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Kanab, UT. Mojave Underground and Gold Rush Expeditions, along with a few other locals and followers, embarked on a journey yesterday to protect some ancient tunnels know as the Montezuma Mines. These tunnels are under the order from BLM to be closed by OGM (Oil, Gas, Mining) and have been deemed as dangerous and unstable.
Our adventures started with the meeting up of everybody at a local coffee shop. We drove to the County Commissioner's office and had a meeting with the county commissioner Mark W. Habbeshaw and tossed politics around as to why the tunnels should not be closed.
A few items discussed include:
* OGM does not have the legal jurisdiction over the area: The tunnels are NOT mines and have never been mined. They are ancient historic tunnels. OGM is allowed only to deal with actual mines.
* OGM is a to close“Coal Mines†and is funded by coal mine dollars. They are using these coal dollars to close hard rock mines.
* Destruction to the area: By gating and blasting closed tunnels, the area will slowly become trashed. Someone will eventually pull these gates off and excavate the tunnels anyways.
Some controversy exists over the origin of the tunnels. A SLC geologist Doug Powell, was unable to classify the tunnels as either mines, tunnels, or caves. We explored these tunnels and I agree that it is hard to classify them into a single category. You'd think an educated Geologist would be able to determine it's origins... They have the appearance and structure of a mine, and the fluvial and sand erosion of a cave. Many of us agree that it was not mined for resources, but rather tunneled and excavated for storage or other purposes Montezuma had in store.
The tunnels were set in sandstone and were quite interesting to explore. The hike up to them is steep and poses some danger getting to, overall not a bad hike. The danger is that loose sand sits atop hard sandstone, causing a very slippery and steep surface. A couple shafts do exist and caution should be exercised when entering the tunnels. Driving to the tunnels requires a good 4x4 vehicle with tires that can handle the deep sand.
The state governmental organization, OGM was charged with closing the dangerous coal mines throughout the state of Utah. While many coal mines have been closed, there still remains a large portion that remains open and do pose safety threats. OGM has been closing hard rock mines, such as gold, silver, and other mines, for quite some time now. The OGM employees cannot enter into these mines, so they have no idea what historic values exist within them.
More information about the story can be found at:
Our adventures started with the meeting up of everybody at a local coffee shop. We drove to the County Commissioner's office and had a meeting with the county commissioner Mark W. Habbeshaw and tossed politics around as to why the tunnels should not be closed.A few items discussed include:
* OGM does not have the legal jurisdiction over the area: The tunnels are NOT mines and have never been mined. They are ancient historic tunnels. OGM is allowed only to deal with actual mines.
* OGM is a to close“Coal Mines†and is funded by coal mine dollars. They are using these coal dollars to close hard rock mines.
* Destruction to the area: By gating and blasting closed tunnels, the area will slowly become trashed. Someone will eventually pull these gates off and excavate the tunnels anyways.
Some controversy exists over the origin of the tunnels. A SLC geologist Doug Powell, was unable to classify the tunnels as either mines, tunnels, or caves. We explored these tunnels and I agree that it is hard to classify them into a single category. You'd think an educated Geologist would be able to determine it's origins... They have the appearance and structure of a mine, and the fluvial and sand erosion of a cave. Many of us agree that it was not mined for resources, but rather tunneled and excavated for storage or other purposes Montezuma had in store. 
The tunnels were set in sandstone and were quite interesting to explore. The hike up to them is steep and poses some danger getting to, overall not a bad hike. The danger is that loose sand sits atop hard sandstone, causing a very slippery and steep surface. A couple shafts do exist and caution should be exercised when entering the tunnels. Driving to the tunnels requires a good 4x4 vehicle with tires that can handle the deep sand. The state governmental organization, OGM was charged with closing the dangerous coal mines throughout the state of Utah. While many coal mines have been closed, there still remains a large portion that remains open and do pose safety threats. OGM has been closing hard rock mines, such as gold, silver, and other mines, for quite some time now. The OGM employees cannot enter into these mines, so they have no idea what historic values exist within them.
More information about the story can be found at:
