Yesterday, I got the amazing opportunity to fly with Loni Habersetzer, to the frozen saddle of a mountain just a few miles from my lodge. Then hike down scree fields and moss covered gullies, into the deep slot canyon called Calamity Gulch. Now, you may be wondering why you would want to hike down into a place with a foreboding name such as this. The answer is GOLD! It's what makes men go mad, isn't it? There is an abandoned mining camp deep in this valley- I have not been able to find much of anything on the history of this particular mine. I did find out that prospecting occurred as early as 1909 and and there were intermittent small-scale surface mining for several years in the early 1900s. No one knows why or when it was abandoned. But it was obvious that they invested copious amounts of money and time to this project. There are rumors that it turned out to be a fairly lucrative operation.
The site includes one cabin that is fairly large for the era, and very well furnished. There are also many signs of a woman living there- which is very unusual. Plenty of classy fine china, and hand painted glasses. Not exactly the kinds of things you would find in a stag mining camp.
Anywoozle- Here are a few pictures. Which I am having a hard time loading in order... So they are a little bit hodge
podge.
Loni and I starting our adventure, in the spunky monkey.
Loni on the hike down the valley.
An old Chevy truck- with some Alaskan modifications...
...Like steel runners, so it can drive on railroad tracks
Window inside the main cabin.
Pretty nice sink for the middle of nowhere.
Side view of the main building.
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