The founding members of FoGK prepare for another work trip 

2013, returning to the mine at the owner’s request, we found UXO’s (Unexploded Ordnance) stacked in front of the mine. These were part of an ongoing clearance operation in the area around the mine, these were safely removed but we still find UXO’s occasionally higher up on the ridge.

We literally stumbled on the upper adit while exploring the property with the mine owner’s permission in 2005. When we revisited the mine in 2013 to check on conditions, we found that illegal collectors were still active in the upper and had hauled out hundreds of pounds of mineral specimens in just these few short years. Stopping these destructive thieves and vandals is what motivated the effort to secure the entrances and protect the mine.

FoGK members install more No Trespassing signs on the property

Illegal rock collectors left mounds of trash throughout the mine which had to be cleaned up and hauled out.

More trash left by illegal rock collectors, in this old cache, we also found over a hundred pounds of stashed mineral specimens.

More illegal rock collector trash in the mine.

Before getting to work, we wanted to learn more about the mine’s history and the archives at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources on the New Mexico Tech campus was a fantastic resource.

Volunteers dig out the entrances in preperation for installing cement footers and gates over the entrances.

Before class trips started to help with hauling building materials, all supplies were carried up to the mine by the volunteers.

As the team began to plan and design entrances, first we had to dig both the upper and lower entrance out. The small 21” opening in the upper was dug down to the rock bottom at 7’ after six months of weekend digs.

Over the year and a half it took to secure the upper and lower adits to the mine, we experienced a lot of weather on the hillside. Sheltering from the rain in the lower adit entrance offered great views across the valley while we wait for a break in the storm.

The entrance walls each use about a ton of concrete and they are anchored with rebar into the rock walls.

Students from the Defense Nuclear Weapons School Counter Proliferation Officer course help take cement and timber up to the mine.

The walls that the gates are set in are substantial, here our volunteers sit back after the first big concrete pour at the upper adit entrance.

The new gates arrived at the mine and even with an ATV it was a struggle to get the gates part of the way to the mine.

The heavy gates had to be dragged up the very steep hill on a modified cart by volunteers.

The heavy gates had to be dragged up the very steep hill on a modified cart by volunteers.

The lower adit was much less filled in and we very quickly reached the rock floor just under the ore cart tracks.

Since the lower adit was accessible by ATV’s, the construction supplies were quickly brought up and ready.

ATV’s made short work of bringing up supplies.

Two open shafts on the property were also fenced and warning signs added.

An open, 140’ deep shaft inside the lower, also known as a winze had some 2×4’s added for a little protection, we needed to fix this.

Here the lower adit winze has been covered by a raft of new timbers.

With the entrances secure, a few ladders were brought in to help aid exploration of the mine.

In the upper adit, the large stope had an opening that was about 14’ deep with only ore cart tracks going across it. We added a scaffolding stage as a bridge to safely cross this area and further assist with exploration and survey work.