Abernethy Cemetery

Just off Washington State Route 4, about 14 miles west of Longview, WA is a tiny cemetery, hidden in obscurity and overgrowth.

There are only a handful of graves at the diminutive site, but with family ties to local history that can make it an interesting stop.

THE OLDE DAYS

Alexander Abernethy headed to the Oregon Country to work with his brother, George, who had established a mill at Oak Point in the 1840s.

In 1867, Alexander, and his wife Eliza were granted 636 acres of the new Oregon Territory under the Oregon Donation act of 1850.

Alexander lived another twenty one years, passing away in 1888 at the age of 74, and was buried in the family plot; the Abernethy Cemetery.

BROTHER GEORGE

George Abernethy was an early entrepreneur in the budding Oregon Country. His water powered sawmill on ‘Mill Creek’, constructed in the 1840s, was an early industry in the region.

Abernethy was also active in Oregon Country politics, twice being elected as provisional governor until the post was dissolved in 1848, when President James Polk signed the Oregon Territory into law.

After his time as provisional governor, George continued to find success in business, but lost all of his assets in the Great Flood of 1862.

In March of 1877, George passed away at the age of 69, in Portland, OR.

However, even in death George remained active, so it would seem…

…he was first laid to rest in Vancouver, WA in 1877, but was later reinterred in Portland, OR in 1883.

NOWADAYS

As the State Route 4 passes through the Oak Point area, it crosses a pair of creeks. ‘Mill Creek’ was once the power source of George Abernethy’s 1840s mill.

Just east of Mill Creek, is Abernathy Creek, said to be where Alexander Abernethy settled and made a family.

While Abernethy’s mill is long gone, just across the Columbia River, the Beaver Power Plant could perhaps be imagined of as a sort of spiritual successor.

Let it’s droning industrial hum remind you of simpler times…

GETTING THERE

From Longview, WA: Take the State Route 4 west toward Illwaco. About 14 miles west of Longview, you’ll see Abernathy Creek Rd.

Don’t be compelled to turn here, and don’t be confused by the subtle change in spelling. Abernethy and Abernathy seem to be used interchangeably!

Instead, cross over the creek and turn north on the road immediately on the other side, that is the west side of Abernathy Creek.

Very soon a country road will appear on your left, this is the cemetery road.

At it’s end, next to a private home, is the tiny cemetery.

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More pics: Abernethy Dec 2018

Coulee City Pioneer Cemetery

Coulee City is not the same settlement that it was at it’s founding early in the twentieth century. A time traveler from our time would instantly notice at least one glaring difference: back then, the town wasn’t on the shores of a giant lake!

YEARS PAST…

The earliest interments at the site pre-date the town and are thought to date as far back as 1889, though burial records do not exist from that era.

Coulee City was founded in May of 1907, by that time the graveyard had been in use for close to two decades, yet had still not been recorded with county government.

Known burials took place over a 30 year period spanning 1895 to 1924, but after the 1920s the graveyard went disused. By some accounts it was an issue with the water table causing subsidence problems when graves would flood, others claim it was abandoned because the rocky soil was just too tough to dig.

Decades of neglect passed by until the 1970s, when a band of volunteers formed to bring the forgotten graveyard back from the brink. Their laudable efforts culminated in the official dedication of the cemetery on Memorial Day of 1976.

Almost 90 years after it’s unofficial founding, the graveyard was finally recorded with the county and given a name.

NOWADAYS

Since the great volunteer effort of ’76, maintenance at Coulee City Pioneer Cemetery has been sporadic.

Tumbleweeds pile up and the weeds and grasses grow tall enough to obscure many of the remaining markers.

The open spaciousness of the plot tells of the monuments that have vanished to time, while the stones that continue to weather-on might remind visitors of the grit and tenacity of those who settled these Scablands.

MOTORIN’

Coulee City is along the US-2, roughly in the center of Washington State, on the south shores of Banks Lake.

Just northeast of the tiny berg one can find the cemetery, though you might have to drive by a few times until you notice it.

Parking is limited to the roadside, but traffic is sparse.

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REFERENCES:

https://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Collections/TitleInfo/986

More pictures: Coulee City Pioneer Cemetery

Coulee City, Grant County, WA, USA

Jefferson Oil Seep

There are a handful of places along the Washington State coast where petroleum naturally oozes from the ground. Not in grand tar pits, but in small seeps.

Early in the 20th century, the seeps inshore of Jefferson Cove attracted the attention of oilmen, eager to exploit the resource and sell it to an oil hungry world.

A few relics and ruins still dwell out there in the coastal forests, a remote monument to an oil boom that never really was.

A BIT OF HISTORY

Local tribes have long known of the oil seeps in the area. According to some texts the native people knew the mixture of oil and dirt as “smell mud”, owing to the sometimes pungent, petrochemical aroma detectable near such deposits.

Wild animals also knew of these oily seeps, sometimes using them as mud wallows. In the winter of 1906-07, a survey party discovered petroleum seeping from one such “bear wallow” near Hoh Head.

In 1911 the first attempts to collect the seep oil were conducted by locals who used explosives to redirect the flow into a nearby shaft where it would pool up to be collected.

Earlier that same year, the settlement of Oil City began to spring to life at the mouth of the Hoh River. As it’s name suggests, it was to be THE city for the speculated oil boom. Talk of a deep water port was in the air, drilling was right around the corner, and the newly platted properties were selling.

A few years later in 1914, the Jefferson Oil Company landed a steam donkey at Jefferson Cove. After the heavy iron contraption was wrangled onto the beach, it was placed at the top of a 300ft terrace to pull equipment up a quarter mile long skid road to the drilling site.

Two wells were drilled; Hoh #1 & Hoh #2. However, neither well ever produced quantities that would make further investment worthwhile.

Over a decade passed when beginning in 1931 renewed interest saw almost a dozen wells drilled at the site, some of which showed potential to the tune of a hundred barrels a day. However, dreams of a lucrative strike faded in step with quickly diminishing yields.

By 1937 drilling had ceased, and the area was protected from future mineral extraction when it was incorporated into the Olympic National Park in 1938.

WHAT’S LEFT?

During a 2017 survey of the area, several pipes were found still sticking out of the forest floor. A few are full of stagnant “mystery water”, and one of them still gurgles with escaping gas.

Another pipe juts out of a spongy depression filled with alder leaves and a creamy, oily substance. A bit like a paraffin bog maybe.

There are a number of shallow mud filled shafts around the site, some partially filled with the natural seepage. A few show decaying cribbing.

What appears to be a moss covered wooden framework lies on the forest floor, along with a number of rusted pipes and fittings.

PAPERWORK AND PLANNING

Jefferson Oil Seep lies right along the border of Olympic National Park and Rayonier logging land. Both entities require a pass to access their lands.

With a Rayonier pass it may be possible to approach the site via a maze of logging roads and a good map. Otherwise it’s probably best to begin your journey from the trailhead at Oil City and make your way up the beach and the bluffs. (National Park Pass)

The journey to the Jefferson Seep is not for the inexperienced or unprepared, timing the tide is critical and no trails pass near this remote site. The weather at the coast is often wet, and the underbrush can be burly.

HAPPY TRAILS!

References:

http://www.historylink.org/File/7446

More Pictures: Jefferson Oil Seep

Thorp Cemetery

To the transfixed I-90 motorist, Thorp, WA probably isn’t much more than a large white building on the north side of the freeway, emblazoned with the words ‘Thorp Fruit and Antique Mall’. 

You can’t miss it!

While a lot of folks might only ever see Thorp doing 70mph on the interstate, or from the fuel pump at the gas station, for the more interested among us there are things to see…

Just across the interstate from the gas station in fact, one can find the historical Thorp Cemetery. Not a bad starting point if you’re looking to discover Old Thorp…

THE PAST

The cemetery parcel was donated by a farmer named Herman Page, who made his claim in the Thorp area in the 1870s. (Later buried in this very cemetery) 

In the 1880s the cemetery became the property of the Thorp Methodist Episcopal Church and was operated by the Thorp chapter of the Odd Fellows Lodge until 1940, when the lodge was dissolved.

Some decades later in 1962, the Kittitas County Cemetery District No.1 took over management of the grounds and continue to do so today.  

At one time just saplings.

NOWADAYS

This is still a working cemetery and is regularly maintained, but fully retains a pioneer cemetery charm.  

Set where the mountains meet farm country, the views are unique. Mt.Stuart rises high to the north while sparse pines give way to farmlands eastward. 

Many of the stones date back to the early 1900s and into the century before. The cemetery holds a handful of unique and well aged markers to see, including an obelisk. 

LOCAL LORE

A reoccurring apparition is said to occasionally appear in this cemetery…

In the 1890s a young Indian woman named Susie was lynched in the Thorp area by assailants unknown. The brutal murder is recorded in official Kittitas County records.  

Since that time ‘Susie’ is said to appear atop a ghostly white horse in the Thorp Cemetery, weeping amongst the headstones on clear, moonlit nights. 

Susie did not appear during my last visit, and this cemetery is closed during hours of darkness. 

MOTORIN’

Not too difficult to find from the Thorp Fruit Antique Mall: Head southward on South Thorp Highway, crossing over the I-90 before taking a right onto Thorp Cemetery Road. The cemetery will appear on your right in little time. 

A gravel pullout in front provides parking. 

Historical Pre-Freeway map! 

HAPPY TRAILS!

#Optoutsideafterwork

Ashes to ashes...
Ashes to ashes…

I was up at 4AM on Black Friday.

Not for the savings bonanzas or the ol’ fashioned tramplings, nor for the buyer’s remorse or the last item on the shelf fist fights.

No, like many of us I worked, but #Optedoutside the minute I got out!

Didn’t have a lot of time, with the sun being so stingy in these winter months, so a short walk to Franklin, WA, an old coal mining ghost town fit the bill.

“New” ruins

Eh, it’s got a spooky ol’ cemetery anyway. Who needs light when you have ghosts?

We parked at the small cemetery along SE Green River Gorge Rd. and began our walk.

Someone has done a lot of work to improve the road heading up to Franklin. What has historically been a muddy grade now has a new layer of gravel on top of it.

The trails have been liberally brushed, and some sites that I hadn’t seen in a decade of visiting this place have been cleared of vegetation.

A heartfelt “Huzzah!” to the volunteers and their efforts!

We reached the graveyard after the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon. No ghosts, but plenty of ambiance.

Heading back we encountered some people who decided that dropping a road flare down the 1300′ mine shaft would be a good idea. We were just in time for the show.

The flare erupted in a magnesium flash, brilliantly contrasting the decaying twilight.

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Sweet Jeebus no!

Within seconds it was gone, screaming it’s way to the bottom. A robust slap announced it’s arrival with mine’s icy waters.

Darkness. Then inexplicably a light began to flicker from the ghostly depths. A menacing glow struggled to life.

Looking down the stygian pit, pulsating red with sulfurous smoke, it really was a vision of hell.

After the flare burnt out we ambled back to the car, both of us the better for #optingoutside…

Then promptly #optedforthriftshopping at the Goodwill where I got a couple of nice merino wool sweaters, 50%off!

Score!

Happy Trails,

Harry Biped

Catching those last rays
Catching those last rays

GETTING THERE

Head to the center of Black Diamond, WA. Turn east on Lawson Street (There is a Los Cabos and a Cenex station at the intersection) this road will change names a number of times.

Continue on this road for about 3 miles then start looking for a small graveyard on the east side of the road. This is probably the best parking available. Hike south on the road to a gated off area. This is the trailhead.

 

 

 

Damon Point

That's the big water.
That’s the big water.

Wind, waves and wildlife are all found in abundance at Ocean Shore’s Damon Point!

The walk is self-guided (no-trail) and is approximately four miles around the entire peninsula.

Spawn till you die!
Spawn till you die!

Alternatively, an abandoned road leads to the center of the vegetated area. It can be hard to see unless you are on top of it, but I assure you it’s there. This makes travel into the peninsula’s heart far easier, and less environmentally intrusive. (Aside from the road’s very being there of course)

The interior is mostly beach grass and Scotch Broom with a few hardier native species sprinkled around for good measure. There are small marshes and channels interspersed as well, so watch your step.

Beachcombing will undoubtedly turn up lots of driftwood, shells, agates and other interesting odds and ends.

Many parts of the surf zone have a deep relief change resulting in dramatic waves when conditions are right. Surf’s up dood!

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Currently (as of 2015) there exists a driftwood beach shack at the southern end, which can make a great place to get out of the wind and have a picnic.

On clear days Damon Point offers views of the Olympics, Westport and even Mt.Rainier.

WILDLIFE

This place is a bird watchers paradise!

Deep inside the Scotch Broom
Deep inside the Scotch Broom

Many species of sea and shorebirds frequent the area such as the ‘Near-threatened’ Snowy Plover.

Streaked Horned Lark are a threatened species which use the point for nesting, for this reason the DNR has erected signs around the perimeter of the peninsula’s vegetated center closing the area off to wanderers from March 1st- September 15th.

Staying out during this time isn’t just a courtesy, it’s the law.

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Probably the most famous avian visitors to Damon Point are the Snowy Owls, which can occasionally congregate on the windswept spit in the winter months. This in turn can attract throngs of bird watchers, which serves to attract bird watcher watchers, and the watchers who watch them. Lots of watching going on here.

 

Artistic flora
Artistic flora

Seriously. It happens…maybe.

Deer, if you didn’t notice on the drive in, are found in ridiculous numbers on the Ocean Shores peninsula, and the Scotch Broom forest of Damon Point is no exception.

HISTORY

As mentioned before, at one time a road spanned into the heart of the park, but has since been destroyed by raging storms. You can still walk the remains of it to the Ye olde abandoned parking area. Oooh scary!

In the early 1960s the S.S. Catala served as a “Boatel” in Ocean Shores, before being run ashore at Damon Point by the New Year’s Day Storm of ’65.

There it languished until the 1980’s, when a girl fell through the ship’s deteriorated deck, breaking her back. The resulting lawsuit forced the state to cut the wreck apart and bury it.

S.S. Catala
S.S. Catala

In the 1990’s the wreck was exhumed by winter storms, with subsequent storms revealing more and more of the wreckage.

In 2006, a hiker noticed oil leaking from the badly rusted hull. In response, the state department of ecology remediated the site, ultimately removing 34,500 gallons of heavy fuel oil and all traces of the S.S. Catala.

CONSIDERATIONS

Dog walking is a popular activity at Damon Point, but please keep your dog on a leash, and especially out of the vegetated swaths of the park.

Ground nesting birds and dogs don’t mix.

Unfortunately garbage is abundant. Bottles, derelict fishing gear, shoes, socks, the kitchen sink… There is a lot washed up from the Pacific and from years of careless visitors.

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Reasonable accomodation
Just came on the market!

If you think ahead, do a good thing and bring a garbage bag to pack out some of the crap.

You’ll probably notice that the garbage cans onsite are often overflowing with floatsam and jetsam, so take the trash with you.

Ask a local business to use their dumpster, they’ll likely oblige and appreciate your hard work.

Storm watching can be a fun activity for some of us, but bear in mind that high tide and high surf can easily send breakers right across the point. After all, in this article alone they have already beached a boat and destroyed a road!

You could be sent across along with them…

GETTING THERE

Find your way to Ocean Shores, WA.

Enter Ocean Shores via the fabulous 1960’s era white stone gateway. This is Point Brown Avenue.

Simply follow it south until you see the scary derelict hotel, then look for parking.

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RED TAPE

No pass required for parking!

The park is Day-use only, dawn to dusk.

The only other red tape is the annual March 1st-September 15th travel ban through the park’s interior areas to protect threatened nesting sites.

 

PACKITINPACKITOUT!

…and of course, Happy Trails!

Wilson's Warning
Wilson’s Warning

Ol’ Blewett

Ol'Blewett
Ol’Blewett

Rain, rain and more rain was on the forecast today. Despite that, armchair enthusiasm was running high!

We headed up for Snoqualmie Pass, bolstered by rumor that there was enough snow to make it worth the effort to break the snowshoes from their long, long hibernation.

Well, there was snow, but it was a lot higher than any of us really cared to hike in this sorta November slop.

So instead Blewett!

If it’s rainy on the west side, it’s usually a little less so over there. The fact that the place is absolutely steeped in mining history is another selling point, at least so long as I’m concerned.

The arrastra
The Arrastra

We got to the old townsite and took a quick tour.

First we swung by the arrastra, a curious artifact sandwiched between the US 97 and Peshastin Creek just south of the Blewett historical marker.

The crushenator
The Crushenator

The second site we visited was the remains of the old stamp mill, which is in surprisingly good condition considering the proximity to the highway. Definitely a gem hidden in plain sight for the history minded road tripper.

Briefly we headed back down the highway thinking that a hike along Negro Creek would be fun, but with the high water, didn’t seem worth the treacherous crossing. So…back to Blewett.

We built this city on Rock n’ Roll

We followed the little footpath which passes the Keynote Tunnel and followed it to it’s end before beginning  uphill.

Two thick metal cables were stretched down the hillside, inviting us upwards to find their source.

Gaining the ridge granted us some beautiful views of the surrounding hillsides partitioned by low, soggy looking clouds.

Nuclear Moss
Nuclear Moss

Continuing up, we passed countless collapsed adits and cuts, sometimes marked by small piles of shattered, milky quartz left behind by those who still search these hills for precious metal.

One small cut even contained a pick axe and shovel. Modern no doubt, but waterlogged and weathered.

Old tram something probably

The ridge made a nice stopping point and allowed us ample views up and down the US97 corridor.

Leaving the ridge, we opted for a more direct path to the car.

CONSIDERATIONS

Blewett can be a fun place to visit, but be aware that there is a lot of privately claimed land in the area and many potential hazards in the form of open shafts and deteriorating tunnels.

Respect all private property postings, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because many sites are full of hazards, and… some people can get pretty weird when that funny yellow metal is involved. Just a friendly word of caution.

As always PACKITINPACKITOUT!, leave it better than you found it, take only pictures leave only feet prints, and especially in the Blewett area: STAY OUT, STAY ALIVE

It is in these hills that Juan Valdez and his trusty mule...
It is in these hills that Juan Valdez and his trusty mule…

Happy Trails!

 

 

 

 

 

Greenwater’s Area 51 or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Cold War

WTF?!
WTF?!

Did you ever happen to catch The Prisoner? If you are an American I’m guessing probably not.

I happened to have a grandma who was hooked on BBC shows. Consequently I was just as likely to be sat down in front of Monty Python as I was Sesame Street.

Bad rover! Bad!
Bad rover! Bad!

Anyway, on the show The Prisoner there was this strange white orb called The Rover. It kept the prisoners from escaping “The Village” by incapacitating them, I seem to recall that it could even kill people.

Get walkin'
Get walkin’

It made an impact on me as a kid, and the bizarre thing continues to dwell somewhere in my psyche.

Then one day driving down the Hwy 410, there it was. Looming white in contrast to the stately evergreen blanket beneath it. What was the Rover doing here in real life? and in Washington State?

I decided to do some internet research…and then the story got a little weirder.

Turns out that the mysterious white orb was a “gap-filler” radome built during the cold war to detect low flying Soviet Bombers. While that’s not incredibly remarkable, the fact that it is even there may be…

я покажу вам Кузька и мать!
я покажу вам Кузька и мать!

On paper the thing was planned, but never built. Yet there it is, boldly standing in defiance to it’s own non-existence along the Hwy 410.

According to the information I found, the site’s ID designation was to be P-1B

I was also able to get my hands on a current flight planning map, on which it is simply marked as ‘radome’.

Nothing unusual here...
Nothing unusual here…

THEORIES

  1. Bond villain hideout
  2. Aliens bro!
  3. Exclusive nightclub?

The site is hemmed in with barbed wire topped chain-link and to add a little bit to the mystery, the private property signs are completely devoid of any information as to identity of the operators.

It's not flying, so it's not a UFO
It’s not flying, so it’s not a UFO

An L-shaped building with blacked out windows is also within the fenced area.

Numerous security cameras watch your every move with silent vigilance. A tin foil hat might help keep them out of your thoughts.

Tin Foil Cat

Honestly if I were to guess I’d bet this is a Boeing site, but admittedly I base that on very little.

Firstly they are the largest aviation company in the area. (…and the second largest defense contractor on the earth.)

Two-stly, the private property signs look very much like the ones posted around Boeing property.

Shaky? Maybe, but I think it holds up to Occam’s Razor better than Bond Villain nightclub staffed by Aliens. (But I want it to be so badly!)

RED TAPE

THIS TRIP MAY BE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, but…

So far as I could tell there is no legal reason you cannot visit the area, so long as you do not attempt to enter the enclosure itself which is clearly marked as private property.

The Hancock gate at the bottom does not state that a Hancock Forest Pass is required for walk-in entry, but this could be out of date, or subject to change at any time.

Is it just me, or does this look...dirty?
Is it just me, or does this look…dirty?

Know before you go. Trespassing is trespassing, and usually moreso if you are being a general nuisance.

GETTING THERE

If you are driving SE on the SR 410 during the daylight hours, you will probably notice this thing hanging out on top of the hills north of the highway.

You’ll have to deduce which logging road you will have to take to get you up to the thing. The correct one has a rather large open area to park, and past the gate, starts climbing immediately.

If you get to Federation Forest, you’ve driven too far. (but Federation Forest is another great place to go roaming around!)

When walking up the logging road there are a couple of intersections, when in doubt, stay right.

As always, PACKITINPACKITOUT!

Oh, and if you ever plan to have children, don’t hang around this thing too long.

Avon calling!
Avon calling!

Happy Trails!

 

 

Halloweiners

Uh, not going that way.
Uh, not going that way.

Despite the flood warning today a couple of us Bipeds decided to head for the hills.

Due to the inclement weather being particularly inclement, our mine search was called off in favor of a dry hike: The Snoqualmie Tunnel.

Being an abandoned train tunnel, it really fits the bill for a rainy day hike, and when better to visit an abandoned tunnel full of ghost trains and ectoplasmic hobos? Halloween!

That's not bogeyman, is it?
That’s not bogeyman, is it?

 

The trailhead was flooded when we arrived, so we parked along the road near the freeway on-ramp and made our way down an embankment to reach the eastern portal.

The tunnel was pretty much as expected; cool and a little damp. Perfect for a day when the alternative is; cold, and sopping wet.

The sound of rushing water bounced off the walls as we approached the western light.

Rockdale Creek, which flows over the top of the portal was raging. We hiked up and around to take a closer look.

Yeah, it's raining out
Yeah, it’s raining out

At the top, large chunks of wood barreled down the swollen waters. An eerie deep rumble accompanied by a slight tremor, signaled a boulder tumbling through the culvert below our feet.

Heading back to the shelter of the tunnel we saw a group of bicyclists preparing for the trip down to the exit 38. “Beware the bogey man”, they warned as we walked by.

“They were just kidding though, right?”

Rockdale Creek rip roarin'
Rockdale Creek rip roarin’

 

Kitanning Mine

Kitanning Cabin
Kitanning Cabin

The Kitanning Mine is located not far from the tiny hamlet of Index, WA, and can be found just off the long washed out Index-Galena Road.

GETTING THERE

(Disclaimer: These directions are for novelty purposes only)

Winter walk
Winter walk

The washout makes for two different ways to reach the Kitanning; either from Beckler Road, just past Skykomish or by driving to the washout at the end of Index-Galena Road and hoofing it along a rough hewn path through trees, mud and some post-apocalyptic looking sections of washed out roadway.

"Road Closed"
“Road Closed”

In the wintertime hiking is sometimes the only way, and makes for a nice winter walk anyway.

Either way you go you’ll wanna end up at the east side of the wash-out.

♪♫Ooh, ooh, ooh looking out my back door♪♫
♪♫Ooh, ooh, ooh looking out my back door♪♫

Maybe ½-1 mile or so east of the washout shore exists a curve in the road from which a faint trail leads off into the woods. Follow it and you’ll start gently gaining elevation.

At this point mine finding experience is a good thing to have. (A copy of Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines Vol.1 really helps too)

To the best of my recollection I followed the little trail until it disappeared beneath thigh deep Oregon Grape.

Lonely miners...
Lonely miners…

I found an ephemeral stream bed to my right and followed it up, staying left when an obstacles came and eventually began reaching small cliffs, working my way around the them.

When I first went some years ago the sight of the old cabin meant you were there. However I’ve heard in recent years the old Kitanning cabin has collapsed, possibly making the mine more difficult to find, and sealing the hodge-podge of relics and ancient pornography within.

The upper adit
The upper adit

THE TUNNELS

The first adit is right around the corner from the remains of the cabin, literally. It’s right there.

The tunnel is a couple hundred feet long and is blasted into what seems like pretty stable rock. Turquoise colored mineral staining can be seen inside, as well as a couple scattered artifacts.

The upper adit is approximately 500ft above you, amongst steep and sometimes cliffy terrain. An old miner’s trail fades in an out, occasionally leading the way.

This tunnel is a couple hundred feet longer than the lower one and boasts more impressive mineral deposits.

Tessbo Biped deep in the Kitanning
Tessbo Biped deep in the Kitanning

An interesting side note is that this adit does not have a corresponding tailings pile. Strange, no?

According to DWHM#1, the entire tailings pile was hauled off to the smelter by the Twentieth Century Alaska Copper company in the early years of the 1900s.

THE MINERALS

Copper was what was sought after at the Kitanning and is found in the ores; chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite and pyrite.

Since there isn’t a tailings pile, specimens are mostly limited to what you can knock from the veins inside the tunnels.

As always, leave it the way you found it (aside from some mineral samples perhaps)

Good luck and happy trails!

Nuclear Patina
Nuclear Patina

References:

Woodhouse, Phil; Jacobson, Daryl; Petersen, Bill; Cady,Greg; Pisoni, Victor, Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines Vol.1: The West Central Cascade Mountains. Oso Publishing Company, 1997