An abandoned early 20th-century gold mine in a spectacular setting overlooking Bridgeport Valley and the Sierra Nevada.
Located near the ghost town of Masonic, CA, the Chemung Mine was founded in 1909 to produce gold and silver ore. It was reputedly a good producer of gold (although the area was consistently overshadowed by the mining operations in Bodie), but legal issues were a constant problem. Torn down and rebuilt three times, the structures were eventually abandoned in 1938, and the 10 or so men remaining at work there lost their jobs. By the 1950s the nearby town of Masonic was abandoned also, leaving Chemung to fade quietly into the dust.
Reports tell of a “poltergeist,” active only on Saturday nights, who is said to be the ghost of a mine owner who fell—or was pushed—down a shaft. Fortunately, we visited on a Monday,and encountered no supernatural apperitions. But we did have some lovely warm light on the ruins as the sun set below clouds over the Sierras. The photos below are a mixture of those captured walking around with my camera, and those taken with my drone.
Chemung processed ore using flotation. Crushed ore was added to tanks containing pine and other oils. Air was bubbled from below and created a froth to which the gold stuck. Canvas-covered drums rotated which collected and dried the gold bubbles.
The drum pictured below has lost all but a tiny scrap of its canvas covering
The light bacame increasingly dramatic as the sun dipped below clouds to touch the Sierra crest.
Links to some further reading on Chemung Mine
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