Suquash

Hidden in the woods near the hamlet of Port Hardy, BC is an interesting collection of mining ruins dating to a time before Canada became a nation…

A BIT OF BACKGROUND

In 1849 on the north coast of Vancouver Island, the Hudson’s Bay Company established a fort (Fort Rupert) in order to exploit a large coal seam not far away at Suquash.

Mining began in 1851 but was very short lived, ending only a year later in 1852 following the discovery of a higher quality coal deposit at Nanaimo. Digging resumed in 1908 under new owners, however the call of the great war left the mine want for labor and production halted.

After the war, mining efforts began anew but by the 1930s work was intermittent at best. With the outbreak of the Second World War, mining ceased altogether. These days there are only ruins.

THE RUINS

There are some impressive artifacts to be seen; A pair of large chimneys and the foundation to what was once the mine manager’s house stand amongst the trees.

A steam donkey and the ruins of the headhouse can be found jutting out from the duff and undergrowth. Ore buckets, and a massive spoked wheel are among the other large ruins.

Various rusted bits of this and that are strewn around the site, and scattered ruins can also be found down along the beach.

GETTING THERE

The Suquash site is located on the northern end Vancouver Island near the settlement of Fort Rupert.

Just off the main highway, one can follow a modest maze of logging roads about 2 miles to the “trailhead”. A short walk into the forest and the artifacts should become immediately apparent.

Surprisingly, there are a couple signs for Suquash along the logging road, but nothing indicating it’s presence from the highway. It’s a “kinda sorta” secret.

HOW HARRY FOUND IT

I didn’t know anything about Suquash, but a “rural exploration” friend had given me a tip that there were coal mining ruins on the north end of the island.

When I got to Port Hardy I stopped in to eat at a restaurant and wouldn’t you know it?! There was a painting of the site hanging on the wall behind my table!

I guess some things are just meant to be!

After a bit of internet detective work and asking the locals, I was able to locate the ruins a ways out of town.

I’d give you directions but that’d ruin the fun, and you’d miss out on talking to the friendly Port Hardy townsfolk!

Driving: Port Hardy is a long ways up the island, but it’s a scenic drive and there is no lack of side trips along the way. If you have to take a ferry to get to the island, I’d strongly suggest making reservations. We went via Tswassen to Nanaimo and the waits going standby were a bit brutal.

Boating: I dunno but it sure sounds fun!

ACCOMMODATIONS

Port Hardy had plenty of lodging and a few restaurants to choose from. There’s plenty of good shoreline walking to be had in town as well.

There are also plenty of camping opportunities near Port Hardy for those who wanna pitch a tent.

Nearby Fort Rupert offers accommodations as well as good walking and beautiful views!

Happy Trails!

References:

http://webmap.em.gov.bc.ca/mapplace/Coal/suquash.cfm?map=Suquash

http://www.geog.uvic.ca/viwilds/hc-suquash.html

More pictures: Suquash Pictures

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

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 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

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…

Happy Trails!

 

 

 

 

 

Kitanning Mine

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

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”

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♪♫

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…

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 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

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

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

Mount Rainier Mining Company

Phlox in bloom

In the early days of Mt. Rainier National Park, mining and prospecting was still a legitimate pursuit within the park boundaries due to Section 5 of the Mt.Rainier Park Act which kept the park open to the Mining Law of 1872.

This however was in direct conflict with Section 2 of the act which sought to keep all mineral deposits in their original natural condition.

In short, it was a real $#!tshow.

Cast Iron debris

While there were many claims within the park during these early years many of them were simply charlatans and fly by night hucksters. Often a claim would be made with little or no minerals to be had, instead the claim being used as a cover for less than legal logging operations or poaching camps.

The Sundry Civil Appropriations Act of 1908 brought to a halt the influx of new prospectors, but didn’t eliminate existing claims within the park. However it did give park officials greater power to annul these existing claims when the claimants failed to do their yearly assessment work, or when a claim was improperly marked.

Trail shot

 

In addition to this, other changes to park regulations in 1908 severely limited claimants rights to construct buildings, cut timber, divert water flow or dig without the permission of the Secretary of the Interior.

One man’s junk…

The end was in sight for mining within Mount Rainier National Park, but some of these claims would continue for years to come, perhaps most notably the Mount Rainier Mining Company of Glacier Basin.

In 1902, Peter Storbo and B.P. Korssjoen staked forty-one claims in Glacier Basin and in 1905 formed the Mount Rainier Mining Company.

Wildflowers!

By 1908 much development had taken place including two tunnels, one at 73ft long the other 700ft in length. Two cabins, a blacksmith shop and a barn were also on site. Later development included a sawmill, powerhouse and a 13 room hotel that was said to house up to 35 miners and feed 120!

Looking up at the tailings

Some years later in 1913 the Mount Rainier Mining Company relinquished 32 of it’s 41 claims in exchange for an annually renewable permit for it’s existing structures and underground workings. In addition they gained the right to build a road along the White River to their claims in Glacier Basin.

Storbo and his uncle Ole P. Kulberg aggressively sold stock in the company, much of it to Scandinavian farmers in Minnesota and the Dakotas. So much so that Kulberg earned the moniker “Copper King”. They claimed that the ore from their mine was of the richest variety “Peacock Ore” otherwise known as bornite.

Lupine

However by the 1920’s the mine was producing much more waste rock than copper ore, and in 1927 Peter Storbo took the last load of ore from the mine. The last load was not to be however as that day the truck tipped over along the road and sank into the White River. Luck was on Storbo’s side though and he survived the crash.

Storbo’s aggressive marketing of his mine came back to haunt him in 1930,when he and a partner, Orton E. Goodwin were convicted of mail fraud for selling phony stock certificates. In one correspondence Storbo had claimed a fortune of more than 2 billion dollars worth of ore at the Glacier Basin claims.

Looking down the hogsback

Old timbers now flowered

Storbo served a little more than a year at McNeil Island federal prison for the crime, but later it came out that Goodwin and an ex-con named Chester Cresser had framed Storbo by forging his signature on the phony stock certificates.

Peter Storbo passed away in 1956 at the age of 82.

Esoteric junk

Nowadays not much remains of the Mount Rainier Mining Company, but there do exist some interesting things to see. The foundation for the old hotel is still there at the Glacier Basin Campground, as well as some pipes and large cast iron debris along the 3 mile trail to Glacier Basin.

If you hike above the Glacier Basin Campground, you will eventually see a large tailings pile. This presumably is the site of the aforementioned 700ft tunnel. The adit has long since been buried by years of slide debris, but the view from the tailings pile is much more remarkable than some old hole in the ground.

Glacier Basin itself is the real attraction here, impossibly steep walls, high snowy glaciers, all the while Mt.Rainier looming above like a silent deity. If you catch it during the right time of year the wildflower display puts the finest gardens to shame.

Hiking up the hogsback

Beauty and the beast

I’ve heard that there exist other workings in the basin, however I neither saw them nor sought them on my last trip up there.

Of note is an interesting rock near the trail through the lower meadows of the basin. It bears an inscription which reads: “Mt. ↑ R.M.Co 1 P”

Looking down from the tailings

I believe this indicates other claims amongst the timber in the direction indicated, however I did not investigate this time around. I find the carving personally interesting as it bears a distinct impression of the individual that carved it. In a way it feels like a very direct connection to the mine and the men that worked it.

A trip to Glacier Basin is unlikely to disappoint anyone, in fact if it disappoints you, I suggest you get counseling. The scenery is world class, almost unearthly. I highly suggest this hike to anyone.

For those of us who for whatever reason feel drawn to history, and especially mining history, Glacier Basin offers that much more. While so far as I know there no longer exist any underground workings to explore, you should still put Glacier Basin and the Mt.Rainier Mining Company right at the top of your list.

Happy Trails!

The Inscription

 

 

 

Looking for one thing, finding another…

Now only carries foot traffic

Had the day off today so I decided to head off into the hills in search of an old mine site I’ve been interested in locating known as “The Devil’s Canyon Claims”.

I’ve poked and prodded a little around the area before, in search of the same thing, however that time my search was seriously hampered by snow on the ground and even more coming from the sky.

Conveniently melted…

This time there was only traces of snow where before there was a solid foot, at least near the valley floor.

I headed up an abandoned road toward the Cougar Creek drainage which is where Devil’s Canyon lies.

The main road/trail hits a distinct fork not too far in, at this time it is marked by the remains of a campfire. The logical way is to continue along the more clear path, which is what I did. The other path, or abandoned road I should say, is very overgrown by scrub alder, and according to old maps, terminates some distance away, around the headwaters of Lennox Creek.

Might be worth a bushwhack someday….

The road-less-overgrown steadily devolves into a trail the higher you get. I imagine there would be some views opening up around here, if today wasn’t socked in with clouds and a now light, but steady stream of snowflakes.

I just happened to notice the remnants of a Forest Service “Entering Wilderness” sign as I made my way up, interestingly it’s old enough that is says “Snoqualmie National Forest” rather than “Mt.Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest”.

Seeing this I got excited, I love finding abandoned trails!

I followed it up and up, the snow steadily getting deeper, obscuring the already decaying trail.

Aside from the sheer curiosity of wondering where in the hell this trail was going, I oughta mention that there is a surprising abundance of old growth here that kept me heading up, kinda like a rabbit chasing a carrot on a string.

Big honkin’ Cedar

Eventually the snow became deep enough to completely eradicate any semblance of trail, and compounded with the lack of visibility and not quite knowing exactly where I was, I decided to turn around.

Getting home and consulting the internet, DWHM#1 and the USGS Lake Philippa 7.5, all the pieces came together.

So the trail turned out to be the abandoned Dog Mountain Trail, which passes near Devil’s Canyon, and down below most certainly was the Cougar Creek drainage.

Considering today’s conditions, it would have been a pretty tall order to find my quarry, however it was a day well spent nonetheless.

Multiple trips make an area far more familiar, and also I find, sort of help “gel” the spatial relationships in a set area together in the navigation/homing center of my brain.

I’ll be back later, when the snows have melted as there are far more mining sites to locate in and around this drainage.

Happy Trails

Snow in the big trees

Alice Claim

Ore Crusher

Along the way up the McClellan Butte trail you might stumble upon the remains of the mill site and adit of the Alice Claim… that is, you would have along the old trail.

Nowadays you’d probably only find it if you were looking for it.

The adit

The adit from the trail

At one time in the not so distant past, the trail up the butte passed right beside the claim, but now that trail has been abandoned in favor of another, and is slowly being reclaimed by nature.

Rusted “thing”

Interestingly enough, hikers still pass right by the site, albeit on a different path, though I imagine only a few oddballs ever notice.

The abandoned trail and mill site are found along Alice Creek, which as a matter of interest was named Revington Creek during the time the Alice Claim was in operation.

Abandoned trail

The adit itself is collapsed and flooded in addition to being dug into steadily decaying overburden. Which is to say, even if this thing were open, it would be exceedingly dangerous to enter.

STAY OUT, STAY ALIVE!

Ore crusher detail

According to Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines Vol.#1,  there once existed three tunnels totaling 500ft of underground workings. However, during my visit I only located the one.

El Crush-o

A Seattle Times article from July 1900 stated that construction of a surface tram had begun at the claim, linking one of the adits to the mill site. At that time, the mine working machinery was already in operation and the milling equipment was on order. The capacity of this mill was said to handle 10 to 15 tons of ore per day.

Old wood pile

Nowadays not much remains, though what does is impressive enough.

The first major artifact seems to be some sort of furna.. You know, honestly I have no idea what in the hell it was exactly, maybe a furnace/boiler something. It looks as though it handled high temperatures at one time, judging by the decaying wrap on the pipes and a mixture of ash and brick underneath it.

Moss toupee

Feel free to school me on this one!

The second, and in my opinion, most impressive artifact is what I’m very certain is an ore crusher. It consists of three large metal pestles set in a large cylinder with an ore chute on one side. I imagine this thing was as loud as hell when it was running.

(The ore crusher is known as a Huntington Mill, designed by Frank Atwood Huntington, learn more about the man and his machine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Atwood_Huntington)

Stove bits

Other artifacts include what appears to be a smashed wood stove and a pile of cut wood in addition to the miscellaneous corroding pipes, bars and various chunks of rusted metal that litter the site.

The Alice Claim is worth a visit for those of you interested in such things and luckily the star artifacts are too heavy to be carried off, so they will likely be there awhile. Though some jackass tagged one of them… yeah.

Anyway, as always, don’t be that jackass, leave it the way you found it.

Happy Trails, Harry Biped

Inside the Ore Crusher

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