Gary Swanson

Almeda Mine - Found at Last! - Josephine County, Oregon

As we previously discussed on our last search for the Almeda Mine, it is quite visible from the Galice Road and from the magnificent Rogue River, but we were determined to find the Almeda Mine the hard way. By land!

The challenge we accepted was to find the Almeda Mine by the maze of forest roads that twist and turn through our wild, mountainous country.

After two previous unsuccessful searches, we more closely examined our sketchy forestry maps, and through process of elimination, picked the route we chose today. We ran as far as we could by four-wheel drive until we were halted by a large steel gate belonging to the Bureau of Land Management.

The gate was to prevent vehicular traffic, but allowed for passage of foot traffic around it.

We wound through magnificent, mature forests that had not fully begun to display their fall colors. We felt sure that this time the mountain would give up her secret, and after a couple of hours we were rewarded with the distant sound of rushing water.

The road curved around the gulches and canyons that are present the entire way around the mountain, and around each bend, the river's voice grew louder, until finally its' tune changed to a steady roar.

The moon stayed with us throughout the morning, and was probably watching to see if we'd finally make our destination. Maybe it was just as curious as we were.

Suddenly we emerged from the dark, shrouded forests into bright sunlight at the edge of a cliff overlooking the mighty Rogue River.

The Almeda rapids add their voices to the river's chorus.

Rafts full of adventurers were floating the wide and docile section of the Rogue, just a few miles from where the mighty river gives up its' mild-mannered facade. After the Rogue makes its' final turn toward the Pacific Ocean, it drops its' need to make a good impression on visitors, and turns into a raging, deep and narrow monster that thrashes its' way through the mountains to the sea.

Shortly, the Almeda Mine appears far below, and soon we are looking at one of the sealed entrances.

The Almeda Mine was named after owner John Wickham's favorite niece. John Wickham was born in Illinois, and his family had moved to Minnesota when he was 15, where he fell in love with a gal he later married after he followed her to Kansas, and after a stint as a buffalo hunter on the great plains, and later a gold miner in Colorado. Ten years later he went back for his bride, and moved to Idaho and then Washington to involve himself in the mines of the west. His niece Almeda was born in Spokane, Washington. In 1898, John was in Southern Oregon, and he was attracted to the area on the Rogue River known as the BIG YANK LODE. He and his son staked a claim, and began to buy up other claims. John organized the Almeda Mining Company, and he built a sawmill and other huge mining buildings on the site.

Looking down from the mine entrance, below us is the bottom entrance, and although we did not explore it, I do believe that behind me and above on another far off ledge, there is another entrance to the mine.

This old photo shows just a small part of the total Almeda Mine operation.

I believe that there are remnants of some of this equipment laying on the property.

Although I can't be sure, because I am not by any means an expert on mining, this photo appears to show two, five-stamp ore crushers in the background, which would indicate a huge operation.

This could be some of the equipment from inside, and my guess is that it was a smelter.

Since they also extracted silver, copper and many other elements in addition to the gold, a smelter would have been most necessary for this large an operation. It appears to be laying on its' side, and from the looks of the following firebox, I do believe this to have been a massive smelter.

The entire area is strewn with mining debris, and keeping in mind that this entire area was covered with over 50 feet of flood water in 1964, and probably many times prior to that when the wild Rogue River decided to have temper tantrums, and so who knows how much was washed downstream over the years. The enormous power of raging water can destroy just about anything in its' path.

More equipment, which I could not begin to guess what it was used for.

There are huge concrete footings with gigantic bolts projecting from their tops, which must have been footings for the massive buildings that covered the mountainside.

This is the door blocking the lower entrance to the Almeda Mine. Thousands of feet of tunnels lie inside this mine. Layers of tunnels, create a network of levels like a giant anthill inside this entire mountain. Levels are said to penetrate in all directions, and it is said to be as far as 400 feet below the river level.

I would have loved to explore the great depths of this maze, but naturally it is well sealed. These old mines are extremely dangerous as I learned in my younger days while exploring the mines around Central City, Colorado. I came close to my demise on several explorations, and I was relieved to find the Almeda Mine was inaccessible to my curiosity. If I had been able to go inside, I might not be writing this now, because it looks wicked!

And now we come to the source of the foul stench that had permeated the air from the last bend of the trail. This water flows from the mine, at what I judged to be, at least 10 gallons a minute, which would be 14,400 gallons per day. It is toxic, it is acidic. Research on the Internet after this discovery, indicates this to be extremely dangerous with a high iron, zinc, manganese and acid makeup. The scary part of this is that we are here at the end of a long, hot summer with very little precipitation having dropped on the mountains, and yet the level of flow is this great. Under average runoff conditions, I would not doubt that the flow could be as much as 30 gallons a minute, which would be over 43,000 gallons, or roughly the equivalent of five of the huge triple axle gasoline trucks that supply your favorite gas station. Can you imagine five of those monster trucks full of this dangerous chemical combination pulling up to a boat ramp on the Rogue River every day, and dumping their contents?

This is the channel coming directly from the mine.

This pond looks as if it were made in some attempt to capture runoff, and maybe allow for evaporation, but at the present flow levels, with as short a wall that surrounds it, it wouldn't have taken long to reach the sides anyway, and it appears to have not been in service for a great, long time, whatever its' purpose was.

This is another view from below the Almeda Mine, which leads directly away, and to the Rogue River.

Looking at it from a point of less than 100 feet from where the water first seeps out of the mine, you can see there is just a short distance of less than 200 feet more to the rapids on the Rogue.

There is a wide area where the chemicals spread out during times of increased flow, but plainly there is nothing whatsoever to block the almost straight on path that this discharge takes to enter the river.

I took a couple of photos initially, and then I became so alarmed as to the foul-smelling poisons that are directly attacking one of the most beautiful and pristine rivers in the world, so I took a lot more.

This is a shot looking from the middle of the low-lying area surrounding the mine, with the Rogue River behind me.

I don't mean to jump up on a soapbox over this issue, because I'm sure that there have been a lot of people before me who have expressed alarm at this, however, we recently hiked down the Rogue River where it leaves the Grave Creek boat ramp, and I was reminded that every day there are well over 100 rafts full of people traveling on this river. They are visible all along the banks, relaxing in the water, swimming, fishing and totally unaware that they are bathing in this sludge. I think of the fish that swim up the Rogue past the Almeda Mine to their spawning grounds, and the young fish that are born into these waters. I have read that this is very poisonous to fish, and to humans, and wonder what levels of toxicity one must absorb before damage is done?

Here's a pipe that maybe was intended as an overflow, or a deception for the EPA, to think somebody was doing something to attempt to control the outflow, but as you can see, it's off to the side of the tunnel, and may actually help when you get over 30 gallons a minute, but who knows.

Not much left of this steel that is laying in the outflow area.

Here's another view of the same pipe, and you can see that it is off to the side of the mine.

This charred area appears to have been severely heated, and I believe it must have been the base where the smelter rested. It appears as a great lava flow, where the rock has been melted by tremendous heat.

Here's another view of what I think was a smelter.

Downstream, and alongside where I believe the large mining building projected upward, is a flat plateau that shows signs of habitation. There are numerous water lines, and the site is full of metal, tin and wood of all descriptions. There are pieces of china and crockery scattered across a large area. I assume that this was a barracks or a large area of several living quarters for the mine workers. In the past, the journey to the mine was not as eventful as the one it took us to reach it. There was a floating bridge, and when that was washed out in about 1927, there was a ferry that one could use for ingress and egress to the mine property. The heavy equipment however, had to be brought in over the mountains, and thus the very solid and well-built mining road, over which we traveled to reach the Almeda Mine.

Looking over the ground, one can almost envision the miners at the end of their shift cooking, cleaning and relaxing on this plateau overlooking such magnificent scenery alongside the Rogue River.

Returning to the top, and looking down at the Almeda Mine area.

One last comment, now that I know what the creek is far below. You can see the straight channel from the Almeda Mine entrance to the Rogue River. I wonder what Zane Grey would have thought as it passed by his cabin 25 + miles downriver?

On the way back, and I still wish I could get in there!

More rafters are enjoying this beautiful October day.

On the way back up the trail, everywhere we go there are more signs of what must have been an absolutely monstrous operation in its' day!

This has been a culmination of a fun search for part of our adventures in exploring what I feel is the most beautiful county (Josephine) in all of Oregon! I just hope our next adventure is an easier one.

In Search of the Almeda Gold Mine - Josephine County, Oregon

The Almeda Gold Mine was a great mine in her day, but since the floating bridge washed out and financial troubles plagued the owners, no mining has been going on since 1944.

No one knows how to get there by road. The Almeda Gold Mine can be seen from across the Rogue River, and rafters on the Rogue are able to access it easily.

Just seeing the Almeda Gold Mine or taking the easy way to it would be fun, but I had to find it by road!

Twice before, we wandered through the wild mountains, and traveled old, abandoned logging and mining roads. Signs of habitation are long gone.

The land has been reclaimed by the forest dwellers.

Winter rains and time have gradually obliterated trail numbers and road indicators.

I dug out this hillside to widen the road enough to get by, but I could not go any further because there was a large log that prevented further digging into the hill. When trying to drive through with my Jeep, the outside wheels started to slip enough that I felt I would lose it over the cliff, so I backed off and parked.

It wasn't long before more road blocks appeared, so I was glad I hadn't continued hacking and chopping away, only to get stopped by even larger hazards. Walking down deserted mountain logging roads for hours, and expecting to suddenly emerge upon the Almeda Gold Mine, and instead facing yet another mile of mountain road has become the norm.

I know that some of the "shortcuts" I have discovered, that no human being has before set foot upon, and I can certainly see why.

Gradually, through a process of elimination, we have narrowed the next search to one of four trails. This is where I let my wife pick the next route ----

Click here to read the next blog: Almeda Mine - Found At Last!

September 2010 Homes For Sale in Josephine County, Oregon

The following results for the month of September 2010 for Josephine County were compiled from records of single-family residential homes listed with the Southern Oregon Multiple Listing Service.

This inventory may be misleading when you consider all of those people who have either withdrawn their homes temporarily from the market and/or all those who are waiting until the market gets stronger before they attempt to list their Home For Sale.

Number of Homes Actively on the MLS: 864

• 70 Are Short Sales

• 79 Are Foreclosures

*The Number of Homes that are Actively on the MLS are Located in the Following Areas:

Applegate 1

Cave Junction 82

Grants Pass 663

Kerby 5

Merlin 30

Murphy 2

O'Brien 9

Selma 33

Sunny Valley 5

Wilderville 6

Williams 25

Wolf Creek 2

Other 1

*These numbers are approximate as some listings are open to interpretation as to the area they fall within.

Keeping the number of Homes For Sale , in mind, we will have a lot of inventory for sale. If you're thinking of moving to Josephine County, and you don't see what you want, we can find it for you.

September 2010 Homes For Sale in Grants Pass, Oregon

The following results for the month of September 2010 for Grants Pass were compiled from records of single-family residential homes listed with the Southern Oregon Multiple Listing Service.

This inventory may be misleading when you consider all of those people who have either withdrawn their homes temporarily from the market and/or all those who are waiting until the market gets stronger before they attempt to list their Home For Sale.

Number of Homes Actively on the MLS: 663

64 Are Short Sales

64 Are Foreclosures

*The Number of Homes that are Actively on the MLS are Located in the Following Areas:

West Hills 46

North Valley 53

Jones Creek 15

Colonial Valley 29

NW Grants Pass 67

NE Grants Pass 50

SW Grants Pass 54

SE Grants Pass 33

UGB Redwood 59

UGB Fruitdale 54

UGB Williams Hwy 31

Pickett 21

Redwood/Jerome Prairie 82

Fruitdale 36

Murphy/N. Applegate 29

Other 4

*These numbers are approximate as some listings are open to interpretation as to the area they fall within.

Keeping the number of Homes For Sale , in mind, we will have a lot of inventory for sale. If you're thinking of moving to the Grants Pass area, and you don't see what you want, we can find it for you.

September 2010 Homes For Sale in Rogue River, Oregon

The following results for the month of September 2010 for Rogue River were compiled from records of single-family residential homes listed with the Southern Oregon Multiple Listing Service.

This inventory may be misleading when you consider all of those people who have either withdrawn their homes temporarily from the market and/or all those who are waiting until the market gets stronger before they attempt to list their Home For Sale.

Number of Homes Actively on the MLS: 94

• 11 Are Short Sales

• 7 Are Foreclosures

*The Number of Homes that are Actively on the MLS are Located in the Following Areas:

• Rogue River North 73

• Rogue River South 7

• Wimer Area 14

*These numbers are approximate as some listings are open to interpretation as to the area they fall within.

Keeping the number of Homes For Sale , in mind, we will have a lot of inventory for sale. If you're thinking of moving to the Rogue River area, we can find what you're looking for.