Exploring an Abandoned Mine and Fading, Forgotten Tombstones
0I found an old, faded, almost non-existent road leading up a hillside while exploring a forested canyon. A century of non-use is slowly erasing the road as vegetation and nature overtake it. What might be at the end of such an old road? Why was it built? Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to hike up the road and check it out even though a thunderstorm was moving into the area. Along the way, I noticed a few can dumps where miners discarded their used cans. Was there an abandoned mine at the end of this road? My topographic maps did not show this road nor did they show any mines in the area where I was hiking. After several minutes, the road finally ended on top of a moderately-sized waste rock pile. Sure enough, there was a mine entrance nearby that was almost completely obscured by bushes and trees! The gate in the entrance was an old-fashioned, homemade one consisting of thin wires, and it looked as if it hadn't been disturbed since it was installed decades ago. It was time to go in and explore!
In the latter part of this video, I include some footage of some old, wooden tombstones in a cemetery that was out in the middle of the desert miles from any town. There is a much more popular cemetery about a mile and a half away that everybody goes to due to its ease of access. This graveyard, though, is more difficult to access due to its location, so it receives fewer visitors. In fact, I had been aware of the other, more popular cemetery for years but never knew about this other cemetery that's featured in this video until I saw it recently. The graves all date from the 1800s and early 1900s. Lots of old-time miners and their relatives resting eternally in this solemn place.
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