Dead Raven Mine: Delving Into Its Dark Depths
0The Dead Raven Mine. Sounds ominous, huh? After a brutal hike in 105-degree heat up, over, and down a rocky, steep mountain in the desert, we reached the two portals of the Dead Raven Mine. Both portals led to extensive workings on their respective levels. The latest artifact we found was a Pepsi can from the 1980s; the oldest artifacts were from the 1940s or 1950s, and they were outside a miner's living quarters on the lowest level. We also found remnants of a candle on a ledge in the upper tunnel wall. The upper workings in the Dead Raven Mine are connected to the lower workings by a vertical shaft that was at least 175 feet deep. The lower workings had its own vertical shaft, too, that dropped down at least 100 feet into unknown depths. A wooden trestle, ore bin, and tram system were outside the lower portal. An unusual feature of this mine was the presence of what appeared to be plant fossils in the tunnel walls.
The Dead Raven Mine was impressive and well worth the arduous, grueling hike to reach it. Based on the artifacts we found, we believe we were the first visitors to the abandoned mine in quite some time.
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