1 post tagged “exploration”

Another wet weekend in the Northeast.  Second mine visit to the Theall Mine (part of the Croton Magnetic Iron-ore Mines).  Arrived earlier in the day this time to have time to explore the surrounding area and hopefully find additional mine workings.  Hiked up the slope on the right side of the mine entrance, to above the mine entrance and carefully walked toward the height of land. Carefully because I knew there is a shaft somewhere in this area.  Within a few hundred feet found the vertical shaft; a rectangular hole cut into the earth and rock with very steep sides.  If you were unfortunate to fall or trip into this hole you're not getting out.  How deep the shaft is I have no clue, I did not throw anything into it. There was the remnant of a rope tied onto a tree hanging into the shaft.  

I marked the location (lat/long) and continued up the slope.  I reached an overgrown road and followed it, reaching the open pit mine (McCollum Mine) now a small lake with several houses around it.  I followed the road back and continued in the opposite direction.  There are several old roads (more like wide trails) intersecting each other.  Although, my memory of walking through this area is 35 years old and a bit dim I specifically remember four silo shaped concrete structures.  After over an hour trying several different roads (I would not have tried this without a GPS) I found them.  I will include several images with an image of a rusting metal piece possibly the workings of the furnace if that is what these structures are. There are four of them in-line about twenty five feet tall. All of these workings and rusting metal are over one hundred years old.

I continued along the road to the height of land where I found additional workings including a deep concrete sided shaft into the  ground.  The structure/foundation did not look like it was connected to any shaft below but I was not going into it to find out, images will be included.   I continued along the road but as the weather was starting to get wet I decided to find my way back to the mine entrance and out.  I  had covered some distance making many turns down one old road and then another and was slightly disorientated as to direction, fortunately the GPS wasn't it got me back to the shaft and then the mine entrance without incident.  I was able to verify a more direct route to the other mine workings; I also mark the location to the open pit mine so that I could find my way into that from the main road. 

Driving out of the area I stopped near an old, and still in use, railroad bridge (1906) to investigate the possiblity of an abandoned railroad bed near by that may have been a rail spur into the mine area.  This is a possibility but it could have also been used in the construction of a water connection between the two reservoirs in this area. 

Now to the Southeast museum to see if I can find additional information on these particular mines as well as mining in this area.  No luck with this today, museum closed although according to  the sign it should be open, it is Labor Day weekend after all.

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