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REFERENCE
SECTION: GHOST TOWNS & ABANDONED MINES
ACCIDENT MINE, GOODSPRINGS DISTRICT, NEVADA (2009) |
I have been unable
to find any information on the Accident Mine, in spite of its proximity
to the Bullion, Monte Cristo, and Anchor Mines. By all accounts
it appears to have been active around the same time as all the other
mentioned above; it may have also been active in the 1930s (Great
Depression), as it appears to have been operated on a very tight
budget (light 10-pound mining rails, nails instead of rail spikes,
and many other shortcuts). It definitely operated in the 1920s or
1930s, since welded joints are prevalent in some of the structural
metals found on site. It is located in an extremely rugged and remote
location, far up a steep canyon, and after a very long & strenuous
hike. This mine should definitely not be visited in the summertime!
Goodsprings was named for cattle rancher Joe Good, who used to water
his herd at the springs named after him. The town of Goodsprings
thrives to this day, but has many reminders of its glorified mining
past. In fact, there is an effort underway to have the former grade
of the Yellow Pine Mining Railroad designated as a trail under the
federal Rails To Trails program. The mining district extends well
beyond Goodsprings and generally incorporates mines around Sandy
Valley & the Potosi Mountain range as well. This section covers
a wide area throughout the district, including photos in & around
Goodsprings township proper.
Strikes in the area were recorded beginning in the early 1880s,
but high transportation costs stymied development until the SP,LA&SL
Railroad (aka "The Salt Lake Route," forerunner of the
Union Pacific) rails were laid through Jean in 1905, less than 10
miles to the south. In 1882 the Keystone Mine was located west of
Goodsprings, and a small mill was constucted in the town. The Yellow
Pine Mining Company was formed in 1901, by combining several smaller
claims located in Porphyry Gulch, roughly 4 miles northwest of Goodsprings
town. The increase in ore output from the various area mines demanded
better transportation to the SP,LA&SL railhead at Jean, and
so in 1909 an attempt was made to acquire the remaining assets of
the defunct Quartette Mining Company's railroad (the locomotives
& some equipment had already been acquired by the Arden Plaster
Company); the deal was not consumated until more than a year later,
and the Yellow Pine Mining Company Railroad was completed in June,
1911. The railroad was approximately 12-1/2 miles long, and featured
steep grades all along its length: 4 to 5% in the "easy"
section out of Jean, and then up to 12% in short sections
along the rest of the route! Runaways and accidents were not uncommon
during the railroad's lifespan. The railroad ran from Jean northwards
into Goodsprings (where the Yellow Pine Mining Co. mill was also
located, along the railroad route), and then northwesterly to the
Yellow Pine Mine. Several other mines were also served by the railroad
along the way to enhance revenue, a very few with their own spurs.
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At the bottom
of the canyon, the tailings spill right into it. The rainwater runoff
has created drainage troughs that look like drag marks from above,
but happily I can report that these are not drag marks but the result
of natural water drainage. |
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