02-17-10

This morning Patti and I were outside when Junior came by. We got to talking and he told us about he and a friend exploring the Apache Chief mine the day before.
While we were discussing it, Becky and Dennis came over and after a bit we all decided that it sounded like a fun thing to go see, so after lunch we took off for another adventure.
We headed east on I 10 and turned off at Gold Nugget Rd. Becky and Dennis road in Junior's jeep with Junior and Missy while we followed in Clifford.
It was kind of nice to not be the leader for once.
It was only a short trip out to the Apache Chief which is close to the mailbox cabin. When we came to the entrance to the tunnel,

Dennis and I realized that we had been here before and had gone in a short way.
At that time we didn't have any lights.

This time we were prepared. We all had a light of some kind. I had three.
Junior, our guide went in first.

Once through the small entrance the tunnel opened up so we could walk upright.

The mine was extensive with several side tunnels and large rooms.

In the sealing we could see some veins of copper.

Dennis and I stopped to check out some side tunnels and had to hurry to catch up.

At one point we could see light ahead and came to a large vertical air shaft.

Not all the verticals were open to the sky. I suspect that there are many layers to this labyrinth.

Near the end of the tunnel the floor sloped down at a steep angle.
We had to slide down on our butts.


Once we slid down the slope it was only a short distance to the exit.

The tunnel went clear through the mountain.

When we were out in the open we walked over the hill and back to the Jeeps.

The description below was copied from mindat.org;

A Cu-Ag-Au-Fe-Pb-Zn mine group located in the NE¼ sec. 12, T3N, R18W. Owned at times, or in part, by early Spanish and/or French operators; Eichelberger & Rivera; Success Copper Mining Co.; Arizona Success Mining Co.; Hickman; Richman; Apache Mines Syndicate; Old Apache Mines Co.; Arizona Apache Mines Co.; Aplington & Ehlers; Williams; Aplington; Apache Metals, Inc.; Brown; Klix; Swires; and, the Apache Chief Mining Co.
Mineralization is spotty copper and silver minerals with minor gold, lead, and zinc, largely oxidized, in irregular, small, lensing fingers, pods and ore shoots along a shear zone with quartz in a thrust-faulted jumble of contact metamorphosed Paleozoic limestone, Mesozoic continental red beds, and Laramide conglomerates, intruded by diorite dikes and small quartz porphyry intrusives. Enrichment of copper and silver by oxidztion. Strong iron gossan.
"Workings include a shaft 225 feet deep (1881) and a 100 foot long tunnel (1881) with extensive underground workings. Total estimated and recorded production for the group, from intermittent operations from at least the early 1860's through 1967, would be some 2,100 tons of ore averaging about 11% Cu, 12 oz. Ag/T, and 0.03 oz. Au/T. About 700 pounds of lead were also produced."

Today was one of those unplanned adventure.
Some times those are the best kind.

I think, the ladies were having fun.


Some of the above photoes were taken by, Becky and Suzanne aka.(Missy).