Exploring the Abandoned White Pine Mine and Two Unusual Desert Springs
0The abandoned White Pine Mine dates back to the 1930s and was mined for gold and silver. It's a small mine tucked away high on a mountain. We were intrigued by the heavy, dungeon-looking gate at this abandoned mine. I haven’t seen a gate like that at a mine entrance in years! Nick and Lethe from the Miner49er channel joined me for this abandoned mine exploration. You can visit Nick's channel and check out his growing library of unique and entertaining abandoned mine exploration videos by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5-1Mf2hhH-vo_uGT4lBC6w
The California desert spring I explored next in the video must have serviced nearby mines, but I was unable to find any information on the spring. It looks like the spring was actually inside a flooded mine tunnel because there was a substantial waste rock pile above the spring. Some small-scale mining must’ve taken place here inside the tunnel despite the presence of the spring.
The last spring explored is the famous Shaffer Fish Bowl Spring outside of Oatman, Arizona. This roadside curiosity, which many people drive by oblivious of its existence, was built by one Mr. Shaffer back in the 1930s as an extension of the Works Progress Administration which had been tasked with constructing the nearby Route 66. Due to the lack of water in the desert, Mr. Shaffer constructed a catch-basin up on the rugged hillside to collect the spring water. Thirty-one uneven stone steps lead from the turnout along the highway to the pool. Locals sometimes stock the pool with goldfish but there were none there when I visited. This pool of deep green water is an important source of water for the local wildlife including the burros that roam the desert outside Oatman. I'm sure Mr. Shaffer would be pleased that his roadside Fish Bowl Spring is still around today almost a century later!
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