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10/22/2016 Trip Notes: I recently visited this site with my friend Jim Herring. Even though there wasn't much new to take pictures of, it was noticed that the remaining structures (Fig. 01A) seem to have suffered more deterioration from a combination of weather and vandalism.
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| (Fig. 01A) |
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07/27/2009 Trip Notes: I stopped and visited this mine with my neighbor Marc Resnic over five years ago, but was never able to identify it by name until recently. As a result I never posted these pictures. One can't drive to Searchlight or beyond without noticing the impressive remains of the abandoned mine along the side of the road. The structure in (Fig. 01) is the remains of the 10-ton stamp mill and a building that appears to have been a shed that was used for operation, storage and possibly living quarters. (Fig. 02) show the upper portion of the head frame located above the mine's main shaft. Using a winch and cable, run through the top of the head frame, ore carts were used to bring ore out and miners up and down into the mine. As you can see in (Fig. 03) there was an ore cart track that ran more than 250 feet down into the mine with a crude, ladder-like stairway that ran along the right side. (Fig. 04) is the cable drum and part of the gearing (Fig. 05) that was connected to a motor (obviously missing) that was bolted to the back of the heavy steel frame that was used to hoist the carts up and down into the mine. Closer inspection of the building (Fig. 07) adjacent to the side of the stamp mill shows an old couch (Fig. 06) inside the building.
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| (Fig. 02) |
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| (Fig. 03) |
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| (Fig. 05) |
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| (Fig. 06) |
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| (Fig. 07) |
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Mine Description: The Southern Nevada mine property includes two mines, one known as the Spokane and another about a half mile north of the Spokane called the Blossom. Unfortunately, I have been unable to determine exactly when this mine was discovered or how long it was worked. Suffice it to say, it was probably sometime after G.F. Colton, a notable prospector, discovered a rich gold vein in 1897 that eventually turned Searchlight into a boom town. By 1907 Searchlight contained over forty-four working mines and a population of 5,000. The primary mining here was for Gold, however, secondary ores included Silver, Lead and Copper. In addition to the deep incline shaft on the front of the property located near the highway, there is another large incline shaft and two collar shafts in the hills beyond the 10-ton stamp mill and cabin. Several winches are scattered about the property along with a ceiling hoist and a small kiln. Though early mining produced some good ore from this shaft, abundant water was encountered near the 250-foot level. Though the shaft was extended an additional 4 feet, it was never dug any deeper, however there are a series of drifts. A vein exposed on the surface was explored by three shafts or deep pits, two of which are very close to the road south of the mill site. This may be why two additional shafts behind the hill were dug. The good news was that the shaft supplied ample water for the 10-stamp mill. Some good ore was said to have been found in this area, but development ceased after prospecting on the Blossom claim, about 4,000 feet to the north, uncovered a rich ore. Ore from the Blossom claim was milled with the water from the Spokane shaft and produced about $325,000.
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