Welcome - Please Read First

[mojaveunderground]

Welcome to Mojave Underground, the American West's premier mine exploration and preservation organization. Please introduce yourself here. Let us know who you are, what area you are from, what interests you most about abandoned mine lands, etc.

We are also interested in how you came to know about Mojave Underground! Please let us know Again, thanks for becoming a member of the fastest growing and most exciting mine exploration group in the American West.

[weewilly]

hi , I heard about your group while on the "Ghost Towns. com" site. I am interested in the history of things/places. What went on in a certain place to make it what it is; etc.... I won't be participating, but will share in posts. As a truckdriver I have been to numerous areas of the country with a lot of ghost towns and abandoned mines. looking forward to learning more thanks weewilly

[RockRacer]

I too heard about this site from ghosttowns.com and some of the guys there. I definitely will be participating! Taking [s:ea96b86ec7]out extremists one-by-one![/s:ea96b86ec7] nice letter's to people etc? HAHA

[cordilleran]

I worked in the Bergen mine just outside Eureka, Utah in the early 1970s. Earned $3.50 cents an hour, 12 hours on, six days a week. Earlier, during the 1960s, I traipsed around the countryside of the Tintic Mining District digging for old bottles. My grandfather worked area mines during the teens and early '20s -- Silver King, Big Chief -- and my father was born in Eureka in 1924. I have not been back to this area since the 1990s. In the early '70s Eureka was a wild town. On Independence Day each year they would set off explosions on the mountainside -- 50 in all -- representing the 50 states. It was always early in the morning and usually disrupted my hangover from the night before. I am currently working to establish a Museum of the Privy Pit here in the mid-columbia region, but have encountered bureaucratic roadblocks basically criminalizing our efforts. Despite being a chartered non-profit historical preservation society, the Mid-Columbia Relic Recovery Foundation has faced new legislation making it criminal to excavate outhouse sites more than 50 years-old -- even on private property. It is my understanding that such legislation extends throughout the nation and will soon include removing coins and other artifacts located with a metal detector dating more than 50 years-old. I am a journalist and certified paralegal. As such I find such restrictive legislation disparaging, further eroding democracy and bolstering centralized government NOT in the interest of citizens. I am not optimistic with the future given recent trends. Suppose I could relocate to a nation more receptive to nation-building as this country seems to have lost its grit growing fat around the midsection.

[Mike]

Welcome to Mojave Underground, cordilleran. Good to have you on board. Sounds like you've got quite the history behind you. I've visited the Bergen mine just a couple years ago. It is still in decent condition.

We too run into the same bureaucrats trying to bar us from anything we do. Its quite annoying and just plain ridiculous. We are currently working with national organizations to try to bring things back under control in regards to mining history. If we can EVER be of any help to you, please let us know.

Look forward to meeting you at one of our many events.

[Stuart]

Wecome Cordilleran!

It sounds like you are our kinda guy; mining in your blood, history on your mind, and the disgust for lack of individual responsibility and freedom the driving force behind your punches. If you ever need a couple hundred allies on your side, give us a call!

[cordilleran]

Are you saying that as an organization Mojave Underground is involved in lobbying efforts to change/improve existing constrictive legislation? I firmly believe that it is not the government citizens should be afraid of, Rather, government relies on the cooperation of citizens to exist. As such, we as a people have been complacent much too long and the time for action has arrived. Currently, in Washington State (and likely throughout the nation) collecting of minerals, fossils, and artifacts has been criminalized. No longer can a property owner grant permission to a friend, family member or historical conservator without incurring the wrath of bureaucratic ninnies. This state's archaeological laws and those of the nation demand that hobbiests cannot remove anything buried that is older than 50 years-old regardless of intent. A permit is required through the state archaeologist and such permits are granted solely to certified cultural anthropologists and archaeologists. The mountain of documenting paperwork involved would strangulate a pachyderm. Normally to excavate a 19th century outhouse site takes between two and four hours. Our organization carefully documents finds as to approximate age, condition, use, depth found in the excavation, etc. An archaeologist, on the otherhand takes weeks to accomplish the same task. Understandably, these professionals exist as a profession to obtain grant funds and by stretching the excavation out they can justify exorbitant sums of cash directed into their hip pocket. In a recent correspondence with the state archaeologist, we were told that outhouse site are important repositories of cultural history but currently there is a backlog of uncatalogued artifacts crowding museums nationwide. Their belief is that these privy pits are safest undisturbed. Keep in mind that there are currently millions of undisturbed outhouse sites throughout the U.S. and that degradation is occuring rapidly. Construction projects are also destroying numerous sites daily and yet these professionals are smug in their refusal to let professional historical preservation organizations disturb them. Moreover, there are numerous hobbiests excavating these sites regularly, many of them commercial diggers. Take a look at eBay and chances are good that the bulk of antique bottles being auctioned off to the highest bidder were originally cast off in a privy pit. It is also my undertanding that metal detecting enthusiasts are already feeling the constraining bite of bureaucracy making it a criminal act to remove coins more than 50 years-old from the topsoil. Not surprisingly, all major legislation curtailing collecting hobbies was drafted by Democrat administrations and I suspect with the current administration possessing majority rule in both Houses, we will see a continuum of oppressive laws enacted over the next four years. Centralized government is not the answer yet complacent Americans continue to vote in representatives that have little grounding in reality and even less concern for the individual rights and self-determination of the citizenry. I suspect that when your Average Joe finds himself feeling the pinch firsthand -- in what he eats, in how far he can travel, and how he recreates -- the backlash will be phenomenal. Unfortunately, the human psyche is arranged in such a way that we as a people wait until the 11th hour to right wrongs. The day will come, however, when all the concerted energies invested will be applied too late. We do not need bigger government, we need a responsive government; a government that knows issues on a local level and addresses legislative intent based on the wishes of its constituency. The consensus for too long has been to allow government to act in its own narrowly interpreted self-interests and be-damned with the malcontents. To foster such a laissez faire attitude opens the door to wholesale corruption which has been witnessed in recent months. I still adhere to the precepts of democracy all-the-while watching this nation plunge headfirst into the abyss of utopian socialism. If we cannot learn from the past and the maniforld mistakes of misguided leaders then we will, indeed, repeat these same pratfalls. I assure you, a government having an iron grip around the jugular of its people is not beneficial to anyone but the taskmasters. And I for one don't want to be looking over my shoulder in fear of what my government will do to me and my loved ones next.

[cordilleran]

Did I mention that I was schooled at the University of Utah/Southwestern New Mexico University (Silver City) in geology? Collecting minerals has been a lifelong passion of mine for more than 40 years. I have done my fair share of field prospecting using chemical analysis and know from firsthand knowledge of a proustite/native silver outcropping in the High Uintas area (contact metasomatism) and a titanium/mercury/gold/silver deposit (hydrothermal deposition) in the Sierra Madre Occidentals of southern New Mexico. I would love to stake claims in New Mexico. The Utah deposit, on the other hand, is located in the primitive area and likely associated with the so-called Lost Butch Cassidy Diggings. Only way one would take high-grade ore from that locale is by backpack. I'm currently strong as a mule (bench 370 pounds) but I suspect if I don't act on these locales soon I won't be up to the task of exploiting the sites.

[Stuart]

Well, I have been thinking about your last two posts for a couple days now. I agree with you completely on the proper role of government and its slow deterioration away from its original bounds set by the constitution. I also believe that backfilling our history in a mine or leaving it to rot in the ground is no way to preserve the rich heritage left to us by those who have passed. I believe that many of our current officials in Washington DC have little regard for the lessons of the past, otherwise they would not be so willingly leading us down the path of a socialistic nightmare. Mojave Underground believes in individual rights and individual responsibility. We have put ourselves in the line of fire in the past and will continue to do so in the future in order to protect the rights and hobbies that we all enjoy.

The high Uintahs are right in our back yard, if you ever need any help packing out ore or digging for it let us know!

[cordilleran]

All duly noted. You are my first choice when I decide to launch an expedition into the Utah silver lode. Like to get after it late summer when the gnats are down. I've got a couple pards here: both big boys that would join in the fray. As for the other fray, well, I've never turned down a good fight and this one for personal and collective self-determination is shaping up to be a humdinger! I'll keep ypu posted, rest assured.

[MyDearBrutus]

I've always been fascinated by the leavings of civilization and as I am now 21 I would like to take a more proactive approach than just looking at pictures... I'd prefer to be taking them! As for how i found this sight, I googled 'Urban Exploration in utah' and found you... you were the first link listed and by far the most interesting, I definately plan on attending events!

[ghostshot]

I've always been fascinated by the leavings of civilization and as I am now 21 I would like to take a more proactive approach than just looking at pictures... I'd prefer to be taking them! As for how i found this sight, I googled 'Urban Exploration in utah' and found you... you were the first link listed and by far the most interesting, I definately plan on attending events!

MyDearBrutus,welcome...I have not been here for very long...but these folks keep busy! Hope to meet up soon,we will shoot some film...or some pixels!

[Stuart]

Welcome to the forum MyDearBrutus. I hope you can come out and adventure with us soon. You will find it a fascinating and terribly addicting hobby.

[Rubyredvet]

Just found this place after I visited Mary Ellen Gulch last Sunday. Wanted more info and this site popped up. Have been in a few mines when I can find them. Have been to the Newfoundland Mts quite a few times and explored the mines out there. Hope to do more and take pictures before the "state" closes everything off.

Dave

[Crystal]

Welcome to the site Dave!