While wandering around in Death Valley searching for water, we stumbled onto this old mine. Death Valley is full of small mining sites like these. During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, prospectors swarmed Death Valley looking for gold, silver, and other minerals. Most prospectors found little of value. A lucky few found rich strikes that petered out after a year or two. Because things change slowly in the desert, it often seems like the miners dropped their tools and walked away just yesterday.
Ignoring the wisdom that says you should stay out of abandoned mines, Fearless Larry headed on in.
This mine can’t be too old–note the rubber tire. Having no name that we know of, we dub this the Wheelbarrow Mine.
These ambitious miners even built a road into their little mine. Part of it is still clearly visible.
Moby Goes 
Great post. Rick
The guidebooks these days seem to favor calling things “evocative.” Nonetheless, I still like “evocative,” and don’t want to see it disappear into cliche. So I’ll just say a bunch of these photos are really evocative for me. One branch of ancestors mined in Wales, then in Pennsylvania, and then in the Gold Rush in Sutter Creek, so maybe that’s why. Thanks, Janene!