Mojave Underground USA Wiki - User contributions [en]

Full Screen Map

2008-05-26T05:57:31Z

24.10.236.136:

Note: Locations here may not be as accurate as on the [[Main Page]]

----

<googlemap version="0.9" lat="39.740986" lon="-112.016602" type="map" zoom="7" width="1000" height="650" controls="large">
(O)37.8683, -113.204, [[Bald Hills]]
[[Bald Hills]]
(M)39.906416, -112.727990, [[Death Canyon]]
[[Death Canyon]]
(C)37.059059, -113.735028, [[Bloomington Cave]]
[[Bloomington Cave]]
(C)39.345360, -113.303745, [[Antelope Spring Cave]]
[[Antelope Spring Cave]]
(C)39.477169, -114.038976, [[Crystal Ball Cave]]
[[Crystal Ball Cave]]
(C)40.440056, -111.709456, [[Timpanogos Cave]]
[[Timpanogos Cave]]
(T)40.388956, -112.271941, [[Jacob City]]
[[Jacob City]]
(M)40.298485, -112.166785, [[Manning Canyon]]
[[Manning Canyon]]
(M)40.368455, -112.290144, [[Skin Diver Mine]]
[[Skin Diver Mine]]
(M)40.369395, -112.258789, [[Ophir Hill Mine]]
[[Ophir Hill Mine]]
(M)40.387588, -112.275724, [[Crystal Mine]]
[[Crystal Mine]]
(T)38.007520, -113.431165, [[Lund]]
[[Lund]]
(O)39.738222, -112.336534, [[Little Sahara]]
[[Little Sahara]]
(S)39.610532, -112.73052, [[Baker Hot Springs]]
[[Baker Hot Springs]]
(S)41.659623, -112.087541, [[Crystal Hot Springs]]
[[Crystal Hot Springs]]
(S)39.861461, -113.362083, [[Fish Springs]]
[[Fish Springs]]
(S)40.523847, -111.484966, [[Homestead Crater]]
[[Homestead Crater]]
(S)38.864406, -112.503326, [[Meadow Hot Springs]]
[[Meadow Hot Springs]]
(T)39.955297, -112.116208, [[Eureka]]
[[Eureka]]
(T)38.45579, -113.259087, [[Frisco]]
[[Frisco]]
(T)40.320062, -112.213411, [[Mercur]]
[[Mercur]]
(T)40.368128, -112.260275, [[Ophir]]
[[Ophir]]
(T)39.990651, -111.498699, [[Thistle]]
[[Thistle]]
(U)37.785063, -114.004054, [[Gold Springs Ghost Mine]]
[[Gold Springs Ghost Mine]]
(U)38.973607, -110.121353, [[Utah Launch Complex]]
[[Utah Launch Complex]]
(P)40.371397, -112.997131, [[Cedar Mountains]]
[[Cedar Mountains]]
(P)38.792108, -113.599792, [[Crystal Peak]]
[[Crystal Peak]]
(P)39.784862, -114.012058, [[Deep Creek Mountains]]
[[Deep Creek Mountains]]
(P)39.70963, -113.102918, [[Topaz Mountain
[[Topaz Mountain]]
(M)38.267096, -112.887096, [[Lincoln Mine]]
[[Lincoln Mine]]
(C)40.698405, -109.585319, [[Big Brush Creek Cave]]
[[Big Brush Creek Cave]]
(C)40.709174, -109.50069, [[Little Brush Creek Cave]]
[[Little Brush Creek Cave]]
(O)39.198471, -113.231277, [[Amasa Valley]]
[[Amasa Valley]]
(O)39.20489, -113.270931, [[Amasa Valley]]
[[Amasa Valley]] Sink Hole
(O)39.850161, -112.347393, [[Cherry Creek]]
[[Cherry Creek]]
(O)39.415822, -113.870308, [[Foote Resevoir]]
[[Foote Resevoir]]
</googlemap>

Little Brush Creek Cave

2008-05-23T06:44:38Z

24.10.236.136:

[[Image:lbbc1.jpg|thumb|Entrance to Little Brush Creek Cave]]''Italic text''
Located high in the Uintah Mountains, Little Brush Creek Cave is a popular destination for cavers. It can be accessed year round, but entrance into the cave in not feasible from the first spring melt to the end of summer, as the entire Little Brush Creek, along with thousands of acres of snowmelt, flows into the cave. The cave sees an average of 250 visitors per year, January being the most popular time to visit. It is the longest cave in Utah at 5.93 miles and 658 feet deep. It is the 37th deepest cave in the US.

The cave is part of a larger caving system, and is similar to its brother, [[Big Brush Creek Cave]]. Ice crystal formation up to a foot long, and ice structures over 10' long, make this cave an amazing winter wonderland. Inside the cave, passage ways are narrow and cold. Many tunnels are plugged with logs and debris forced into it in past floods. Much of the cave is spent crawling and winding over very tight passages.

[[Image:lbcc2.jpg|thumb|Ice Crystals of LBCC]]

===Forum Link===
http://mojaveunderground.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=71&start=0

[[Image:lbcc3.jpg|thumb|Pools deep inside LBCC]]

===Requirements===
Knee and Elbow Pads

Headlamps with spare bulbs/batteries

Food and Water

Light jacket

Small backpack to carry gear

Low Profile Helmet

===Location===

40.709336° -109.500593° @ 8100'
Head north on 191 out of Vernal, UT. Go past all switchbacks and past the end of the mine property. Continue past the Red Cloud Loop turnoff. You'll go down a hill, look for a short road on the left that has a dirt parking lot. Drive or hike west and you will come see the cave to the left about 1/4 mile in.

----
<googlemap lat="40.709336" lon="-109.500593" zoom="10" controls="small">
40.709336,-109.500593, Little Brush Creek Cave
</googlemap>

Little Brush Creek Cave

2008-05-23T06:01:20Z

24.10.236.136: Moved Image Up | Added Line Break Above Google Maps API

Located high in the Uintah Mountains, Little Brush Creek Cave is a popular destination for cavers. It can be accessed year round, but entrance into the cave in not feasible from the first spring melt to the end of summer, as the entire Little Brush Creek, along with thousands of acres of snowmelt, flows into the cave. The cave sees an average of 250 visitors per year, January being the most popular time to visit. It is the longest cave in Utah at 5.93 miles and 658 feet deep. It is the 37th deepest cave in the US.

[[Image:lbbc1.jpg|thumb|Entrance to Little Brush Creek Cave]]

The cave is part of a larger caving system, and is similar to its brother, [[Big Brush Creek Cave]]. Ice crystal formation up to a foot long, and ice structures over 10' long, make this cave an amazing winter wonderland. Inside the cave, passage ways are narrow and cold. Many tunnels are plugged with logs and debris forced into it in past floods. Much of the cave is spent crawling and winding over very tight passages.

[[Image:lbcc2.jpg|thumb|Ice Crystals of LBCC]]

===Forum Link===
http://mojaveunderground.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=71&start=0

[[Image:lbcc3.jpg|thumb|Pools deep inside LBCC]]

===Requirements===
Knee and Elbow Pads

Headlamps with spare bulbs/batteries

Food and Water

Light jacket

Small backpack to carry gear

Low Profile Helmet

===Location===

40.709336° -109.500593° @ 8100'
Head north on 191 out of Vernal, UT. Go past all switchbacks and past the end of the mine property. Continue past the Red Cloud Loop turnoff. You'll go down a hill, look for a short road on the left that has a dirt parking lot. Drive or hike west and you will come see the cave to the left about 1/4 mile in.

----
<googlemap lat="40.709336" lon="-109.500593" zoom="10" controls="small">
40.709336,-109.500593, Little Brush Creek Cave
</googlemap>

Manning Canyon

2008-05-22T05:10:02Z

24.10.236.136:

Manning Canyon is located in the Mercur Mining District, adjacent to the West Mercur and
Fivemile Pass Mining Districts. The Mercur District was first organized in 1870 as the Floyd Mining District
when silver lode discoveries were made. As time went on, gold became the primary commodity produced,
causing a production or mining boom from 1898 through 1912. Mines located in the southern Oquirrh
Mountains have also produced precious and base metals and clay.

[[Image:manning.jpg|thumb|ATV ridden Manning Tailings]]

==History==

In 1890, the Manning Mill was built to treat ore from the Mercur vein by pan amalgamation. The
Manning Mill was remodeled in the summer of 1890 to process ore by the cyanide process. From 1890 to
1900 the crude ores mined at Mercur, Utah, 5 miles northwest of Manning, were transported by team and
wagon and later by a privately owned railroad, and were leached in tanks by percolation with solutions of
potassium cyanide. The mill expanded to 50 tons daily, then to 100 tons in 1893, to 200 tons in 1896, and
then to 500 tons. Following construction of the Golden Gate Mill in 1898, the Manning Mill ceased treating
Mercur ores and was used to process tailings. In 1933, a second mill was constructed at the Manning Mill
Site to re-treat the estimated 455,000 tons of tailings in large dumps. From September 1934 to July 1936,
an average of 536 tons of material (both tailings and crude ore) were treated per day. In addition to
re-treating the tailings dumps left by the operations of the prior Manning Mill, the second Manning Mill
operated as a custom plant to treat crude ores from Mercur and some ores from outside the Camp Floyd
Mining District. After this second mill completed re-treatment of all the Manning "dumps," the mill was
relocated in 1937 to Mercur.

Much of the private land in the surrounding areas includes patented mining claims from the late
1800s and early 1900s. Clay mining on these private lands remains active today. Private land located to the
south is used for agricultural purposes, including wheat fields approximately 1.8 miles southeast of the Site.
The small town of Fairfield is located 3.5 miles southeast of the Site. The Site has a history of recreational
use. Purchased by its current owners in the 1950s, the private portion of the Site hosted national motocross
events in the 1970s. Since then, off-road vehicle users and other recreational users have frequented the Site.
March through September are high use months, usually receiving six to 10 vehicles per day with multiple
passengers. The winter months receive less visitors. The BLM Salt Lake Field Office estimates an annual
visitation of approximately 1,050 by tourists and locals. All terrain vehicles (ATVs), bicyclists, campers, and
youths shooting paintball guns have been observed on the tailings deposits within the Site.

''Mojave Underground does not agree with, endorse, encourage or support the destruction or reclamation of mining sites in any way shape, or form.''

==Reclemation Actions==
BLM completed the design plans and specifications using the Bureau of Reclamation’s Provo
office. Other ongoing activity includes funding requests and negotiations with potentially responsible parties.
A construction contractor, the Opal Group, was selected and Phase I of the work began during 2002.
Phase I consists of constructing run-on controls and removal and consolidation of the upper tailings into the
repository area. Phase II, to be conducted in 2003, will consist of ongoing construction of the repository
and cap. Phase III, to be conducted in 2004 will consist of removal of the lower tailings area near the
railroad right of way and placement into the repository.
The Utah Department of Health was consulted on several occasions and was been sent sampling
plans, preliminary assessments and the EE/CA for review and comment. The Utah County Health
Department has been consulted for information on the Fairfield water supply. The State and County will be
involved in construction of the remedy for the Site. The County and Utah Department of Transportation
have been involved in review of design and construction aspects concerning improvements to the County
road and other road access.

===ACTIONS AND ESTIMATED COSTS===
The EE/CA presented a study of the nature and extent of contamination at Manning Canyon,
removal action objectives and action levels, a brief risk assessment and various alternatives to remedy the
health risks. The overall goal of the response alternatives evaluated in the EE/CA is to reduce the release
and threat of release of arsenic, mercury, and lead from the Manning Canyon Site, thereby reducing risks to
human health and the environment. The alternatives were screened based on effectiveness in reducing risk,
implementability and cost. A preferred alternative of an on-site repository was selected. The EE/CA has
been prepared in accordance with the criteria established under the CERCLA, and sections of the National
Contingency Plan (NCP) applicable to removal actions (40 CFR 300.415 (b)(4)(i)). The EE/CA is also
consistent with EPA guidance document, Guidance on Conducting Non-Time-Critical Removal Actions
Under CERCLA. The EE/CA removal action objectives were:

* Reduce or eliminate the release of arsenic, lead, and mercury from the Manning Canyon mill site via
surface water during flood events.

* Reduce or eliminate the release of arsenic, lead, and mercury from the Manning Canyon mill site via
surface water to ground water pathways.

* Reduce or eliminate the release of arsenic, lead, and mercury from the Manning Canyon mill site via soil
to air pathways.

* Reduce or eliminate the release of arsenic, lead, and mercury from the Manning Canyon mill site via soil
to ground water pathways.

* Reduce or eliminate the potential for exposure to humans and wildlife from direct contact, ingestion, or
inhalation with contaminated surface soils.

* Conceptual designs were developed for each of the four removal alternatives, and an opinion of probable
cost was prepared for each.

===Estimate Cost of Reclaiming===
'''On-Site Repository and Surface Water Diversion ''(Selected)'''''
'''$7,225,000-$9,211,000'''
The final EE/CA Alternative 2 is the recommended alternative. This alternative involves placing the
tailings from the piles and ponds into an on-site repository near the tailings deposits. This represents a minor
design change from the Draft Final EE/CA which conceptualized two repositories. Additional analyses
demonstrated that a single repository is less expensive and reduces operation and maintenance
requirements. The repository will be sited to keep the consolidated tailings out of the 500-year flood plain.
The tailings that are contained near drainage courses will be relocated to reduce the potential for these
tailings to be washed downstream during flood events. In addition, the channel will be restored and sized for
the 500-year flood event, and run-on controls will be established around the repository. This alternative best
met the screening criteria as most effective, implementable and cost-effective.

==Requirements==
High Clearance Vehicle

==Location==
40.298485° -112.166785° @ 5900'
From Fairfield, head south on Cedar Valley Rd/UT-73 toward 1620 N for 1.9 mi. Turn right at Manning Canyon Rd, and follow main road until you come upon the area.

----
<googlemap lat="40.298485" lon="-112.166785" zoom="14" controls="small">
40.298485,-112.166785,Manning Canyon
</googlemap>

Ophir

2008-05-06T19:28:09Z

24.10.236.136: Updated Content

'''Ophir''' Utah is a small semi ghost town just off highway 73. The Ophir Hill mine has many artifacts that have been removed from the mine and placed outside. It makes for a good tourist destination. The land owners do not take lightly finding people on their property without permission; if traveling through the area, please respect any Private Property and No Trespassing signs.

== History ==
"This was the typical mining town - saloons, gambling and dance halls, red-light houses, hotels [The Pioneer, built 1870], cafes, stores, and living quarters" (Carr, 20).

Named after the King Solomon's (of the Bible) mines, Ophir got its start from army men looking for mineral wealth. General Patrick Connor and his troops made some of the first claims in the area which would become Ophir in 1865. The Ophir mining district was organized in 1870 and by 1871 more than 2,500 mining claims had been staked with the town population reaching 1,200 (Thompson, 17).

==Mine Closures==
In late 2007, all of the mines in the Ophir area were gated by the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Oil, Gas, and Mining. Many attempts have been used by the property owners and other to remove these illegally placed gates. When speaking to a representative about the removal of these gates, it was stated that nothing could be or would be done to stop the removal; somewhere along the lines, eventually another gate might by put back up.

==Requirements==
4x4 vehicle is exploring outside of city
Mine Exploration Gear
Mine Gate Removal Gear for mines outside of town.

[[Image:Ophir.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Ophir, Utah in winter.]]
==History==
Ophir was named for the nearby canyon and mining district. The mining district was named for the biblical Ophir, from where Solomon|King Solomon brought back gold to Israel.

==Forum Link==
http://www.mojaveunderground.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44

==Demographics==
As of the census of 2000, there were 23 people, 10 households, and 6 families residing in the town. The population density was 143.0 people per square mile (55.5/km²). There were 33 housing units at an average density of 205.1/sq mi (79.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.65% White and 4.35% Asian.

There were 10 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, and 40.0% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the town the population was spread out with 8.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 8.7% from 25 to 44, 43.5% from 45 to 64, and 30.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females there were 109.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,000, and the median income for a family was $49,167. Males had a median income of $46,875 versus $13,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,906. None of the population or families were below the poverty line.

==Location==
40.369102, -112.258534

==References==

Carr, Stephen L. The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns

Carter, Kate B. Our Pioneer Heritage Vol 14. Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1971 Salt Lake City, Utah

Thompson, George A. Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures

----
<googlemap lat="40.3689" lon="-112.257" zoom="10" controls="small">
40.3689,-112.257, Ophir, UT
</googlemap>