Starbuck's Exploring

Sign in Subscribe

Latest

Golden Gate Stamp Mill

Golden Gate Stamp Mill

The Golden Gate Mill is a neat site and relatively easy to reach. The ten-stamp mill got its ore from a 2,300 ft tramway that ran up to the mine. The gold mine was discovered in 1898 but wasn’t worked until around 1902 and probably peaked in 1913.

Bob and Ward’s Cabin

Bob and Ward’s Cabin

Also known as the Salt Basin Cabin, Bob and Ward’s cabin is a little wooden cabin that is all that remains of a 1920s mining camp in this isolated valley. These days, the cabin is available as a first-come, first-served camping spot and receives many visitors each month. The

Empire Mine State Historic Park

Empire Mine State Historic Park

Back in 2003, we took a trip up to the Sierra Nevada, and our group gained special permission from the California State Park service to explore a small underground portion of the massive Empire Mine inside the appropriately named Empire Mine State Historic Park in beautiful Grass Valley, California. Doug

Piute Stamp Mill

Piute Stamp Mill

With a tip from our friends at Explore Historic California, we found a small three-stamp mill in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. Not much is left, but it is an interesting little find. I haven’t found any history on it, and I only got a few photos. No directions

Western Mine

Western Mine

In 2003, I met up with a couple of friends at this great old cinnabar mine. It was worked for a long time and is an exciting place. We had a great day exploring the ruins and some underground tunnels. This cinnabar mine once had a tram, roasting furnace. No

Palmer Mine

Palmer Mine

This is quite a place! This is a massive and strange mine. The sound of underground rivers far below, 4-foot boreholes going hundreds of feet through the mountain into the unknown, elevators, hoists, slushers, rusty ladders, pipes, stalactites, underground offices, workrooms, explosive lockers, and strange experimental testing equipment, all spread

Noonday Mine

Noonday Mine

We have visited this mine many times over the years. It is one of the earlier mines in the War Eagle Mine group. It was successful enough that the owners built a tramway down the hillside and developed their own railroad to connect to the mainline Tidewater and Tonopah railroad.