Los Angeles County Mines #18:
Featured in this video are two incredible historical sites located in the Angeles National Forest. Not only were some of the things I found super rare, but there were so many that I could only include the best ones in the video. So come join me as I explore a historic arrastra and mine in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Not long ago, I discovered a document describing several historical sites in the upper reaches of Mill Creek Canyon. There was one particular site that immediately piqued my interest. It was an old arrasta! Using satellite imagery and my knowledge of the area, I was able to pinpoint its exact location on the map. Upon arriving on site, I found the remains of an abandoned utility truck that may have once served the mines in the area. This was definitely the biggest hint for finding what I was looking for, and minutes later, I found the arrastra. Unfortunately, the arrastra wasn’t in the condition I hoped it to be. If I wasn’t looking for it, I probably would have just walked over it thinking it was a pile of stones. The telltale signs are there, however. The circular edge of the arrasta is cemented, and some of the stones on the bottom are worn smooth. To clarify what I’m even talking about, an arrastra is a circular device usually made of stone and concrete that crushes gold ore. Heavy drag stones are attached to a center pole that once turned, will drag the stones and crush pieces of ore into a powder. Mercury is often used to collect the gold after it has been crushed.
An arrastra is a rare find, especially for the San Gabriels. There were probably dozens of them in Mill Creek at one time, but most have probably been washed away. I am not certain if any others remain in the canyon, as I’ve checked other supposed sites only to find nothing. There might only be one other arrastra left in the range, on the Loomis Ranch property along Alder Creek. I’ve only read rumors that it still exists, and I’m not sure about its condition. Despite the fact that the arrastra I found was in terrible shape, I was extremely happy to document it.
The next site I visited was the Falcon Mine. This was a gold and silver mine that was apparently first worked in 1877, but the main period of operation was from 1939 to 1942. The mine was also worked on a small scale from the 1980’s up until 2004. There are a lot of remnants from the mining days including a wheelbarrow, several shovel heads, a refrigerator, an old stove, and even two large aerial tramway buckets. There are several foundations on site, but there are no standing buildings due to forest fires. Unfortunately, the main adit for this mine has a terminal collapse about 20 ft. inside the portal, forever sealing 460 ft. of underground workings and probably various artifacts and pieces of equipment. It was due to this collapse that the mine stopped operating in 2004. After filming this, I hiked up the mountain side in search of a couple upper adits. Mining reports described three upper adits, but only two remained when legendary mine explorer Hugh Blanchard explored this site. I was able to locate an open one about 200 ft. above the main portal. It wasn’t extensive, but it had some interesting features. I hiked up another 200 ft. and found the site of two other caved adits. The lower of these two caved adits is featured in a picture on Hugh Blanchard’s website, www.lagoldmines.com/. The pieces of corrugated metal seen on the sides of the portal in the picture can be found sticking out of the rubble. When the Station Fire burned through the area in 2009, the wooden timbering burned and the adit caved. It is very fortunate that at least one adit remains open.
This was an incredible exploration, and has become one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy the video.