A weekend in the San Rafael Swell

[cruiseroutfit]

...To have been exploring that area 20 years ago... man it would have been neat. Not only were the mines and structures far more in tact, but there used to be a road that crossed the river just past the Dirty Devil Mine and lead part of the ways up the canyon with The Hondu Arch as its terminus. Its now been closed by the BLM.

The road I was referring to eventually led to the Moenkopi Jack Mine... I'll have to hike over the the mine one of these days. I don't think it is super big, likely only 20-30ft deep judging on the information I found.



As to the actual Dirty Devil Mines you visited, here is a bit more on those:

Site Description: This is a fairly large uranium mine that belongs to the Dirty Devil mine complex. It is
located at the top of a steep slope on the lower south side of Tomsich Butte. The site is 170 by 90 m in
size and consists of five horizontal adits, massive waste piles, an intact loading chute and ore bin, and a
loading platform. A short mine road leads up to the two openings on the east side of the site. Artifacts
and debris at the site consist of large diameter metal pipes, RR ties, a 50 gallon metal drum, rubber hose,
mining equipment, and wood debris.
4240836HO001: The opening is 6 ft high and 14.5 ft wide with a depth of 40+ ft. Within the adit are
large diameter pipes and a work bench. Vertical roof support posts are also present inside the adit and at
the opening. Outside the opening, along the base of the cliff, buried and collapsed rail road ties lead to a
loading platform composed of 2x12’’ boards supported by two vertical posts and a vertical half buried
drill. A board retaining wall forms the sides of the loading platform.
4240836HO002: The opening is 9.5 ft high and 13 ft wide with a depth of 30 ft. There is a large vertical
post on one side of the opening supporting a large horizontal timber. Two inch diameter metal pipes are
wired to the roof of the adit and extend back into the adit.
4240836HO003: The opening measures 11 ft high and 14 ft wide with a depth of 100+ ft.
4240836HO004: The opening is 7.5 ft high and 9 ft high with a depth of 80+ ft. An intact loading chute
with attached ore bin is located on the slope below the opening. The chute, approximately 75 ft long and
4 ft wide, is constructed of wood planks on vertical support posts. The base and lower interior sides are
covered with sheet metal. The ore bin is constructed of large timbers and wood planks and measrues 18 ft
by 12 ft. A 15 ft long by 3 ft wide chute extends out of the center front of the ore bin; several large
diameter pipes are lying inside it.
4240836HO005: The opening is 6.5 ft high by 9 ft wide and has a depth of 18 ft.

 

[timaus13]

Great photographs

Great photographs I enjoyed them thankyou for bringing some pics of USA to little old Tassie.:safari-rig:
Regards Tim