Brian! Good to see you again! You've certainly been a very long-time supporter here, so I thank you for that. Hope you are enjoying the latest videos. Despite "semi-retiring" a couple of years ago and greatly reducing the number of videos I'm uploading, I'm still getting out there once in a great while to document unusual places and the occasional abandoned mine. Thanks for stopping by, watching, and commenting!
I live near Grand Rapids Minnesota. There are many mines in the area but very few were under ground mines. My grand father did work the under ground iron mines before they switched to open pit mining. I work in a couple of large open pit mines when I was young. We live on Pokegama lake but our favorite place to swim is an old abandon mine a very short distance from our home. Ironically this mine is has almost an untouched deposit of ore that may as well be on the moon because of water seepage into the workings is preventing additional mining on this site. As a very young child my uncle used to bring me down into this mine and we would catch water shooting from the walls for cold wonderful tasting water. The water came from hundreds of feet below the near by Pokegama lake. Northern Minnesota has vast mineral deposits that have been mined for years and provide many jobs to people. I have explored these mines most of my life. I love Minnesota.
Very cool! Haven’t been back in years, but I graduated from GRHS and once lived on Pokegama. I assume you swim at Tioga Pit? Great place in the summer!
Lone Vagabond Yes indeed we swim in tioga mine every week during the summer.. there are plans to make biking trails on the mine dumps in addition to new buildings and such. We live very near by and drive by the mine everyday. There was a time a number of years ago that there was a great deal of questionable activity going on but that is under control for the most part. People clean up after themselves and the city mows the grass. In addition the DNR has invested money to keep improving the site. I love this place. The geology of this ore body is very interesting.
Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places Looking forward to it! It’s very different than the ghost towns in Nevada and California (both of which are also places I’ve lived).
Well its about time you drop by my state to explore and say hi. Thanks for coming thru Frank! Been a fan for a at least a couple years now. Great video as usual, stay safe bud.
Cool video! I was born and raised in Duluth, and I’ve done a lot of exploring in NE Minnesota. Some early maps label Northern Minnesota as “the goldfields”. There’s precious metals up there. My Dad took us to an abandoned copper mine, near the Talmadge river, north of Duluth, near Two Harbors, in the 1960’s.
Because I had to dig to get this information I thought I'd share. Being MN bound my entire life makes this a very cool thing. This is Paulson Mine [Op 1888 - 1893] located in Cook County MN. (5 Hours North of the Twin Cities) (53 kilometres north-west of Grand Marais, Minnesota near the end of the historic Gunflint Trail) [ 48°05′13″N 90°50′28″W ] The Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway was built to the mine in 1892 to access the ore, but both the mine and railway failed. This is beyond in the middle of nowhere. But if you end up going that far north in the warmer months, you can see our majestic state bird. The mosquito! Just kidding, it's really the loon, because you need to be crazy to live in the state of 10,000 swamps. More information read the wikipedia page. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulson_Mine
@@moparedtn I do not know, and I am unable to fund out, sorry. I agree the engine setup is quite modern (V12 engines were available Circa 1910), but the mine officially failed on the date described above as far as I have access to records. But since the area is so far off the beaten path anything could have happened there for years and nobody may have record of such. Thanks for the feedback.
Oh shoot, I just found your channel and this video popped up on my recommendations, and I just realized you’re still uploading! Time to subscribe and bing watch!
Hey, man! Thank you for subscribing! Welcome aboard. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. Feel free to leave a comment or a question on ANY video - I really do try to answer them all if I can.
Awesome! I remember when you said you where taking a break from mines I decided to check out your other videos. That one with the metal sculptures was seriously cool. I never get tired of these mine explorations. I'm obsessed with timbering lol.
Thanks for your comment! And thanks, too, for checking out some of my other vids that don’t feature abandoned mines. Don’t worry, though! I’ll have more abandoned mine videos coming soon. It’s going to be a very busy summer!
Wow! That winch looks to be in pretty good shape all things considered. The engine may be a 235 cu inch model. Very interesting equipment bases as well.
Yeah, it's amazing some of this old equipment that I find at these sites. It's even more amazing when I find this kind of heavy equipment deep underground in a mine. How did they get it down there? Probably in pieces and then re-assembled it on the spot. I have a feeling that the headframe at this mine site is going to fall over sooner rather than later. It didn't look too stable. Thanks, William, for your comment!
Yo dude, do you carry flex tape or flex seal with you when you go into caves or mines? I always do in case I have a piece of equipment break, and for the meme.
The Tab on the winch you mentioned! Was to show you the winch drum is full of cable do reel up more because the drum is full and can’t hold anymore cable (old fashion indicator) ! Thank you Frank!
Massive mill site and that incline shaft was huge! I found a similar one like that once on a trip to Belmont, Nevada. Most of the one's around here are plugged or collapsed.
Thanks for your comment, Jeremy! Yeah, that inclined shaft was caved-in. I got good information from a local resident who lives nearby that some guy was working that mine 10 or 15 years ago and set off some dynamite which caused the collapse. Apparently there is a mucker and other equipment still inside that mine behind the collapse.
I love the way your doing the giveaway, it makes the viewers actually put effort into figuring it out, besides all the other people who just ask for subscribers and a like at the end of a video to enter the giveaway
Thank you! I hope you're participating in the giveaway. I agree whole-heartedly with what you said. I have NEVER once in the twelve-year life of my channel asked anybody to "rate, comment, or subscribe." Never! I've never said it in a video, and I've never written it anywhere on my channel. If one puts out interesting content, the ratings, comments, views, and subscribers will come. I've got over 280,000 subscribers and over 27 million views to prove it!
It's neat to see a motor/winch assembly still on site. Most have been removed or stolen. A lot of ingenuity went into making mines function. There is a mine here in MT that has a pneumatic drill and air pump powered by a repurposed Ford model T, way up on a cliff edge. Not sure how they got it up there, but it seemed to work good.
The old miners certainly were clever and pretty intelligent, Douglas. I have seen some equipment in the most obscure places with no idea how they would’ve gotten it up there unless they took it up in pieces and reassembled it on the spot. That seems to make the most sense. But even doing that would be very labor-intensive and painstaking. Like I said, those were some clever, smart old-timers back in the day!
Thanks, man! I was just looking at your channel last week. I think you were one of the earliest subscribers to my channel. We’ve been communicating on here since 2008, I think. Anyway, thanks for your support! I really do appreciate it.
It was extremely quiet all throughout this exploration. Great scenery, too! Definitely a change for me from the barren desert landscapes that I'm usually staggering around in in 100+ degree heat. Thank you, Trevor, for watching and commenting!
I was a hoist engineer for several years at a salt mine. the yellow marker is used to stop on and it would correspond to a marker on the drum. In my hoist there were two stationary markers and 4 on the drum.
Thanks, Myron, for your explanation of the yellow marker. I love it when you miners and former miners chip in with comments that help explain what is being shown in the video or what I am explaining incorrectly. Thanks again!
Hey, Tony! Thanks for checking in. Yes, I think you’re right - it certainly does look to be part of an old boiler. Good observation! I didn’t realize that’s what it was when I was looking at it.
Man! I wonder how hard it would be to get that old Chevy straight six out of there? That's a true treasure of a find. It looks to be in good shape. I suppose you could piece it out a little bit at a time.
As you mentioned, taking it out piece by piece would probably be the only feasible way to get that out of there. That’s why I think it’s going to stay there for a very, very long time like it already has.
I get the feeling this is not the Paulson Mine up the Gunflint. Dates don't make sense on the shiny galvanized metal and the hoist euipment/headframe. No way this dates back to the 1890's. Too many trees standing for the Gunflint area.
The foundation of the mill was probably constructed haphazardly because of such a short window to build. In Minnesota you only get about 4 months to build a structure before snow starts.
Thanks, Raymond! I'm still uploading content every once in a while -- just not with the frequency I once did before semi-retiring. Thank you for hanging around throughout the years. I appreciate it!
I appreciate the uploads ur chsnnle got me into mines and exploration in general and yes its been about 6 plus years i remmber whe. U had hundreds of subs amd now u have hundreds of thousands. Ur channle has come along way hope to see more videos and explorations
Sadly due tp a falk while working for fish and game my health has not let me do any exploring but if things continue to go well i may in the next 5 years bw cleared for work and regular activities i have one place that has always intrigued me the old dominon mine in the ortega mountains by the city of lake elsinore i do t no much about it but saw a air veiw from goole earth and almost got to explore the area before my accident. I have been to the one on lost rd by canyon lake it had a ore cart on the hill side dont know if its still there though
Southern New Mexico Explorer I met somebody in the nearby town who lives there year-round who told me something similar. In fact, he said all of the mines in that area connect up underground. Being that you are in New Mexico, I assume you have my video all geographically figured out, right? LOL
@@AbandonedMines11 lol! We'll just leave it as Minnesota! Actually got some good footage of that place and the one across from it. Gonna upload it soon!
I didn't even look down into the vertical shaft that is in this video. I noticed someone punched a hole in the concrete base, though. Would it have been worth climbing down if there are, indeed, ladders in there? Regarding the geographic obfuscation, I have learned over the last twelve years to do that because it reduces the number of issues that could potentially come up. You'll agree with me once you get over 310,000 subscribers and over 32 million views! LOL Looking forward to your videos. Glad I saw your comment on here -- will have to subscribe to your channel. I take it you are hanging out with Adrian Unknown? I can't believe the number of snakes that guy finds in and at these abandoned mines! I can count on two hands the number of times I've come across snakes during the last twelve years or so. I guess either I'm really lucky or I just don't see them as I pass by and they remain silent.
@@AbandonedMines11 it's a weird shaft. Looks like it had 2 manways on both sides of the main compartment. There are ladders on both sides, but only one side had ladders going down to the abyss. That shaft is sunk to the 400 level. I can certainly understand obscuring mines' identities due to the AML doing detective work, people defacing the place or getting hurt. In this case, certain people in that area get a little emotional about exploring the area. I always use fictitious names and obtuse locations. Those stats for your channel are amazing! Congratulations and keep up the good work! I've been a subscriber of yours for a while! I saw a couple of Adrian's videos back in the spring of 2019 and saw we had a common interest. I invited him to come along on a trip. We've been exploring together since then. This summer was rather unusual with the amount of snakes we've encountered! The most I've ever seen! Hell, we were even attacked by killer bees once! After that, bees are the scariest threat we've come across. Snakes are nothing compared to them! Thank you for watching my videos! I will definitely continue watching yours!
Great to see an video. It's interesting to see a mine in that part of the country too. For some reason it never even occurred to me that there would be mines in Minnesota.
A whole section of northeast Minnesota is called "The Iron Range" because of all the taconite mines (mostly open-pit mines which eventually become new lakes). Most of the NE part of the state is a very hilly, rugged region with small mountains, covered in forest and lakes but much hillier than the rest of the state.
Probably was a drill bit. I don't know. I think heat exhaustion was setting in. I had NO sleep the night before due to driving, my voice was all jacked-up due to allergies or something, and it was somewhat of a brutal hike. I thought it was interesting, though, how the spike was just sitting on that rock like that. I did not put that there; that's how I found it. Strange....
@@AbandonedMines11 The spike looked like some other hiker/explorer had found it, carried it awhile, then set it down for the next explorer to discover.
Soudan underground state park. They have the tour of the original workings and the University of Minnesota built a physics Lab there. I've been there a number of times. It is pretty cool.
Maybe they used the dynamite building to store there loot rather than dynamite. BTW, this mine is one of the most interesting mines you have shown. Thank you very much for your efforts & hard work. Regards from Ody Slim
Ody Slim I learned afterward that there is a mucker deep inside the mine behind that collapse in the inclined shaft that I show in this video. It’s too bad the collapse was impassable. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks, New to this. What were they mining there? What is the purpose of the Letters you placed? --Seems like they're for a game/ subscriber contest? The dried-wood topped deep narrow hole --id'd as 500 ft deep with a Hoist House behind it: That shaft hole, was it to hoist up buckets of what they found in the mine? Did miners go up and down that small hole on the cable? --That doesn't seem likely as it's so narrow, straight down and not much structure on top. So, what did they use that for?
Yes, they would hoist up buckets or carts of ore through the vertical shaft using the pulley at the top of the head frame. The miners either climbed down ladders inside the shaft to reach the various levels underground or they sometimes rode in the ore bucket itself.
Now that you mention that, Patrick, I think you’re right. When I was there at the time, it was very hot and I was going on more than 24 hours without sleep. I really didn’t spend a lot of time looking at it that closely. I think I tried pulling it out of the dirt but it was stuck in there solid. The amount of artifacts in that ravine was pretty amazing. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment - I really appreciate it.
I’m guessing it’s nowhere near twin cities considering northern Minnesota has tons of coniferous forests and lots of iron mining so this is probably up in iron range Minnesota a little bit west of Duluth but at the same time northern Minnesota would have probably been super snowy around March so if this is northern mn this was filmed a while ago
Thanks, Ronnie! Yeah, I wasn't sure if that was a motor from a Chevy truck or car, but it sure seemed like it. I don't think Chevrolet made mining equipment, did they? LOL Thanks for watching and commenting!
A lot of people have commented on that engine. I'm not too familiar with automobiles and the like, so I really wasn't aware of what it was at the time. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Those were for the 280,000th Subscriber Giveaway Contest that just ended the other day. See the video description if you want to know what the details were about the contest. The prize package included $200 in gift cards.
Those letters were part of the embedded puzzle in the video for my 280,000th Subscriber Giveaway contest. The puzzle spanned three videos altogether and was one by a viewer iback in Pennsylvania.
I know! I found out later on that there is a mucker inside that plugged inclined shaft. Would've been cool to have seen that. It's rare to find those in mines for obvious reasons. In case you don't know, a mucker is a piece of equipment that runs on the ore cart tracks. Looks like a mini bulldozer.
With that big open pit, and nothing to cover it up. Kinda scary, If anyone including wildlife happens to fall in it. Did you look around to see if there was anything to cover the hole? I remember being out in the woods, and I had found a old cistern, I found some boards and covered it, and laid rocks and bricks around the outside of the hole on the boards. Interesting video of the MN. Mine. I live up North in MN.
Getting up near my neck of the woods now Frank, we have many ancient copper mines here in the U.P. of Michigan and the largest mosquitoes you've ever seen lol. Take care
Feral Alphabet. They were hunted to near extinction at one point but are now bred in captivity. They taste better when very young and commonly known as alphabet soup. Sorry. I will go stand in the corner for half hour.
Hey that moderate injury from earlier in the video may have been a bump to the head. Just saying, 5' 12" too funny! I don't know if I'd be pulling out that old mortar from around those rocks least you bring that whole wall of rocks down on your head. BOOM!
Believe it or not, I just turned over 375,000 miles a few days ago! Probably should’ve made a video of it, but I’m going to wait until I reach 400,000 miles. At the rate I’m driving now, I predict that will probably occur this time next year if not earlier. Thanks for all of your interest and support here, Dan! I really do appreciate it.
Old Chevy engine would run and run for a long time. Love the clues in the video. Shame like most old mines all the buildings have gone. Well a few can be found not many
It’s interesting how they re-purposed that old engine to work a hoist at a mine. I bet you’re right - that engine would probably run for a long time. Thanks for checking out this older video, Ronnie. By the way, the colored letters were for a puzzle that I did for one of my subscriber Giveaway contests.
@@AbandonedMines11 Ah ok, well i thought it wouldve been transported away and then processed at bigger processing plants or something like that. Thanks for you answer
I never really got into the "urban exploration" thing of exploring old buildings, Scott. There are some cool buildings out there like old factories, hospitals, and prisons -- I just never got interested in them. Even the buildings around abandoned mines really don't interest me too much. Underground is where it's at for me. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Engine looked like a 1960's straight 6 Chevy engine wonder if it was worked up until that time. Engines before late 50/60's were flat heads where the spark plug was on top of the head.
I’m not sure what the actual production dates on this mine were. I don’t believe it was worked in the 1950s or 1960s, though. I think it went out of business probably in the early 1900s. It may have been worked periodically after that up to and including the 1960s, but the main production was late 1800s to early 1900s. Thanks for watching the video and for commenting!
I hope you didn't get banged up too bad! Who knew mines were lurking like that in the forests of Minnesota? My grandmother grew up in Minnesota and did occasionally talk about the iron mines.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, anybody can take part in the contest -- as long as you have a valid mailing address so I can mail you the two gift cards if you're the winner. If you live outside the USA and win, you'll have to make your own flight reservation and travel arrangements if you choose to redeem the dinner portion of the prize package, though.
Yes you are right it is " Impressive " , nice find on that hoist house . Yes you are also correct that I always Get something out of your Videos . Thank you for making such a long Drive to digitally Document That Mine for us . Making part 2 will be a long drive back there Ha ha . I hope the slope injury was not too Bad ? I feel your Pain ! I fell and rolled down the Talus Slope of " Terror Mtn " Once after a Solo surface Recon of the Stront Mine .
Thanks again, Mark! I didn't know you were into exploring abandoned mines, too! I'll have to check out your channel to see if you've posted any videos. "Terror Mountain" -- now that's a great name! Sounds intriguing....
Frank You are very welcome . With 280,000 subs it could be said that some of us adore your videos . Terrace is the real Name and I have Only still photos of that Surface recon . It is some where in the Play list " A whole I have Seen " ? As Opposed to Holes That I have Known ( Biblical ) . Unfortunately It is a Pocket Digital that makes the Clicking Noise M1063 . I have only been using it for Videos for 2 years , The Videos are Fuzzy and Dark . So if you look at my Channel you might be disappointed with my Low Rez Efforts . I am sorry but it is the Camera That I have . But I do Run into some Strange Situations and the camera fits in my Pocket . We have a Gypsum Mine nearby that is Plugged and the small rails are used as Posts for what used to be a Guard rail for a Good sized Tramway bridge that Crossed the Creek at One time. It was nice seeing those Rails in Your Vid .
What was mined here? I was only aware of coal mining in Iowa, Minnesota, and those flatland states. The engine driving the drum was a Chevy engine and while gas engines were used for generators and such they weren't real common for hoisting as it had to connect to the drum through a clutch and transmission that didn't really suit the task that well. You flashed over the long floor shift lever that would have extended through the vehicle floorboard if it was in a truck. I don't know exactly how he would have counted levels but the hoist operator must have used that metal arrow that was screwed to the metal surrounding the cable reel so he could tell when the cage the miners were in had come to the level they wanted. It's usually a numbered dial with a gear drive that kept it in sync with the turns of the drum and the amount of cable played out. I see attention has already been drawn to your height and using your method I asked for blue jeans that fit someone 4 foot 18 inches tall but Walmart didn't have any that size. There is a tailor that I called who said they could help me but I had to get there before they closed at 4:90 pm. Thanks for sharing.
Bugs. I remember that one video of yours where you were in that tunnel and there were literally thousands and thousands of bugs all around you. This mine certainly was in a different climate zone than what I am used to in the desert, so the bugs were kind of a new experience for me.
You really weren't sure that was a engine and transmission from a vehicle? Your not very familiar with what's under the hood are you? That's a Chevy 216 cubic inch inline 6 called a stovebolt six. Made between 1937 and 1954.
Thanks, Kraig, for the clarification and specifics on that engine. As soon as I saw the word Chevrolet, my suspicions were raised that it was most likely something from an automobile. These old-time miners certainly we were ingenious, weren’t they?
That's 100% a Chevy straight 6 engine with probably a 3speed transmission which is genius because they have 3 forward speeds and 1 reverse all in one package
Right on! And next time you find yourself in the desert Southwest, let me know. Would be nice to have somebody new tagging along in all the underground adventures!
Didn’t realize until now that you were back with new videos! Wonderful!
Brian! Good to see you again! You've certainly been a very long-time supporter here, so I thank you for that. Hope you are enjoying the latest videos. Despite "semi-retiring" a couple of years ago and greatly reducing the number of videos I'm uploading, I'm still getting out there once in a great while to document unusual places and the occasional abandoned mine. Thanks for stopping by, watching, and commenting!
I live near Grand Rapids Minnesota. There are many mines in the area but very few were under ground mines. My grand father did work the under ground iron mines before they switched to open pit mining. I work in a couple of large open pit mines when I was young.
We live on Pokegama lake but our favorite place to swim is an old abandon mine a very short distance from our home. Ironically this mine is has almost an untouched deposit of ore that may as well be on the moon because of water seepage into the workings is preventing additional mining on this site. As a very young child my uncle used to bring me down into this mine and we would catch water shooting from the walls for cold wonderful tasting water. The water came from hundreds of feet below the near by Pokegama lake.
Northern Minnesota has vast mineral deposits that have been mined for years and provide many jobs to people.
I have explored these mines most of my life. I love Minnesota.
I live up 38, family cabin on Pokeg for 70 years. Howdy!
clodwolf Nice meeting you
Very cool! Haven’t been back in years, but I graduated from GRHS and once lived on Pokegama.
I assume you swim at Tioga Pit? Great place in the summer!
@@The_Drifter_13 The idiotic youth and adults really ruin it these days. It seems to bring in a lot of trashy folk. Thirty years ago it was a gem.
Lone Vagabond Yes indeed we swim in tioga mine every week during the summer.. there are plans to make biking trails on the mine dumps in addition to new buildings and such. We live very near by and drive by the mine everyday. There was a time a number of years ago that there was a great deal of questionable activity going on but that is under control for the most part. People clean up after themselves and the city mows the grass. In addition the DNR has invested money to keep improving the site.
I love this place.
The geology of this ore body is very interesting.
Wow, didn't expect to see anything so close to home. Minnesota's Arrowhead Region is filled with old iron and uranium mines.
Thank you for your comment!
Is this near Grand Rapids?
@@keithlea6804 It's up by Grand Marais. Great place for a hike.
It's near the Canadian border.
Ely guy here. Nice to see you close to home.
I grew up in northeastern Minnesota. Pretty much all the iron ore mines are defunct. Great place for exploring!
I hope to get up there to check more stuff out in summer 2020.
Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places Looking forward to it! It’s very different than the ghost towns in Nevada and California (both of which are also places I’ve lived).
Haha 5’12” love it
I've also heard someone say 10:60AM and 4:60PM.
Another interesting old mine site, amazing to find the winch house so intact. Thanks for risking life and limb once more for us your fans.
Glad you enjoyed the footage of the hoist-house. Thanks for commenting!
Another great video: the hikes, locations, the intriguing mines, your narrative and knowledge. Thank you.
Sounds like you enjoyed the video. Thank you!
Well its about time you drop by my state to explore and say hi. Thanks for coming thru Frank! Been a fan for a at least a couple years now. Great video as usual, stay safe bud.
Thank you for your great comment! I appreciate your ongoing support here.
I like how they left the trucks transmission on the engine imagine how fast they could make that winch move in 4th lol
Cool video! I was born and raised in Duluth, and I’ve done a lot of exploring in NE Minnesota. Some early maps label Northern Minnesota as “the goldfields”. There’s precious metals up there. My Dad took us to an abandoned copper mine, near the Talmadge river, north of Duluth, near Two Harbors, in the 1960’s.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your anecdote. Glad you enjoyed the video. I appreciate it.
Because I had to dig to get this information I thought I'd share. Being MN bound my entire life makes this a very cool thing.
This is Paulson Mine [Op 1888 - 1893] located in Cook County MN. (5 Hours North of the Twin Cities) (53 kilometres north-west of Grand Marais, Minnesota near the end of the historic Gunflint Trail)
[ 48°05′13″N 90°50′28″W ]
The Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway was built to the mine in 1892 to access the ore, but both the mine and railway failed.
This is beyond in the middle of nowhere. But if you end up going that far north in the warmer months, you can see our majestic state bird. The mosquito! Just kidding, it's really the loon, because you need to be crazy to live in the state of 10,000 swamps.
More information read the wikipedia page. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulson_Mine
I figured it was way out in the middle of nowhere, because that engine would have been taken a long time ago otherwise.
@@moparedtn I do not know, and I am unable to fund out, sorry.
I agree the engine setup is quite modern (V12 engines were available Circa 1910), but the mine officially failed on the date described above as far as I have access to records. But since the area is so far off the beaten path anything could have happened there for years and nobody may have record of such.
Thanks for the feedback.
Oh shoot, I just found your channel and this video popped up on my recommendations, and I just realized you’re still uploading! Time to subscribe and bing watch!
Hey, man! Thank you for subscribing! Welcome aboard. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. Feel free to leave a comment or a question on ANY video - I really do try to answer them all if I can.
So great to see your getting out there again frank, love the videos 👍
Hey there, Tanya! Thanks for your comment! I appreciate you taking the time to watch the video and interact on here with a comment.
Awesome! I remember when you said you where taking a break from mines I decided to check out your other videos. That one with the metal sculptures was seriously cool. I never get tired of these mine explorations. I'm obsessed with timbering lol.
Thanks for your comment! And thanks, too, for checking out some of my other vids that don’t feature abandoned mines. Don’t worry, though! I’ll have more abandoned mine videos coming soon. It’s going to be a very busy summer!
9:25 there was probably a painted spot on the cable that would line up with that pointer to show that the hoist was at a certain position.
I agree. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.
Wow! That winch looks to be in pretty good shape all things considered. The engine may be a 235 cu inch model. Very interesting equipment bases as well.
Yeah, it's amazing some of this old equipment that I find at these sites. It's even more amazing when I find this kind of heavy equipment deep underground in a mine. How did they get it down there? Probably in pieces and then re-assembled it on the spot. I have a feeling that the headframe at this mine site is going to fall over sooner rather than later. It didn't look too stable. Thanks, William, for your comment!
I was thinking the same thing, a old blue flame six, maybe?
The 235 in my 55 chevy looks identical.
Cool! Thanks for sharing that. And thanks for checking out the video, too. Happy new year!
@@AbandonedMines11 Happy New Year!
Yo dude, do you carry flex tape or flex seal with you when you go into caves or mines? I always do in case I have a piece of equipment break, and for the meme.
No, I don’t carry flex tape. That’s a pretty good suggestion, though.
The Tab on the winch you mentioned! Was to show you the winch drum is full of cable do reel up more because the drum is full and can’t hold anymore cable (old fashion indicator) ! Thank you Frank!
Cool! Thanks for the insightful information!
Massive mill site and that incline shaft was huge! I found a similar one like that once on a trip to Belmont, Nevada. Most of the one's around here are plugged or collapsed.
Thanks for your comment, Jeremy! Yeah, that inclined shaft was caved-in. I got good information from a local resident who lives nearby that some guy was working that mine 10 or 15 years ago and set off some dynamite which caused the collapse. Apparently there is a mucker and other equipment still inside that mine behind the collapse.
I love the way your doing the giveaway, it makes the viewers actually put effort into figuring it out, besides all the other people who just ask for subscribers and a like at the end of a video to enter the giveaway
Thank you! I hope you're participating in the giveaway. I agree whole-heartedly with what you said. I have NEVER once in the twelve-year life of my channel asked anybody to "rate, comment, or subscribe." Never! I've never said it in a video, and I've never written it anywhere on my channel. If one puts out interesting content, the ratings, comments, views, and subscribers will come. I've got over 280,000 subscribers and over 27 million views to prove it!
It's neat to see a motor/winch assembly still on site. Most have been removed or stolen. A lot of ingenuity went into making mines function. There is a mine here in MT that has a pneumatic drill and air pump powered by a repurposed Ford model T, way up on a cliff edge. Not sure how they got it up there, but it seemed to work good.
The old miners certainly were clever and pretty intelligent, Douglas. I have seen some equipment in the most obscure places with no idea how they would’ve gotten it up there unless they took it up in pieces and reassembled it on the spot. That seems to make the most sense. But even doing that would be very labor-intensive and painstaking. Like I said, those were some clever, smart old-timers back in the day!
10:04 lol. Really cool to the all those old structures!
Thanks, man! I was just looking at your channel last week. I think you were one of the earliest subscribers to my channel. We’ve been communicating on here since 2008, I think. Anyway, thanks for your support! I really do appreciate it.
Love the sound of the wilderness, no man-made sounds.
It was extremely quiet all throughout this exploration. Great scenery, too! Definitely a change for me from the barren desert landscapes that I'm usually staggering around in in 100+ degree heat. Thank you, Trevor, for watching and commenting!
I was a hoist engineer for several years at a salt mine. the yellow marker is used to stop on and it would correspond to a marker on the drum. In my hoist there were two stationary markers and 4 on the drum.
Thanks, Myron, for your explanation of the yellow marker. I love it when you miners and former miners chip in with comments that help explain what is being shown in the video or what I am explaining incorrectly. Thanks again!
Fellow mine explorer here from Jersey, At 2:21 it appears to be part of an old boiler. Nice job on documenting these mines, stay safe y'all.
Hey, Tony! Thanks for checking in. Yes, I think you’re right - it certainly does look to be part of an old boiler. Good observation! I didn’t realize that’s what it was when I was looking at it.
Man! I wonder how hard it would be to get that old Chevy straight six out of there? That's a true treasure of a find. It looks to be in good shape. I suppose you could piece it out a little bit at a time.
As you mentioned, taking it out piece by piece would probably be the only feasible way to get that out of there. That’s why I think it’s going to stay there for a very, very long time like it already has.
We improvise in the Midwest..lol good videi
Frank I thank you as always for new videos, keep them coming as often as you can!!!!!!
Thanks a million, George!
Nice video, hit's close to home! I'm across the border in WI, and I can't think of any local mines around me, that are still accessible anyways.
Thanks for checking out the video, Russell!
I get the feeling this is not the Paulson Mine up the Gunflint. Dates don't make sense on the shiny galvanized metal and the hoist euipment/headframe. No way this dates back to the 1890's. Too many trees standing for the Gunflint area.
What are some GPS coordinates to find this place?Great video!
Peter S same thing here, I’m surprised they didn’t put it in the description..
The foundation of the mill was probably constructed haphazardly because of such a short window to build. In Minnesota you only get about 4 months to build a structure before snow starts.
These videos are great sure do miss the days of regular uploads great mine great video stay safe
Thanks, Raymond! I'm still uploading content every once in a while -- just not with the frequency I once did before semi-retiring. Thank you for hanging around throughout the years. I appreciate it!
I appreciate the uploads ur chsnnle got me into mines and exploration in general and yes its been about 6 plus years i remmber whe. U had hundreds of subs amd now u have hundreds of thousands. Ur channle has come along way hope to see more videos and explorations
Wow! You've been here for a long time then! Thank you for that! So what mines have you been to?
Sadly due tp a falk while working for fish and game my health has not let me do any exploring but if things continue to go well i may in the next 5 years bw cleared for work and regular activities i have one place that has always intrigued me the old dominon mine in the ortega mountains by the city of lake elsinore i do t no much about it but saw a air veiw from goole earth and almost got to explore the area before my accident. I have been to the one on lost rd by canyon lake it had a ore cart on the hill side dont know if its still there though
MiNnesota! Clever way to acquiesce the name of this place! That mine connects with the one across the ravine on the 500 level!
Southern New Mexico Explorer I met somebody in the nearby town who lives there year-round who told me something similar. In fact, he said all of the mines in that area connect up underground. Being that you are in New Mexico, I assume you have my video all geographically figured out, right? LOL
@@AbandonedMines11 lol! We'll just leave it as Minnesota! Actually got some good footage of that place and the one across from it. Gonna upload it soon!
I didn't even look down into the vertical shaft that is in this video. I noticed someone punched a hole in the concrete base, though. Would it have been worth climbing down if there are, indeed, ladders in there? Regarding the geographic obfuscation, I have learned over the last twelve years to do that because it reduces the number of issues that could potentially come up. You'll agree with me once you get over 310,000 subscribers and over 32 million views! LOL Looking forward to your videos. Glad I saw your comment on here -- will have to subscribe to your channel. I take it you are hanging out with Adrian Unknown? I can't believe the number of snakes that guy finds in and at these abandoned mines! I can count on two hands the number of times I've come across snakes during the last twelve years or so. I guess either I'm really lucky or I just don't see them as I pass by and they remain silent.
@@AbandonedMines11 it's a weird shaft. Looks like it had 2 manways on both sides of the main compartment. There are ladders on both sides, but only one side had ladders going down to the abyss. That shaft is sunk to the 400 level. I can certainly understand obscuring mines' identities due to the AML doing detective work, people defacing the place or getting hurt. In this case, certain people in that area get a little emotional about exploring the area. I always use fictitious names and obtuse locations. Those stats for your channel are amazing! Congratulations and keep up the good work! I've been a subscriber of yours for a while! I saw a couple of Adrian's videos back in the spring of 2019 and saw we had a common interest. I invited him to come along on a trip. We've been exploring together since then. This summer was rather unusual with the amount of snakes we've encountered! The most I've ever seen! Hell, we were even attacked by killer bees once! After that, bees are the scariest threat we've come across. Snakes are nothing compared to them! Thank you for watching my videos! I will definitely continue watching yours!
Great to see an video. It's interesting to see a mine in that part of the country too. For some reason it never even occurred to me that there would be mines in Minnesota.
A whole section of northeast Minnesota is called "The Iron Range" because of all the taconite mines (mostly open-pit mines which eventually become new lakes). Most of the NE part of the state is a very hilly, rugged region with small mountains, covered in forest and lakes but much hillier than the rest of the state.
No eye shine when you panned out into the forest that's good you're alone. No Sasquatch!
I agree!
Never seen a _rail road spike_ like that before.
2:22 is a rusted hinge.
Probably was a drill bit. I don't know. I think heat exhaustion was setting in. I had NO sleep the night before due to driving, my voice was all jacked-up due to allergies or something, and it was somewhat of a brutal hike. I thought it was interesting, though, how the spike was just sitting on that rock like that. I did not put that there; that's how I found it. Strange....
@@AbandonedMines11 happens to the best of us.
@@AbandonedMines11 The spike looked like some other hiker/explorer had found it, carried it awhile, then set it down for the next explorer to discover.
The thing the hinge is on is most likely a early version of metal chute gates!!???
I only say cuz it APPEARS,from just this quick video to br box shaped and then funnel down towards where hinge is located... so ???
HA! I'm shorter than you. I can walk upright were you can't. This is how I avoided the stone of a thousand names.
Welcome to Minnesota! Even though it's a tourist spot, check out the Sudan Mine if you can. It's not abandoned, they do neutrino research there
Neutrino research? Sounds interesting! Thanks for the tip, Scott!
I've toured the Soudan underground mine a couple times. A very interesting place.
Soudan underground state park. They have the tour of the original workings and the University of Minnesota built a physics Lab there. I've been there a number of times. It is pretty cool.
That is just north of me, and in this area a "wash" is called a "ravine". I lived in Nevada for awhile, and the same feature is called a wash there.
5-12...?! 😂😂😂
Great vid as usual Frank...
I’m glad people caught the humor in that.
Your videos are very interesting and well made. You're also very brave to boot.
P.s. What were those colored letters in some random sequences?
Thank you for your comment. And thanks for watching!
The yellowindicator is used to drive the hoist to the right Level
It is a Level sign you have also markings at the cabel
Thanks for the info, Frank!
Maybe they used the dynamite building to store there loot rather than dynamite. BTW, this mine is one of the
most interesting mines you have shown. Thank you very much for your efforts & hard work. Regards from Ody Slim
Ody Slim I learned afterward that there is a mucker deep inside the mine behind that collapse in the inclined shaft that I show in this video. It’s too bad the collapse was impassable. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks, New to this. What were they mining there? What is the purpose of the Letters you placed? --Seems like they're for a game/ subscriber contest? The dried-wood topped deep narrow hole --id'd as 500 ft deep with a Hoist House behind it: That shaft hole, was it to hoist up buckets of what they found in the mine? Did miners go up and down that small hole on the cable? --That doesn't seem likely as it's so narrow, straight down and not much structure on top. So, what did they use that for?
Yes, they would hoist up buckets or carts of ore through the vertical shaft using the pulley at the top of the head frame. The miners either climbed down ladders inside the shaft to reach the various levels underground or they sometimes rode in the ore bucket itself.
The "piece of equipment" as you call it in the very beginning I believe may b some type of early metal chute gate for ore chutes
Now that you mention that, Patrick, I think you’re right. When I was there at the time, it was very hot and I was going on more than 24 hours without sleep. I really didn’t spend a lot of time looking at it that closely. I think I tried pulling it out of the dirt but it was stuck in there solid. The amount of artifacts in that ravine was pretty amazing. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment - I really appreciate it.
Could you post a little more info on these mines in from Minnesota and I’m curious to where they are and how I could do a little more research on them
I’m guessing it’s nowhere near twin cities considering northern Minnesota has tons of coniferous forests and lots of iron mining so this is probably up in iron range Minnesota a little bit west of Duluth but at the same time northern Minnesota would have probably been super snowy around March so if this is northern mn this was filmed a while ago
Hell yeah! More videos!
And more are coming. Thanks for you enthusiastic comment! I love it!
Very good video. Nice Chevy motor wonder it's still there in one piece
Thanks, Ronnie! Yeah, I wasn't sure if that was a motor from a Chevy truck or car, but it sure seemed like it. I don't think Chevrolet made mining equipment, did they? LOL Thanks for watching and commenting!
1:42 Rock Chisel not RR Spike
old straight 6... that would be awesome to restore :P
A lot of people have commented on that engine. I'm not too familiar with automobiles and the like, so I really wasn't aware of what it was at the time. Thanks for watching and commenting!
this is not the paulson mine in the boundary waters area, perhaps somewhere else in the state.
It's about time!
Amazing video! What’s up with the strange large letters appearing here and there???
Those were for the 280,000th Subscriber Giveaway Contest that just ended the other day. See the video description if you want to know what the details were about the contest. The prize package included $200 in gift cards.
Somebody placed a large M on the rock at the beginning of the video and then a letter T on the 235 straight 6 winch motor. What does it mean
Saw that as well......?
Those letters were part of the embedded puzzle in the video for my 280,000th Subscriber Giveaway contest. The puzzle spanned three videos altogether and was one by a viewer iback in Pennsylvania.
twice the height... so 10'24" lol
Ahhh whenever you show shafts like that which are no longer accessible it always makes ya wonder what could be hidden away down there forever!
I know! I found out later on that there is a mucker inside that plugged inclined shaft. Would've been cool to have seen that. It's rare to find those in mines for obvious reasons. In case you don't know, a mucker is a piece of equipment that runs on the ore cart tracks. Looks like a mini bulldozer.
cool to see you in my state!
Hey, Joe! Thanks for checking in!
u got to watch out for those sneaky letters
With that big open pit, and nothing to cover it up. Kinda scary, If anyone including wildlife happens to fall in it. Did you look around to see if there was anything to cover the hole? I remember being out in the woods, and I had found a old cistern, I found some boards and covered it, and laid rocks and bricks around the outside of the hole on the boards. Interesting video of the MN. Mine. I live up North in MN.
No, I did not cover it. I think it was a cistern. I can't imagine what else it could be.
Have you thought of coming to the Black hills and exploring the old goldmines.
connerconn Yes, the thought has crossed my mind. I was in South Dakota last summer. Videos coming one of these days…
@@AbandonedMines11 have you heard of Deadwood I guess the whole towns over all these little mines.
Getting up near my neck of the woods now Frank, we have many ancient copper mines here in the U.P. of Michigan and the largest mosquitoes you've ever seen lol. Take care
Nah, we have bigger mosquitos in Minnesota.
Great comment! Thanks for stopping by and checking out the video!
Nice man always A+ vids
Thanks again for watching and commenting! Glad you are enjoying the videos.
cant believe u were on top of the thing @ 2:11
Cool video! What are the letters scattered throughout?!
Hi, Rosemary! If you read the video description, you'll find out what the letters are for. You could win $200!
Wow! I love your videos!
Thanks, man!
Whats with the letters all over the video on scene!?!
Honestly I was wondering too
Feral Alphabet. They were hunted to near extinction at one point but are now bred in captivity. They taste better when very young and commonly known as alphabet soup.
Sorry. I will go stand in the corner for half hour.
Thats a 250 straight 6.
Very popular engine tuff as nails.
That's actually a 216 or 235.
yeah!! 👍🏻awesome place! 🔦Take care !!!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thank you for sharing!❤️💪🏽👋☮️✌🏼
*Person exploring the mine after you*: Why there so many random letters lying around here??? :DD
I removed them after filming. LOL
@@AbandonedMines11 yeah I know just trying to be funny
Always interesting thank you 😊
Thanks again, Paige!
IF your 5' 12" then your 6 feet tall, am I not right? lol
Hey that moderate injury from earlier in the video may have been a bump to the head. Just saying, 5' 12" too funny!
I don't know if I'd be pulling out that old mortar from around those rocks least you bring that whole wall of rocks down on your head. BOOM!
5" 12 that's not even on the height charts 😂
Another great video! How many miles on the Toyota now?
Believe it or not, I just turned over 375,000 miles a few days ago! Probably should’ve made a video of it, but I’m going to wait until I reach 400,000 miles. At the rate I’m driving now, I predict that will probably occur this time next year if not earlier. Thanks for all of your interest and support here, Dan! I really do appreciate it.
2:35 Large volume but the metal is thin... ventilation?
It sure took a lot of work just to get started....building all those massive walls. Also, I gotta ask, what are the letters for?
The letters were part of an in-video puzzle for one of my Subscriber Giveaway contests.
Old Chevy engine would run and run for a long time. Love the clues in the video. Shame like most old mines all the buildings have gone. Well a few can be found not many
It’s interesting how they re-purposed that old engine to work a hoist at a mine. I bet you’re right - that engine would probably run for a long time. Thanks for checking out this older video, Ronnie. By the way, the colored letters were for a puzzle that I did for one of my subscriber Giveaway contests.
that's a lot of infrastructure for such a small mine. hope that went WAY further back than you were able to go
Supposedly it did. In fact, I got good intel that behind all that collapse and plug is a mucker still parked in the tunnel!
This may sound dumb but has anyone any idea for what the mill would have been used for? Like grinding stones or stuff?
It was used to process the ore.
@@AbandonedMines11 Ah ok, well i thought it wouldve been transported away and then processed at bigger processing plants or something like that. Thanks for you answer
Morning Frank, I hope you weren't too badly injured?
Nothing serious. I soldiered on. Thanks again, Doug, for watching and commenting!
thanks
No problem. Thanks for checking out the vid!
Are there many chances to explore abandoned military buildings in the US? If so, have you thought about featuring a video every now and then?
I never really got into the "urban exploration" thing of exploring old buildings, Scott. There are some cool buildings out there like old factories, hospitals, and prisons -- I just never got interested in them. Even the buildings around abandoned mines really don't interest me too much. Underground is where it's at for me. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@AbandonedMines11 Thanks for replying! Sorry for the late reply.
Anytime you come on up to Michigan there are several mining places to explore. I am hoping to start filming some of them once the snow finally melts.
Yes, that area is definitely not explorable in the winter months. Is "explorable" even a word? LOL
Engine looked like a 1960's straight 6 Chevy engine wonder if it was worked up until that time. Engines before late 50/60's were flat heads where the spark plug was on top of the head.
I’m not sure what the actual production dates on this mine were. I don’t believe it was worked in the 1950s or 1960s, though. I think it went out of business probably in the early 1900s. It may have been worked periodically after that up to and including the 1960s, but the main production was late 1800s to early 1900s. Thanks for watching the video and for commenting!
I hope you didn't get banged up too bad! Who knew mines were lurking like that in the forests of Minnesota? My grandmother grew up in Minnesota and did occasionally talk about the iron mines.
Thanks for watching and commenting, Kevin!
Where in Minnesota is this mine at, I would love to document it!
Yessss. Keep those videos coming please.
Edit: I live outside of USA. Can I take part in the contest?
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, anybody can take part in the contest -- as long as you have a valid mailing address so I can mail you the two gift cards if you're the winner. If you live outside the USA and win, you'll have to make your own flight reservation and travel arrangements if you choose to redeem the dinner portion of the prize package, though.
Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places Understandable. Thank you.
Where is this at? I'm from wadena. How far away. I'll guess by Hibbing or pengilly
Love the videos.
Great! Thanks for your comment, Joseph.
Yes you are right it is " Impressive " , nice find on that hoist house . Yes you are also correct that I always Get something out of your Videos . Thank you for making such a long Drive to digitally Document That Mine for us . Making part 2 will be a long drive back there Ha ha . I hope the slope injury was not too Bad ? I feel your Pain ! I fell and rolled down the Talus Slope of " Terror Mtn " Once after a Solo surface Recon of the Stront Mine .
Thanks again, Mark! I didn't know you were into exploring abandoned mines, too! I'll have to check out your channel to see if you've posted any videos. "Terror Mountain" -- now that's a great name! Sounds intriguing....
Frank You are very welcome . With 280,000 subs it could be said that some of us adore your videos . Terrace is the real Name and I have Only still photos of that Surface recon . It is some where in the Play list " A whole I have Seen " ? As Opposed to Holes That I have Known ( Biblical ) . Unfortunately It is a Pocket Digital that makes the Clicking Noise M1063 . I have only been using it for Videos for 2 years , The Videos are Fuzzy and Dark . So if you look at my Channel you might be disappointed with my Low Rez Efforts . I am sorry but it is the Camera That I have . But I do Run into some Strange Situations and the camera fits in my Pocket . We have a Gypsum Mine nearby that is Plugged and the small rails are used as Posts for what used to be a Guard rail for a Good sized Tramway bridge that Crossed the Creek at One time. It was nice seeing those Rails in Your Vid .
What was mined here? I was only aware of coal mining in Iowa, Minnesota, and those flatland states. The engine driving the drum was a Chevy engine and while gas engines were used for generators and such they weren't real common for hoisting as it had to connect to the drum through a clutch and transmission that didn't really suit the task that well. You flashed over the long floor shift lever that would have extended through the vehicle floorboard if it was in a truck. I don't know exactly how he would have counted levels but the hoist operator must have used that metal arrow that was screwed to the metal surrounding the cable reel so he could tell when the cage the miners were in had come to the level they wanted. It's usually a numbered dial with a gear drive that kept it in sync with the turns of the drum and the amount of cable played out. I see attention has already been drawn to your height and using your method I asked for blue jeans that fit someone 4 foot 18 inches tall but Walmart didn't have any that size. There is a tailor that I called who said they could help me but I had to get there before they closed at 4:90 pm. Thanks for sharing.
That motor looks like a 235 straight 6. Early 50's
I'm not savvy when it comes to automobile engines -- especially old ones like this one. Thanks for the info, Lauren!
or a rarer 261 but i doubt it.
bears, spiders, and skunks, oh boy.
the remnants of the mill you showed at the 4:30 mark must've have been huge and had to use a lot of men to work it.
Book of John I agree! It’s a shame that there aren’t any actual photographs of the mill when it was still standing. Must’ve been a huge building.
Come to South Dakota. Loads of good mines in west side of the state.
Yes, there are! Videos coming one of these days....
@@AbandonedMines11 Can't wait! Love the content.
That’s the one thing I hate about Colorado mines are all the bugs we get.
Bugs. I remember that one video of yours where you were in that tunnel and there were literally thousands and thousands of bugs all around you. This mine certainly was in a different climate zone than what I am used to in the desert, so the bugs were kind of a new experience for me.
You really weren't sure that was a engine and transmission from a vehicle? Your not very familiar with what's under the hood are you? That's a Chevy 216 cubic inch inline 6 called a stovebolt six. Made between 1937 and 1954.
Thanks, Kraig, for the clarification and specifics on that engine. As soon as I saw the word Chevrolet, my suspicions were raised that it was most likely something from an automobile. These old-time miners certainly we were ingenious, weren’t they?
I bet that engine would run if you fixed it up a bit. Did you try turning it by hand?
The port Arthur, Duluth and western railway has it's own UA-cam channel. It was supposed to connect to this mine.
Thanks for that historical information, Chris!
That's 100% a Chevy straight 6 engine with probably a 3speed transmission which is genius because they have 3 forward speeds and 1 reverse all in one package
Great comment! Thanks for your observations. It sounds like you enjoyed the video, so I’m glad to hear that!
@@AbandonedMines11 I enjoy all your videos thank you for posting
Next time you come explore Minnesota mines I would like to join you if that’s possible
Right on! And next time you find yourself in the desert Southwest, let me know. Would be nice to have somebody new tagging along in all the underground adventures!