American Girl Mine

Inside the Cargo Muchacho's Mountain Range there lies a ton of history, ghost stories and still plenty of GOLD! This sought after treasure was found in the American Girl Mine, just west of Yuma, AZ (and near recently visited Tumco).  The American Girl Mine was one of the biggest payout locations having produced 205,000 tons of ore up until 1930. It was purchased again in 1989 and ran for another 10 years (rumor has it, it's for sale again too....come to think of it, a gold mine would make a good gift)!

We spent some time dry camping right in the middle of this massive (old) mining area. We were completely surrounded by mines, prospecting holes, remnants of old mining life, the most breath taking sunsets and did I mention the mines??

Our days were spent, hiking, hunting, exploring and peering down into 300+ foot mine shafts and imagining what life would have been like "back in the day". Not only did we find our fair share of excitement, but we also found our own little treasures in the form of Kyanite. These amazing rocks, found in the Imperial Valley, are dark on the outside and the most brilliant teal/aqua color inside. We had a field day spotting the glistening teal "gems" everywhere around our camp spot. We also found an old miner's cook pan and another desert guardian. We've included a "Where's the Guardian" photo below. Try and spot him with the naked eye, then look at the next picture to see him illuminate against the black light! Although not very friendly, he sure was photogenic. 

Another incredible slice of history has been explored and conquered! ~ Happy Prospecting ~

Welded bars keep "prospectors" out of this massive mine entrance in American Girl Mining Area

Our own little miner's camp!

Off-Roading on back roads - The white lines are quartz veins running through the mountains

After further research, this mine appears to go down about 350ft with no end in sight. Check out the various rainbow colors running through these rocks

To give you a sense of what you're looking at, this is a vertical shot looking straight down into the depths of a 650ft mine shaft. The wood beam supports still remain along with the precarious side ladder. This was the most fascinating example of what a real mine shaft looked like! Want to see more of this mine, some professional explorers went inside--here is the link to their exploration/photos: www.undergroundexplorers.com/cargo1.htm

"Where's The Guardian?"

We're sure this guy packs a big punch in a small body

Peering down into a collapsed mine shaft at the Cargo Mine location. We could see debris and rusted remnants below us

We were camped near the remains of this old ore chute

Back at our camp, we enjoyed panoramic views and God's idea of artwork in the form of this picture perfect sunset (not retouched)

The remains of the deserted "Cargo Mine". Little one is standing in a hole that looks more like a drained pool that sat just outside the entrance to the Cargo Mine shaft (the one that's 650ft down). 

The many layers of tailings on the outskirts of the American Girl Mine Open Pit

The matching explorers are standing above this massive Open Mine Pit. It looks like a lake in the middle of nowhere

We ventured inside this shallow prospecting hole and looked back towards daylight. When mining, remember to always "go towards the light"! 

Queen Mine Tour and Bisbee

Bisbee.....what's a Bisbee? It's a mining town just a few miles south of Tombstone. This town also has history as it was part of the Tombstone story (Doc Hollidays girlfriend "Big Nose Kate" lived there and it's where people from Tombstone had to ride to get supplies). Once dubbed as the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, Bisbee was a real copper mine.

The Queen Mine operated continuosly for 100 years and was the largest production of all mining districts in the world...producing metals valued at 6.1 billion (valued in 1975)!! We got to take the tour of this mine! We got our own hard hats, very flattering yellow raincoats, a mining light and a ride on a mining cart 1,500 feet down into the mine. We saw the elevator shafts, original drills and leftover precious metals still in the mine. Our tour was led by an actual miner who worked in the mine and had a lot of interesting facts and stories to share. It stays 47 degrees down there, but that was nothing compared to outside.

The night we showed up in Bisbee it snowed on us and left a nice little blanket on the charming town (and our car)!This adorable town was built up around the mine, with most homes and businesses built directly into the mountain. With it's old buildings, unique setting, red and multi-colored rocks, a massive mining pit and a dusting of fresh snow; this was an absolutely charming town that we really enjoyed. The history behind the mine is fascinating, check it out: http://www.queenminetour.com/History

Tunnel coming in to the town of Bisbee, it had just started to snow

Queen of the Copper Mines, Bisbee has some amazingly colored rocks, mines and massive mining pits

Speaking of Massive Mining Pits....Check out the 850ft deep Lavendar Pit (water in bottom and snow around the top edges). That's a looong way down

Visitor information at the viewing site for Lavendar Pit mine (as seen in our pic above)

Light dusting of snow on the town of Bisbee (Queen Mine entrance seen in center of pic). It looks nice and sunny, but trust us...it was cold.

We took a drive through the heart of Bisbee one night. No one around and the street lights all lit up, surrounding old historic buildings and quirky shops; this was so much fun!

The RV park was attached to the Queen Mine, making it very convenient for us

Our car and trailer were attacked by snow during the night. By the time we took the picture most of it had melted, but we know our trailer and truck's tires were begging for some slippers to keep warm (they are southern california natives ya know)!

The old Queen Mining cart that took us down into the mine

3 little miners looking to strike it rich in a historical copper mine

No turning back now, we are committed to going 1500 ft down into a mine with a bunch of people. Thank goodness we have yellow slickers for protection...haha

Looking back down into the mine shaft. If you look above there is a marker indicating how far down you are (they had one every 100ft). Little one loved keeping count!

Inside the mine...off to the left is the elevator shaft along with the bell and a list of codes for emergencies

Two miners trying to retreat from the main copper room where there are still visible signs of minerals all around

Down at the 1500ft level we got off and walked around with the guide. They weren't lying when they said the mine stays about 47 degrees year round. Note to all, if you ever get lost in a massive mine, just look for the "Surface this way" sign...it's better than google maps! haha

Actual veins and remnants of precious minerals 1500ft underground. Look at the amazing swirls of color embedded deep within these rocks! We stood right next to it...quick where's my pick ax?

Original mining carts left underground

We followed the sign and made it out alive....apparently the yellow slickers and blue plastic hard hats are good luck! Although, I'm not sure what was colder?