Thursday, January 13, 2022

Tumco ghost mining town

 For some reason I was wide awake before 8 o'clock this morning and ready to get up before Yuma 😁 First thing I did was to check the batteries and they were a decent 12.3 volts.  We had watched 3 hours of night time TV and the fridge took the remainder of our volts.

We headed out the door to a beautiful warm and sunny morning.  Going to be another warm one.  After our walk we made breakfast and sat outside soaking up the morning sunshine.  

While laying there I thought we should use this beautiful day to explore the Cargo Muchacho Mountains just a mile north of our site and also visit the historical abandoned and mostly non-existent small mining town of Tumco, California.

Before leaving I had one small task to accomplish.  I moved the local TV antenna to the ladder at the rear of the White Lion and added another 10 feet to the pole and then added a beautiful American Flag.  Been wanting to do that for awhile now and today is the day!😀 God Bless America!

It was a little after noon when we all jumped into the Jeep and headed for the mountains to explore.  It wasn't long after going through some very bumpy trails we finally got out and started hiking.

Nick looking for mine shafts.
Found one.
The mining companies that have worked to find gold here were very careful to reduce their liability by caging the entrances to the large shafts so curious people like us don't wander in and hurt themselves😠  



We continued hiking around on some very rocky terrain that had been heavily mined.

Some real ankle busting rocks.
Open pit mine below.
Heading back towards the Jeep.
We decided before heading to the ghost town of Tumco, we would get a little history about it from the Gold Rock Ranch about 3 miles west of Tumco.

It's just a small building with a large parking area with old mining equipment lining it.  The inside has lots of different types of rocks pulled from the Tumco mines.



Then we headed for the site of Tumco, California.



Now, if you've never been here before, be prepared for a two mile walk.  Luckily mostly level and well trodden.  There is not much left here so you're not missing much if you would rather not walk that far.

Bridge over a deep wash.

Four old water tanks.

Remnants of old buildings.
Deep mine shaft protected.



Water erosion thru the sandstone.


Maybe someone playing games😏

Best reserved structure.  Not much!
It was close to 5 o'clock by the time we got home and man was I tired.  I think poor Yuma felt it too.  But we had a great day exploring the area.  We rested for awhile and then it was time for dinner and blog time.  After 9 o'clock and still time for a little pudding and whip cream before bed.  I'm ready!😴

Thanks for stopping by.

14 comments:

  1. The mines and old mining town are very interesting. It looks like the trip included a lot of walking. Yuma seemed to enjoy the running around. Great pictures of the area and you boys. Hope your feet held up.

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    1. Thanks Dolly. It was a lot of walking but made it. Got lots of pictures. Feet alright.

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  2. Way up here in N.C.Washington, we have a bunch of old mines..One story I recall in the town of Liberty on Hwy 97..One dope went exploring by his lonesome..They found his car and later they found his body at the bottom of a shaft..He went exploring with a rope down a shaft, turned out his rope was 80' and the bottom was 90'...
    Oooops....Stay Safe!
    David

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    1. Those straight down shafts are certainly dangerous. I don't do those. My luck there would be a six foot rattlesnake waiting at the bottom 😀

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  3. Your header photo is Spectacular! Your USA flag photo made me proud! Long may she wave!! Thank you!

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  4. LOVE your flag!! Those mine shafts can be deadly. More and more they are filling them in. Those steel bars certainly keep people out. Looks like a fun place to check out, even if there's not much there.

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    1. Thanks Nancy. We had our flashlights ready to go but those darn bars 😠🤬

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  5. There is so much history in that area. We love exploring old mine areas and try to imagine what it was like in its prime.

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    1. This was tough country back in the day and for me it still is. Hot and dry.

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  6. Bill will be jealous of your flag. He hasn't got a pole to fly one this year.
    Great picture, Doug of Tumco.

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  7. Thanks Patsy. Glad I got it up finally. Proud American 😇

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  8. You know this household is full of Proud Americans! Love that flag, it's perfect!! Those mines look interesting to see. Looks like you two had a very interesting day for sure! Sure is pretty in that area!

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  9. I recognized some of those Tumco townsite photos as well as the Goldrock Ranch. I guess those neat old trucks will be there forever. Those big tanks at Tumco were needed to hold cyanide which was used in the mining process.

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