Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: A Visit To Gold Hill, Utah Or Them there Rocks Ain't Just Plain Ole Quartz!

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-10-2006, 09:51 AM:

I love to visit Ghost Towns and am also an avid rock and mineral collector so I decided to go visit the area in and around Gold Hill, Utah last weekend. Gold Hill is actually a Living Ghost Town. Originally founded in the 1890's when pioneers traveling to California found gold at this location. Eventually the town boasted 30000 residents and a railroad. Gold Hill still boasts no less than 10 actual residents and there is still one active mine there. The more interesting aspect are all the abandoned mines and most of the rocks and minerals they contain including the famed "Glory Hole". Indeed.... Gold Hill does live up to its claim as one of the best places in the U.S. to gather fine mineral and rock specimens.

Many of the mine shafts and tunnels there are still very stable and safe to explore. Some brave collectors actually repel down the shafts and search out the tunnels for that elusive rare mineral... Below a certain level all the shafts and tunnels are flooded. The nice thing is that once inside any tunnel the temperature drops down to a comfortable 58 degrees f... alot nicer than the normal 100+ blazing West Desert temperature! I've not repeled down any of the shafts muself... personally those that do I think are nuts! But no one has yet to get stuck down inside nor come back out... nor has there been any rescue needed for anyone that i am aware of....

I have explored several of the tunnels that lead straight in. Most of these tunnels dead end into a shaft going down so ya got to watch out! Shown below are some of the neato minerals that I was able to recover both inside and outside laying on the ground and in the tailing piles, plus there are afew shots taken around the place. Another interesting aspect is that many of the rocks contain Arsenic so one has to be careful about what you pick up although the Arsenic is at very low levels. The Government mined 100 tons of Arsnic mineral near there during WW-2. The mines have been closed since that time.

Gold Hill is dead center in the photo. Tailings (dump) piles are clearly visinble all over the place.

A nearby mine tunnel.

Most rocks like this one contain at least several types of rare minerals.

#1 Mine head, the oldest one left, was blown up several years ago because it was deemed unsafe... now they call this mess safe?

The green mineral may be Conichalcite but I have yet to verify that 100%.

Mark

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 06-10-2006, 03:32 PM:

hehe, you said "glory hole" and "shaft and nuts" in the same post! Pervert!!! [Big Grin]

Posted by Jim Bedford (Member # 4) on 06-11-2006, 10:09 AM:

We know where Richard has been.

Up here in the mountains we know a "glory hole" is a place where miners working inside a mine tunnel poked thru to the outside allowing light (and later water and mountain critters) to enter the mine.

Even though Mark and I live almost eight hours from each other by car, we share the same love and wonder for the landscape and amazing places in the Intermountain West. Thanks for the pix Mark.

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 06-11-2006, 12:13 PM:

no disrespect meant for Mark, I just couldn't resist hehe.

Rick

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-11-2006, 01:14 PM:

That is absolutely hilarious! If ya come out this way again let me know and I'll take ya out there.

Mark