11/19/2013

November 10, 2013 Echo Canyon

Today’s road trip took us through Echo Canyon to the Inyo Mine - a 10 mile gravel road.  The scenery continues to amaze us.

On our way to the mine - some areas of the canyon were narrow:

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (2)a

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (14)

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (15)

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (19)

The Cotton Cacti were all over - their red coloring sticks out in the grayish rocks:

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (25)

This picture was taken thru a tinted window - interesting color that the camera picked up:

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (28)

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (38)a

The Eye of the Needle:

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (45)

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (51)

According to the literature, the Eye of the Needle is over 10 feet tall.

More interesting rocks:

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (66)

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (75)

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (80)

11-10-13 A DV 4x4 Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine (99)

We made it to the Inyo Mining area:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (12)

“In January of 1905 Maroni Hicks and Chet Leavitt discovered gold here. In the next two years dozen of claims were established in Echo Canyon. Inyo was the largest in what became the Echo-Lee mining district.

Production began in the winter of 1906, most of the ore assayed at $300 per ton with some running as high as $650 per ton. By the fall of 1907 the Inyo had three vertical shafts and 755 feet of tunnels hosting equipment, blacksmith shop, boarding house, and a store. Most of the work was done in the winter months when the temperatures were cooler.

In the fall of 1907 attempts were made to raise money through a public stock sale but 1907 was also a year of financial panic throughout the west. In 1912 the owners tried and failed again. From 1907 through 1927 very little work was done and in 1928 the mine was sold. The new owners found themselves victims of the mines earlier difficulties, gold was in the ground, but was costly to extract and water wasn't available for milling. Little was done until 1937 when the mine was leased to the Inyo Consolidated Mining Company. The company then installed a ball crushing mill with a 25 ton a day capacity and began hauling water from Furnace Creek, 8 miles away, and had plans for a pipeline. This would all be short lived, by the spring of 1938 the mine closed due to the lack of water.

The mine was leased again in 1939 and produced gold at $230 per ton, but the deposit ran out. The last shot was in 1940 with the same results and then closed for good.”

Here is the mining area:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine

The mine on the hill above the little town:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (6)

The round tub in front looks like a crusher/separator:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (7)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (29)

Generator power:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (32)

Buildings on the site:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (26)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (20)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (25)

Maybe a church or school:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (37)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (42)

It looks like the house was painted at one time:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (55)

The bunkhouse:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (57)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (66)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (69)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (71)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (75)

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (92)

The view from one of the bunkhouse windows:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (90)

One of the mine shafts:

11-10-13 B DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine (77)

We walked all around the area, had lunch and made our way back:

11-10-13 C DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine Back (2)

11-10-13 C DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine Back (10)

11-10-13 C DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine Back (15)

11-10-13 C DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine Back (27)

11-10-13 C DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine Back (32)

11-10-13 C DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine Back (47)

11-10-13 C DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine Back (61)

We saw a few of these as we headed towards the valley - water pipes maybe?????

11-10-13 C DV 4x4 Echo Canyon Inyo Mine Back (66)

This was our last day in Death Valley National Park and we only touched the surface of things to see and do here. Did you know it is the largest national park in the lower 48?  Yes, even larger than Yellowstone.  We will be back.

We did our final Happy Hour tonight.  Ron and Pat made beans and wraps and we had the leftovers from yesterday.  Another great time.

Tomorrow we are heading to Pahrump to do laundry, cleaning, etc.  so stayed tuned.

Enjoy today.

2 comments:

Bob and Linda's RV Travels said...

Your trip through and around Death Valley brings back so many memories. Thanks for all(were did you get time)the great updates. We do hope to get back there some day.

Diane said...

Your welcome - Death Valley is such an amazing place. We were pretty busy... Took me a while just to sort out the photos - :-)) But I loved it!