Mary Ellen Gulch 5/31/04

[cruiseroutfit]

Couldn't have asked for better weather...

Drove til' snow stopped us on the upper side, came back down and played around on the Yankee Mine, played at the tram station, spotted on of the old tram towers high on the ridge, and headed back into the lower basin.

Then headed up to Forest Lake, really pretty!

Finished it up with a tailgate dinner at Tibble Fork..

Pics to come!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

My cruiser...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

The group, the mine, the tram cables...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Some more...

 

[iwakunijeeper]

The group, the mine, the tram cables...

Where is this place at I have never heard of it??? sorry for the Newbie ?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Where is this place at I have never heard of it??? sorry for the Newbie ?

Mary Ellen Gulch is a small canyon located off of the North Fork of the American Fork Canyon. The head of this canyon is full of mining history including several standing buildings, dozens of collapsed ones, mineshafts, tailing piles, etc. At one time there existed a tram, that went from the Yankee Mines to the town of Deer Creek (now Tibble Fork resevoir). The tram was powered via Snake Creek (on the Heber City side of the mountains)...

Really alot of history in the area.. a shame to just go wheeling up there and never take in any of the heritage...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Just verified a couple of things (mostly for Olly, Sully, and I)

The cement building pictured above was a blacksmith shop... explains the forge base in the building. Also the mine we encountered was the Live Yankee Adit #1, site matches the USFS description, small framed equipment room and tunnel collapsed at approx. 50 feet.

We need to go look for LY #2, Mineral Spring Mine, and a few buildings reported/sited in the area....

 

[Fuller]

We need to go look for LY #2, Mineral Spring Mine, and a few buildings reported/sited in the area....

when are you guys going to go again?

i love exploring old mining areas, and wouldnt mind coming along.

 

[DevinB]

I wanna come too. Kurt, I'm still telling friends the story of how you, Olly, and Brad Yates almost got stuck in that mine last spring. I'd love to see more history up there!
Devin

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I wanna come too. Kurt, I'm still telling friends the story of how you, Olly, and Brad Yates almost got stuck in that mine last spring. I'd love to see more history up there!
Devin

Hahahaha.. that was a humbling experience... I always reflect on that moment before entering mines... I still do... but I reflect on it...

Anyone is welcome to join these excursions... I was up til' 4am last night researching other mines in the AF Canyon.. to my knowledge there was at one time over a hundred mines operating in the canyon, I have visited about half of them... so plenty to explore...

I am actually trying to talk EZRhino (a vast wealth of AF knowldege) inito co-authoring a short history guide on the canyon... would make the experience a little more rich for those that like exploring old mine sites, towns, etc...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

when are you guys going to go again?

i love exploring old mining areas, and wouldnt mind coming along.

Keep an eye out for a thread on here.. UROC this weekend, bu mabey the next... It will be a couple more weeks until snow allows us up to the top of Mary Ellen, Mineral etc... Stay tuned!

 

[fj40fax]

Not going to the Swell with the club? I might be up for a nice close run instead also. We could probably talk a bunch of people that can't spend the night into a good day run.

Fax

 

[Cruiser]

I wanna come too. Kurt, I'm still telling friends the story of how you, Olly, and Brad Yates almost got stuck in that mine last spring. I'd love to see more history up there!
Devin

didnt learn!! went exploring again!! i figure i have allready had the once in a lifetime cave in....

 

[cruiseroutfit]

didnt learn!! went exploring again!! i figure i have allready had the once in a lifetime cave in....

Yup, Olly and I discussed the odds of a 2nd cave-in... very rare.. and in that case I have a pistol with one round... to kill Olly after spending more than an hour in confinment with him...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Not going to the Swell with the club? I might be up for a nice close run instead also. We could probably talk a bunch of people that can't spend the night into a good day run.

Fax

I may be game for a Saturday trip... I am still up in the air about the swell...

 

[IBC]

So how many mines are still considered "open" - or have yet to be closed due to cave-in or demolition?

 

[DevinB]

.. and in that case I have a pistol with one round... to kill Olly after spending more than an hour in confinment with him...

 

[Fuller]

I am actually trying to talk EZRhino (a vast wealth of AF knowldege) inito co-authoring a short history guide on the canyon... would make the experience a little more rich for those that like exploring old mine sites, towns, etc...

that would be sweet, i havent been able to get onto www.americanforkcanyon.com latley and that was one bad @$$ websight

 

[cruiseroutfit]

that would be sweet, i havent been able to get onto www.americanforkcanyon.com latley and that was one bad @$$ websight

The owner shut the site down for unknown reasons.. I have his phone number, I need to dig it up and call him... mabey I can offer some help getting his site back up...

Anyone have free server space?

 

[my4thjeep]

The owner shut the site down for unknown reasons.. I have his phone number, I need to dig it up and call him... mabey I can offer some help getting his site back up...

Anyone have free server space?

That site has a lot of great info. If the site needs hosting pm me and I have some options that are low cost or possible free.