Big Horn Mine - where did the ore go?

[joelwhite1017]

We hiked to the Big Horn Mine on the side of Mt. Baden-Powell on Sunday. It was a wonderful clear cool day for a walk. The visit to the mine site raised several questions. Apparently the ore from the mine was carted to Vincent Gap. Was the ore hauled to Vincent Gap? And where did the ore go from there? What was mined there? How far into the mountain do the various shafts go? Thanks in advance for your information.

[WWDREAMN]

Found a little bit of info in a google search, one site says it used to be a gold mine, but no mention of how deep it is or where it went.

[KWBoy]

http://home.earthlink.net/~whethernut/bighorn.html

[TableMtn]

It was a gold mine under a patented mining claim.  This means the surface rights go from public to private ownership.  And for all of those of you that think this is the way to get your little slice of heaven, because of a land grab from a Canadian mining company for some federal land up in Montana (Minnesota, Wyoming, some place in the northern central/west part of the country) back in the Clinton administration here is how congress now handles it.  Instead of modifying the 1872 mining law in the mid 1990's, they specifically fund the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with zero dollars for processing patented mining claims.  So you can file all the claims you want, the BLM will not process them. 

And remember--if you are poking around the Big Horn Mine, that is private property and you are technically trespassing.  I believe there is an easement or some other such process to allow the wilderness trail to go thru on the old road. If you get off the road, you are in trespass.  And gold mining used mercury, cyanide and other wonderful chemicals.  You won't catch me poking around in those old mine shafts.  They are dangerous!

[joelwhite1017]

Thanks for the various replies and the information they contain.

I found some answers at the following segment of this web site:

http://www.wrightwoodcalif.com/WrightwoodHistorical/WrightwoodRoots/a06bighorn.pdf

There is mention of access from Palmdale, so, perhaps that's where the ore went.

[tiltronix]

Try the Wrightwood Roots.

[stnman4]

Hello wonders ill tell you about the mines .
I've been hear for 35 yrs and in my teen years our click of about 15 to 20 of us used to hike to the site .  Back then it was walking room only on the trail back to the mines.
There used to be a plane stuck in the trees about eye leavel
half way down the trail .  Then when you came  closer to the mine you could see the roof tops of shaks that had been covered by slides ther was about 3 or 4 liveing quaters and mineing karts spred all over.  Then when you came to the last turn all you could see was a huge steel frame building .
This was the main melting room and what was left over they just pushed over the clif in the front of the mine.  We would
put all our camping gear inside the steel franed building get the flashlights out look at eachother take a deep and start our desent into the mountian. the enterance was about 10 to 12 feet round and was that size for about 100 yards .  Then you came to were the fun started . inside of the shaft the walls seemed to be getting smaler the light from the enterance was fadeing the timber that held the walls in place were looking less stable and the walls were driping water. Then you had better have a good flashlight becasue thats where all the fun started.
Moor on this latter.

[joelwhite1017]

stnman4 -- Thanks for the memories of your hikes to the Big Horn Mine. The metal works are still there. There is a ladder up to the mine opening, but it is pretty shaky. I walked up under the metalwork and looked into the mine. The rails still extend into it. I have a healthy respect for old mine shafts, so after looking in we walked back to Vincent Gap.

I'll look forward to other memories, when you decide record them here. Thanks again.

[joelwhite1017]

Here is a photo of the Big Horn Mine Site as it looked on 11/27/05.



Was the ore processed on site, or was it shipped out. If it was processed on site there should be remnants of a stamp mill, but we couldn't make out any of the structures as a stamp mill.

[stnman4]

Nice pic of the old girl .  You know i was under the inprestion thea riped it out . But it's still standing , Thats Graet. and it looks the same .Anyways as i was saying ; if your flashlight went out you had to follow real close to whom ever was in front of you : AND I MEEN CLOSE. or you could go back and wait outside (NOT) . so just about the time the enterence was
on longer in your sights you steped in about three feet of water.
and like i was saying you had to stay close . Well after tom dick & harry went for there swim and the rest of us quit busting a gut , And i meen we were laughing so hard it had to eaco out the front of the tunnel .  So anyways we decited we needed a new plan of atack so we went back out ,had some lunch ,
laughed about tom dick & harry falling in the water and how
they looked like casper the gost when we hit em with the flashlight .  "O" ya had to be there.lol . anyways after some dum ideas we came up with fome serffboards ! sounds good ok.
Now where in wrightwood are you going to find a fome serffboard. (NOT) you see you only so munch space and
you had to get around the mineing carts that were spaced out
about every ten feet ,  And you dint no if it got deeper the ferther you went in . And tom dick & harry wount check it out for us. So the only other thing was car intertubes . hell they work just fine as long as you dint POP it rolling it down the trail.
so we go back inside come to the water after triping all over our tubes getting there . Well we start floating and splashing eachother , and that water was COLD . anyways we went about 100 yrds and we came to this huge room with tunnels
takeing off in every dirction some went up some went down
and the others went east and west (i think) so we figured what
the hell;   well go up ! so we start up this latter that has been
there for ever and was so so shakey only one at a time went up  . When you reached the top of the latter you steped onto a clif with another tunnel going one way and another on the other
side , the side the latter was not on . We dident care.  we had to know what was over there. We started looking for away ,
and low and behold said batman; theres a pipe over hear
and ill bet it will reach to the other side..  Well check this out .
The pipe was stuck in the side of the tunnel that went down,
how fare we dint  know and  the flashlights  were not bright ]enought.  to see that fare down.  Well were young and dum
so well just grab on that little peice of pipe and make a mad dash for it and jump ., It has to hit the other side then well just shimmy up far enough os that when you let go you hit the leg
to the other tunnel.. Hay it work!!we all made it over no problem and started down the shafed .  this one went for about 300 yrds right into a room the size wrights lake with moor tunnels But the one we found and realy wanted to explore was
about 10 to 12 feet round and was filled with Untill the next time , think about your BIGEST FEAR the wurst way to DIE.    ]then you'll know what it is filled with :

[joelwhite1017]

Stnman4 -- you are a braver (?) man than I. That is a pretty scarey story about going into the mine. I sure wouldn't do it, but I have enjoyed your story.

Lets see, "But the one we found and realy wanted to explore was
about 10 to 12 feet round and was filled with Huh Untill the next time , think about your BIGEST FEAR the wurst way to DIE.    ]then you'll know what it is filled with :", would be a tunnel filled with water and the skeletons of other people who could not get themselves out.

Thanks again for the story, and will eagerly await the conclusion.

[stnman4]

As i was saying the shaft we realy wanted to explore went down in the mountain at about a 45 degree angle and was filled
with water . Anyways we wanted see how far down it went , But with the flashlights you could only see 15 or 20 feet down. 
We also tryed a rope with a rock at the end but the angle it was at would only let us go about 50 feet .  now we had a friend that was half crazy from landcaster (pat grayves) he was
talking about getting some scuba gear and checking but im not sure if he ever did it or not. Maybe ill run into him somedayand find out. Anyways theres not much moor to tell or that i can rember "if you know what i meen" back then we did our share
of partying and did we party ! but there was miles and miles of shaft with all kinds of big rooms and tunnels that went stright up , maybe air shafts like the one on the right side of your picture  .  Im just glad that i was able to be one of the few , and there wasent to many people that went as far as we would
Thanks for letting me share this . By the way when was the picture taken ?  Again thanks.

[Local]

[stnman4]

If it is the one i rember , i think it was part of the air shaft that., when your walking down the trail you can see the exit on the right that belongs to that tunnel your talking about.

[joelwhite1017]

stnman4 -- we took that picture on November 27th of this past year. Thanks again for the stories.

[stnman4]

Hey guy i'd like to say thanks for the picture it brings back alot of memorys . Now its my background on my computer . Thanks again