellent video but I’m glad I did. The information you provided was fantastic and being a resident of Southern Oregon, I know there’s quite a bit to find in my area but am unsure as to where to start. Your perseverance is encouraging and thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences. I’m hoping to find some good stuff out west here.

  30. Chris Ackerley on January 10, 2022 at 11:09 am

    Oh, Lord! You are married to an Italian, aren’t you! [@ 16:30]. They are worth the trouble even though, after 26 years, I sometimes wonder why think it’s so!

  31. Bryan Reynolds on January 10, 2022 at 11:11 am

    I think you and your crew are great it takes some balls to actually get in and get through exploring these mines from what I’ve seen really sketchy ones hats off to you my friend thanks for all the information and the great footage you provide take care be safe we will see you on the next one .

  32. Brian Valley on January 10, 2022 at 11:12 am

    These videos are amazing. The conditions miners endured were almost inhospitable. Incredible! One question, though. What was that ‘scream’ the audio picked-up? To me, it sounds like the muffled screech of a barn owl.

  33. Chris Ackerley on January 10, 2022 at 11:13 am

    It never ceases to amaze me, in desert places, how different a location looks when you actually get there, as opposed to it’s Google Maps image. What I find most interesting is that roads which appear crystal clear on GooMaps are completely invisible when you actually try to find them!

  34. Doug Morley on January 10, 2022 at 11:17 am

    The Roar of the Monitors , got to meet the author and actually rode with her on the loop the book is about near La Porte , great lady and a wealth of info ! Also I belong to a group called SEARCH , an offshoot of ECV 711 chapter , it stands for SEVEN ELEVENS ALLIANCE TO RESEARCH CALIFORNIAS HISTORY , even though we we have been to Nevada and Oregon . Your videos are a great source of info into history !

  35. boo Lewis on January 10, 2022 at 11:19 am

    Great job you done in italy’s mines too

  36. Melissa Jensen on January 10, 2022 at 11:20 am

    Hmmm, Rock Creek! I had 4 mining claims on Rock Creek years ago.

  37. roger davies on January 10, 2022 at 11:23 am

    I am amazed at all the concrete, ya didn’t just whistle up a concert truck, had to be brought in somehow. My first guess is mules, Know they can carry a lot but two bags of Portland cement is a pretty good load. There has t be better access and they didn’t blast it closed for the heck of it.
    Just guessing – Mine was closed when Govt closed all non war effort mining to get men for war and they intended to come back and restart the mine, but that is a little weak because of all the buildings being gone. Again metal may have been taken for the war effort
    If there is an easy way and a hard way I will always try the hard way first

  38. L M on January 10, 2022 at 11:25 am

    Really good video, thanks! Also, have enjoyed many of your other mine explore videos. You’ve been to some real doozies for sure.

  39. Jones Factor on January 10, 2022 at 11:27 am

    I’m pouring through most of those resources. Sadly, I’m having to do it on my phone until they bring internet to my street.
    Very challenging on a little screen.
    I’ll look at caltopo, I’m in Oregon

  40. joshchevyman1 on January 10, 2022 at 11:28 am

    Thanks for this and all of your awesome videos, all of these tips are good information and many of the methods i use myself especially our favorite "town historian" up in La Porte, that place is hands down me and my wife’s favorite town to be in, we got married at the Union Hotel, love exploring trails, looking for mines and remote spots to camp in, plus its not all that far from us living in Marysville,, La Porte is for the most part the main place we explore around. I’ve been to a couple of the mines that you feature from around there, I also know of a few interesting mines, adits, and shafts we’ve discovered along the way, most of which i haven’t been able to find much information as far as their names are concerned, and that you haven’t documented to my knowledge. Maybe in the future we can meet up there and go check out some mines that you may or may not have ever been to!

  41. eqlzr2 on January 10, 2022 at 11:29 am

    Extremely useful info as is generally the case in your videos. Not only useful, but fascinating. Those of us in California who are familiar with a lot of the state really benefit from your views of areas that we wouldn’t otherwise get to see. Thanks for going to the effort for us! Why is that portal so long, do you think? What kind of bike (dirt?) do you recommend, or what general characteristics at least? I’ve only had one motorcycle many years ago, and it was a street bike. I watched this video over a couple days, and I don’t remember if you mentioned the mindat.org website as a mine-locating resource? Of course, vast info there also on minerals themselves, with photos, and their uses. Have you been to the historical mining museum in Mariposa, CA? If not, very fun and kind of "old-timey", but not superficial or hokey by any means. The state mineral museum is also there at the fairgrounds. Many thanks.

  42. George King on January 10, 2022 at 11:29 am

    Thanks Justin. Very informative indeed. I use thediggings.com all the time now, and was able to find info on what I came to find out were some very old mines(1880’s 90’s) near my home in southern Utah, close to the borders of AZ and Nevada. I appreciate the fact that you answer questions and interact with us viewers. Thanks for all you share with us, and for taking the time to explain all the different things you do. IMO you have one of the best mine exploring channels out there. Keep up the great work Buddy!

  43. Mason J on January 10, 2022 at 11:30 am

    Do you have the latitude and longitude for this particular mine? I’d love to come explore if you’re open to disclosing that information to me, I’ve searched months for mines in eastern Oregon. Most have been filled or collapsed so I’ve never had a successful abandoned mine trip

  44. Richard Cash on January 10, 2022 at 11:31 am

    Here is a good resource for historical research on just about anything including Mines…
    https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?field1=ocr;q1=gold%20mines%20united%20states;a=srchls;lmt=ft

  45. 577 Jersey Customs Adventures on January 10, 2022 at 11:32 am

    For some reason Im not seeing any mines on my caltopo map,is there a layer or setting I have too choose?
    Thanks man!!

  46. Steven 710 on January 10, 2022 at 11:34 am

    Can you please do a video where you read to us Jan’s whole book, like it was story time in grade school lol….im dying to read it but I can’t afford it

  47. David Huber on January 10, 2022 at 11:35 am

    thank you!

  48. Shane McGuire on January 10, 2022 at 11:37 am

    TVR- DIrectly to Justin and Charles…

    I have watched nearly every video you guys have posted here. I’m honestly completely blown away at the places you guys have been. This includes the mines in Europe. I really want you to take this to your hearts and understand what you’ve done for a Community of people who care about this history. The historical places you are recording are more than just about the mines, equipment and mineral industry. This is about how this history is tied to other aspects of remote type industries such as Railroads, Cattle, Lumber, Petroleum, Geology, Geography and the Infrastructure all of these played a part in to create the Country we have now. Its also important to understand how all of these even play a significant role in two World Wars.

    My personal interest in mining comes from my three main hobbies, Model Railroading, Geology, (mineral specimen collection), and Petroleum. Let me explain the Model Railroading aspect. Unlike Lionel trains or classic toy trains, Model Railroading is a different aspect of the electric train hobby. Model Railroaders spend lots of time researching areas in which they are going to represent in their model. For myself, the Feather River Canyon was my model of choice, starting with the city of Oroville, moving through the Feather River Canyon to Reno Junction. In studying this territory of California, you learn where mines were, how they were connected and related to the Railroad, (Western Pacific), and what other related industries created supply chains for the Mining Companies in this area.

    What you gentlemen are doing with your documentation of the Feather, Yuba, Stanislaus, American and many of the other tributaries in the Gold Country Zone, is nothing short of amazing. I am of the opinion you and a few other of these "Historical Mine Documentarians" should get together and approach the State of Nevada and California to produce professional Documentaries on this history. You might likely obtain grants from Universities like Chico State, Sacramento State, possibly even from USGS to produce and shoot these video documentaries.

    I applaud your continued efforts. You guys are doing great things, and if no-one else has said it, you should be proud of what you are doing. And… though I enjoy watching your work on You Tube, I think your community is bigger that You Tube. Start your own Patreon Channel, and I will help support you by becoming a member. I think you’ll find your Membership will rapidly grow.

    Sincerely,
    Shane McGuire

  49. Robert Kamenoff on January 10, 2022 at 11:38 am

    You made me aware of something else… pondering wtf is up with people disliking your vids. Then you mentioned BLM! And the other heavies trying to destroy mines, in the interest of safety OF COURSE (I do have some conspiracy theories). That adds up especially after I read a piece on DO NOT GO INTO MINES you could die. Their statistics, way lower than getting hurt crossing a street, were compiled from news articles. I hate when people try to sell an idea!

  50. boo Lewis on January 10, 2022 at 11:39 am

    I love your flooded abandon mine videos

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