Prior to 2012, the old roadbed that was built to access the Martinez, Columbia & Silver Bell mines was still in use as a technical 4 wheel drive trail. I ran it a couple of times as a counterclockwise loop in my old Jeep with groups of friends and it was my favorite trail in AZ. The canyon scenery, the Martinez mill and mineworks, and that main level of the Columbia mine, combined with the super steep pucker inducing descent via the "Luge" on the backside of where you hiked made for an incredible, exhilarating day. When I first started going out there, the caretaker's cabin was slowly being pushed over by that huge cottonwood but the roof was still intact and nothing had collapsed yet. Sad to see that the tree has now fallen on the house and crushed part of it. The Martinez mill still had a completely intact metal roof, and there was a trestle bridge spanning the road/wash I believe that once had rails or a conveyer allowing for ore to be brought across from the southeast of the mill where you saw the exposed fault with horizontal shaft (and above it the diagonal shaft with hoist). Above the Columbia & Silverbell mines where the trail crested the ridgeline and began to descend generally in a southerly direction, "The Luge" was an insane descent back toward the cabin that required precise vehicle control and nerves of steel. It was a real challenge and there was a not insignificant risk of damage to you and your vehicle. It was unavoidable if you wanted to complete the loop. The BLM gated the trail closed to motorized vehicles in 2012.
In the 1950s there was a family that lived out there in the red house by the last name of Villaverda. Pete the father worked the mine why Connie and her three children Pete Jr Vicki and Sylvia lived in the red house. Back in 1959 there was a flood that came through the canyon. The refrigerator that I do believe is still in the red house they were clinging to as the flood came through the canyon they up and moved to the town of Florence. I grew up with the family. Peter just recently passed and is buried in a small cemetery out there somewhere that has 17 Graves along with his father and mother. His two sisters still reside here in Florence. Connie did do an interview in January of 1997 with the highways magazine. It was a very interesting story that she gave the highways magazine of what the lifestyle that they lived out in Martinez canyon.
Im a Martinez Gold miner by tradition Hardrock what a valueable piece of history to be told I will put it in my bucket list i prospect in Arizona and write about the land and the people la gente . Please reply MTZ
12:25 Flotation cells for floating concentrates off from the gangue. 12:45 Drum filter for dewatering concentrates to ~5-10% moisture for bagging and shipment to a smelter. Working off-grid mines out here is a special thing that not many guys do anymore. There aren't more than a handful running on any kind of scale in Arizona or New Mexico right now, although that's set to change.
The compressor must have been run by electricity because the magnetic stater of a generator is shown behind the old Herculies industrial gas motor, meaning no steam was used and it is an electrical generator.
Steam power is hungry. They would have to have a full time logging or coal hauling operation to keep it running. Thats why electricity was introduced to mining as early as the 1870s. They would sometimes build hydroelectric dams to produce it where feasible. Virginia City NV. hauled wood from 60 miles away to power the steam equipment.
Prior to 2012, the old roadbed that was built to access the Martinez, Columbia & Silver Bell mines was still in use as a technical 4 wheel drive trail. I ran it a couple of times as a counterclockwise loop in my old Jeep with groups of friends and it was my favorite trail in AZ. The canyon scenery, the Martinez mill and mineworks, and that main level of the Columbia mine, combined with the super steep pucker inducing descent via the "Luge" on the backside of where you hiked made for an incredible, exhilarating day. When I first started going out there, the caretaker's cabin was slowly being pushed over by that huge cottonwood but the roof was still intact and nothing had collapsed yet. Sad to see that the tree has now fallen on the house and crushed part of it. The Martinez mill still had a completely intact metal roof, and there was a trestle bridge spanning the road/wash I believe that once had rails or a conveyer allowing for ore to be brought across from the southeast of the mill where you saw the exposed fault with horizontal shaft (and above it the diagonal shaft with hoist). Above the Columbia & Silverbell mines where the trail crested the ridgeline and began to descend generally in a southerly direction, "The Luge" was an insane descent back toward the cabin that required precise vehicle control and nerves of steel. It was a real challenge and there was a not insignificant risk of damage to you and your vehicle. It was unavoidable if you wanted to complete the loop. The BLM gated the trail closed to motorized vehicles in 2012.
In the 1950s there was a family that lived out there in the red house by the last name of Villaverda. Pete the father worked the mine why Connie and her three children Pete Jr Vicki and Sylvia lived in the red house. Back in 1959 there was a flood that came through the canyon. The refrigerator that I do believe is still in the red house they were clinging to as the flood came through the canyon they up and moved to the town of Florence. I grew up with the family. Peter just recently passed and is buried in a small cemetery out there somewhere that has 17 Graves along with his father and mother. His two sisters still reside here in Florence. Connie did do an interview in January of 1997 with the highways magazine. It was a very interesting story that she gave the highways magazine of what the lifestyle that they lived out in Martinez canyon.
Im a Martinez Gold miner by tradition Hardrock what a valueable piece of history to be told I will put it in my bucket list i prospect in Arizona and write about the land and the people la gente . Please reply MTZ
Whoa ! Just saw the house !
Blessings n love to the family
Used to camp there 40 yrs ago 👍👍👍
12:25 Flotation cells for floating concentrates off from the gangue.
12:45 Drum filter for dewatering concentrates to ~5-10% moisture for bagging and shipment to a smelter.
Working off-grid mines out here is a special thing that not many guys do anymore. There aren't more than a handful running on any kind of scale in Arizona or New Mexico right now, although that's set to change.
Never saw so much equipment. Great video.
Wow, I haven't seen one of those KNIX stickers in decades. Cool mine.
I havent been there in so very long. Those trees provide welcome shade in the summer.
that looks like some pretty old workings, thanks for the video.
Great structural framing.
New Sub. I am looking forward to catching more of your videos.
Awesome! Thank you!
See Vulture City, Wickenberg.
Which mine in arizona has tbe best ore cart tracks?
anderson mill , morristown az. is close
Big site , looks work a visit
Used to be able to drive it to it until it started to be vandalized when the desert became full of Side by sides.
hate how people fell the need to do this to historical sites
I really don't care for the Can-Am/Polaris people.
@@Porty1119lmao atv bois are superior
@@Porty1119 Probably reciprocal 🤔
Your steam engine is a compressor!
Maybe it was born a Compressor but identifies as a steam engine now. Lol. Thank you for clarifying
The compressor must have been run by electricity because the magnetic stater of a generator is shown behind the old Herculies industrial gas motor, meaning no steam was used and it is an electrical generator.
Steam power is hungry. They would have to have a full time logging or coal hauling operation to keep it running. Thats why electricity was introduced to mining as early as the 1870s. They would sometimes build hydroelectric dams to produce it where feasible. Virginia City NV. hauled wood from 60 miles away to power the steam equipment.