Jeep in the mine shaft at 5 mile

[STPPINZ]

I read the story about the jeep in the mine shaf. that has been covered up with that wire mesh on this board and now I can't find it.

Anyone remember that story and the link?

 

[Rusted]

Here it is

http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=21277

The neighbor who was going to get me the video to convert to watch has since passed away. If I can find a nice way to ask his widow for the video I will.

 

[Brian P]

Nice read

 

[RockMonkey]

We rapelled down to it once. It's a Jeep in a mine shaft, for sure. I guess you can't do that any more, with the grate.

 

[utahxjer]

I saw it last there last Sunday, it was hard to see because of the position of the sun/glare

 

[Meat_]

It's still there, half buried. It is easiest to see on a cloudy afternoon.

 

[Skylinerider]

http://www.utah4x4club.com/index.php?showtopic=5991&hl=jeep+mine

has video of it.

 

[Kiel]

It's still there, half buried. It is easiest to see on a cloudy afternoon.

Yeah people have been throwing rocks down there too

 

[GOAT]

Yeah people have been throwing rocks down there too

you don't say

 

[STPPINZ]

I was talking with someone who used to live in Toolele and he said that there was "many" open mine shafts that people used to fall into and this was the only one I have heard of...Im just calling him on his BS.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I was talking with someone who used to live in Toolele and he said that there was "many" open mine shafts that people used to fall into and this was the only one I have heard of...Im just calling him on his BS.

Pretty rare occurance really...

The Jeep is the only one in Utah I've heard of. More recently there was a Samurai in AZ or CA, and a couple of young girls on a 3-Wheeler in AZ, but its pretty rare. Cory from Gold Rush Expeditions could really add some insight here, but mines are actually alot safer than reported. I can only think of 1 non-industry mining death in Utah in the last 10 years, and that was Jeremy E. in the Honorine Mine right near Tooele. The recovery of his body was called off by the SAR, an uncle went in later that week to recover his body at the bottom of the shaft.

 

[Meat_]

Actually Kurt there was a string of incidents 10ish years ago when 5mp was starting to get some atv traffic where people were riding into mines that couldn't be seen in the sage brush. Most had to be air lifted because nothing else could get near them but very few of the accidents resulted in serious injury/death. Shortly after that they started a fencing campaign out there, that along with the trails becoming more worn in resulted in almost a complete stop to that type of accident.

 

[UNSTUCK]

I had a close call that I learned a great lesson from. We were on a run in Florance AZ when we spotted a mine shaft going into the side of a hill. We decided to check it out. The hole was about 7 feet tall so we could walk easily through it. It started to go around a corner, that is when it became pitch black. We walked on for a bit more, then decided to go back for a flashlight. When we got back to the spot where we had first turned around, not 10 feet in front of us, the shaft went straight down about 30 feet. Who ever was in front would have taken that last step and fell to the bottom. It was stupid to be in that shaft with no light. But it makes for a good story.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Actually Kurt there was a string of incidents 10ish years ago when 5mp was starting to get some atv traffic where people were riding into mines that couldn't be seen in the sage brush. Most had to be air lifted because nothing else could get near them but very few of the accidents resulted in serious injury/death. Shortly after that they started a fencing campaign out there, that along with the trails becoming more worn in resulted in almost a complete stop to that type of accident.

I said in the last 10 years... your stories are much older than that

Seriously though, I would love to see some links or some names... I have newspaper clippings of the Honourine Mine deal, Joshua Dennis (the scout that was lost for several days) and the AF canyon dynamite fine (I think a freind and I had been in the mine just days earlier), but the only one that resulted in a death was the Honorine Mine (Jeremy Etherington). Pretty much anything I've collected since I became fasinated with mines (1992 after my mom gave me Some Dreams Die and The Historical Guide to Utahs Ghost Towns). I'm weird like that

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I had a close call that I learned a great lesson from. We were on a run in Florance AZ when we spotted a mine shaft going into the side of a hill. We decided to check it out. The hole was about 7 feet tall so we could walk easily through it. It started to go around a corner, that is when it became pitch black. We walked on for a bit more, then decided to go back for a flashlight. When we got back to the spot where we had first turned around, not 10 feet in front of us, the shaft went straight down about 30 feet. Who ever was in front would have taken that last step and fell to the bottom. It was stupid to be in that shaft with no light. But it makes for a good story.

I have no doubt mines can be potentially dangerous when inside them, especially when unprepared.

I was with a group of RME'ers (cruser and others??) inside of the Globe Mine in MEG, AFC when it begain to cave ~ 1/4 mile behind us. It was a very, very moist spring and there was alot of water in the shaft... Olly and I were walking in 6" or so of water, so our feet were freezingf. All of a sudden those at the portal begain yelling at us, at first we thought they were messing with us, however as I had my Cruiser parked with the headlights facing in the tunnel and we could see the rock sluffing off the side of the cave, damming the water in the bottom deeper and deeper. By the time we got back to the cave (trying not to run), Olly and I had to literally crawl through the little hole (much smaller in my mind ) and get out. I've been back since and its been cleaned out a bit... much safer when dry.

On another occasion EZ Rhino and I were in the Woodlawn Mine when Chris begain feeling a bit light-headed, to this day I think he was being a wuss but we both bought Oxygen detectors

 

[Bodine]

I remember in the early 80s all the mines up by the 5mp area were excessable.On more than one occasion you would see vehicles parked in front of mine entrances especially up Jacob City and there would be nobody around or they would be walking out of the entrance with a latern and metal detectors or rock hammers when we pulled up but i never heard of anyone losing there life.

I also remember more old stuff laying around than there is now,I was lucky enough to see the old motel up jacob City when it was still standing and Scranton had 3 or 4 intact buildings.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I remember in the early 80s all the mines up by the 5mp area were excessable.On more than one occasion you would see vehicles parked in front of mine entrances especially up Jacob City and there would be nobody around or they would be walking out of the entrance with a latern and metal detectors or rock hammers when we pulled up but i never heard of anyone losing there life.

I also remember more old stuff laying around than there is now,I was lucky enough to see the old motel up jacob City when it was still standing and Scranton had 3 or 4 intact buildings.

Plenty of stuff has disappeared in the last 20-30 years... The DOGM started a massive closure campaign in the 80's and 90's though to date I beleive they've only closed ~15% of the 20k openings in the state of Utah. However that will change soon, OGM bids are out on hundereds and hundereds of openings and there are alot of private/FS closures around too (such as the Josephine Mine near Kamas recently and the Lost Emma mine in Big Cottonwood Canyon more recently). Sadly when they close these, they often destroy buildings and and artifacts in the name of "restoring" the area. The Gold Rush Expeditions group was really working to slow the destruction, I know they are still active but Corey has been really busy with work.

 

[Stuartx09]

DOGM is working very very hard to backfill every mine entrance in Utah and I doubt they will stop unless someone pulls their funding. Corey does a wonderfull job, but my group has also decided to actively fight agains DOGM. Help us out at www.helpmojaveunderground.com
Lets stop them from destroying our history.

 

[emike09]

I'm with Stuart on this one. The DOGM has been getting worse and worse every year, as they are making more and more money closing these sites. Anybody been to Jacob City before and after the closures?

In the 1980's Jacob City was a beautiful ghost town. Many intricate mining facilities, town buildings, and the like. Then in 1989, Joshua Dennis, a 10 year old boy scout, entered the Hidden Treasure Mine with his father, and without a flashlight. He became lost and nobody was able to find him for days. While he was only 10 minutes from the entrance, and his father and other scouts neglected to take proper safety measures, the DOGM decided that the entire area was extremely dangerous and held no historic value. The prior head of the DOGM,Mary Ann Wright, decided that all the building and structures were a safety hazard and had them all leveled to the ground. Every entrance to the hidden treasure was cemented shut, except for one, which the land owner insisted only be grated.

We attended a pre-bid meeting of the DOGM for Eureka's projected closures as an undercover representative from an invited and legal contracting group. We discovered that the DOGM has little care for the area or history. They don't like anybody knowing what they are doing. They have told contractors to just throw [Mining Items] down in the shaft and bury it with dirt. Those who have seen before and after of areas hit by the DOGM know just what they can do. Star, Gold Hill, Manning, Sunshine, Ophir, Jacob City... They will never be the same.

Western history is mining, pioneers. Were we to go to the east coast and destroy the battery in Charleston, SC because children can get hurt climbing on the canons, or gate off Gettysburg because somebody could trip and fall on tombstones, they sure wouldn't be too happy about that. Well I'm not happy about our history being pulled into mine shafts and buried forever. But its happening. And nobody knows about it, thanks to the DOGM's secretive mannerisms.

On the topic of safety, according to DOGM's own research, there have been 5 deaths in Utah since 1982, the majority of which being driving accidents and falling into a shaft. The other day, I was reading about all the people who are starting into extreme kayaking, taking plunges down 200'+ waterfalls. Many have died doing it, but we sure don't stop them from doing as they like, in fact, we just seem to accept it and wish we could be that cool too! Just how dangerous could mine locations be that tens of millions of tax dollars are spend destroying these areas?

Please do jump over to our site and help us out a little by regestering at www.mojaveunderground.com forums and participating at www.helpmojaveunderground.com

 

[ricsrx]

I am from carbon county, it has a rich mining history and i agree it has been sad to say the least when the mine reclimation started to destory(not just portals but all the buildings) all the history in the name of ?????/
having worked in the coal mines after high school myself it was neat to see all of the old workings around the area.
If you have a chance to stop in Helper and see the musems, do it !!