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Blackwater Mine

In the late summer of 2018, we made a visit to a remote mine in Idaho. The ruined inclined tramway was my main interest, but the mine is more extensive than it looks.

The mine was first worked around 1900, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that it became a big producer. Active during WWII and after (until 1957), the mine produced over 743,000 tons of ore during its lifetime.

Today, the nine-level mine consists of about 19,000 ft of workings, winzes, raises, and stopes, but unfortunately, they are all in poor shape. Some of the lower levels are flooded. The level we explored has an interesting stream of black water flowing through it, hence my name for the mine.

I've been asked not to disclose this mine's name or location. Please enjoy my photos.