Vulture Mine, Wickenburg, AZ

(Ed. note: A recurring theme in my posts is that of "disrepair." I try to post a few pictures that show a place or thing that has fallen into disrepair; I'm fascinated by it. This entire post is on disrepair. I'm not going to lie, I was giddy as I toured the mine.)

On the recommendation of my brother, Steve, I paid a visit to the Vulture Mine, which is about 12 miles southwest of Wickenburg, AZ. The mine has been closed since 1942 and has been privately owned by an individual since the late 60s.

According to the caretaker, the son of the owner is doing a little mining as there is still, supposedly, a lot of gold below ground. At one time, it was the most productive mine in Arizona.

The entry fee was $10 and it was worth every penny.

Caretaker's office

As usual, I signed the guest register

Start of the self-guided, above-ground tour

The Assay Office - "to assay" means to analyze ore to determine the amount of gold, silver or other metal in it. So, every mine had an Assay Office.

The Assay Office

Let's get assayed

Every place needs a good bullion storage room

Is someone in there?

The Glory Hole - "In 1923, some "personal miners" were working in one of the large underground chambers. The Vulture Mine, a hard rock mine, had no need of support timbers. The mining company found it necessary to leave about forty percent of the ore in place as supporting columns. One large chamber had ore columns that were very rich in gold. The personal miners were chipping away at these columns when they suddenly gave way. One hundred feet of rock over their heads collapsed on them. The cave in killed seven miners and twelve burros. There was no hope of rescue.

"Above ground, what had been a small hill became a pit. The collapsed chamber area became known as the "Glory Hole." Ironically, the miners soon discovered that the new Glory Hole was an excellent place for personal mining."

Their name, not mine

a big sinkhole

More sinkhole

The Main Shaft - it reaches a depth of 3,000 ft and goes down at a 35º angle

Looking down the rail into the entrance of the main shaft

A huge winch above the main shaft

Twisted rails and timbers

Another view

The blacksmith shop next to the main shaft

The Ball Mill-

The Ball Mill

Metal, timber and light

Funky lighting

Barrels and drums

I don't even know what these are

And what the hell is this?

The Power House - in a metal building near the Ball Mill is the power house. A big diesel engine ran a generator that provided electricity for the mine.

You need power to run a mine

The power house is big

Control Central

View of the diesel engine from ground level

View atop the engine on the catwalk

Another view from the catwalk

That's one big generator

The Hanging Tree and Wickenburg house - Henry Wickenburg was the mine's original owner and owned it from 1862-1866. At the age of 85, unable to care for himself anymore, he shot himself in the head with a Colt revolver. The town of Wickenburg surrounds his grave.

By all means, I will watch my step

The tree didn't look tall enough for hangin'

The Wickenburg house

Pretty sparse

Dinner

Random disrepair -

This seemed to be some sort of bunk house

Another bunk house?

I think the warranties have expired

That dormer needs a little caulk

Do I dare enter?

Come in and sit a spell

A small stove and oven

A big stove and oven

Skylight

OMG! Is that a specter or poltergeist?