Today we went to see a mine. The World Museum of Mining provides a tour which took us 165 feet down into a real hard rock mine.

The metal structure is the "Mine Head" where the ore is brought to the surface. The deepest mine shaft is one mile deep.

Appropriate attire includes a hard hat with light and a belt to hold the battery for the light. The battery pack is attached to the back of the belt. The mine is very dark, and the light beats a candle, which was what they used in the 1800's!

Mining was very hazardous work and safety was not a priority like it is today.

In the picture below the bell in the upper right corner is their communication tool and their safety/warning. It was so noisy that they could not hear each other, so the loud bell was needed. Nine bells meant a disaster in the mine! Neal is standing in the Cage, which is the metal box that transported miners and ore up and down the mine shaft. The picture on the right is the actual mine showing a hand pushed cart on the little railroad tracks.

We also visited the Berkley Pit. This is a huge open pit copper mine. It has been worked off and on since the early 1800's. In 2000 it was closed because the low cost of copper made it too expensive to operate. They turned off the pumps to save money and the pit began to fill up with acidic water containing metal ores. It is now the largest US Superfund clean-up project. In 2003 they started processing the water to remove the copper and keep the water level in the pit below the level of the Butte Aquifer. The water in the pit is 1000 feet deep and contains more than 40 Billion gallons. They are pumping 13.2 Million gallons per day out of the pit, and that just maintains the level of the water to keep it out of the aquifer.

The pit itself is 1.25 miles east to west and one mile north to south with a 4 mile circumference.

This was very interesting, but I don't think mining is "my thing" -- or Neal's!

There is another