This deserted former open pit copper mine and processing facility, simply discovered on a map and never tough to entry, is a perfect vacation spot for rockhounds and mining historical past fanatics.
Primarily based on stories, this mine was labored at varied instances from 1917 all the best way up till 1998 by corporations together with the Emerald Isle Copper Co. and the Lewin-Mathes Co. Throughout 1943-48 alone, 55,000 tons of copper was recovered from the ores.
Mining was initially accomplished underground, however switched to the now open pit in 1943. It was intermittently labored up till 1993 when it was mothballed for attainable future operations. Guests can glimpse an open tunnel on the facet of the open pit when driving down into it, however the sides of the pit are too steep to enter the tunnel safely.
The doorway street leads to a couple large storage tanks that are open, certainly one of them harboring an outdated automotive inside. From the storage tanks, guests can discover an outdated constructing filled with miscellaneous papers, provides, and gear's from the mine's working days.
Exterior of the constructing are the previous processing machines which extracted useful minerals from the mined rock. Inside the open pit mine, accessible through a sturdy high-clearance automobile or four-wheel drive, guests will discover fantastically turquoise-colored rocks of copper mineral ore generally known as chrysocolla.
Between the processing facility and the street that leads down into the pit, it will likely be laborious to overlook the massive pool of vibrant turquoise copper-ore-infused water which sports activities odd turquoise-colored foam on the floor.
