Tucki Mine 2.0

Easy trip to an old gold mine and cabin.  May see bighorn sheep.
​

The Tucki Mine was first located in a claim report in April of 1909, and relocated several times in the late 1920s. Serious work on the claims were not reliably recorded until 1937, when Ed Attaway and Sam Ball were recorded trucking ore to Death Valley Junction in the Amargosa Valley for processing and later to the massive cyanide mill in Keeler, in the Owens Valley. Ore was reported as $12 to $60 per ton, and the mysterious Roy Journigan of Journigan's mill established part ownership. By 1938, about $850 in revenue every two weeks. At this time until 1940, ore was treated at Journigan's mill twenty or so miles away in Emigrant Canyon. In 1940 a crude cyanide leaching mill was built, and all ore was treated here.

Until the 70s, little work was performed on the mine. In 1975, two of the four Tucki claims were allowed to expire and the remaining claims were reopened. A more efficient jaw crusher and advanced leaching facility were planned for the mine and tailings of the mine were leached with the existing crude facility for remaining gold. Twenty-five tons of ore processed were projected for each day of operation. The operation closed shortly after its resurrection having produced only a few dozen ounces of gold. In total, the site produced little more than $18,000 in gold, and like most mines, much less than that in profit. The final recorded production of gold was in 1971.  National Park Service

There is a GPS - gpx track file at the bottom of the page.

Tucki Mine horizontal and vertical shafts

It is an easy trail into Tucki Mine.  The wash is narrow in a couple spots and the canyon is generally wide.

Overhanging wash wall

Canyon going in

Pass over a low saddle and get your first view of the cabin at Tucki Mine.  It is a "modest" structure.

First view of cabin

Cabin

There were a few unusual items in the cabin.  This cage-like enclosure had a glass front.  Perhaps it was a terrarium for an exotic pet.  

A terrarium for what?

Candy anyone?

We were lucky to spot a bighorn sheep.  

Self service boot repair

Bighorn sheep

There is a small amount of mining remains and numerous open shafts.  The camera reaches farther inside than we like to go.

Headrig

Inside one shaft

Page updated 2017.

---

---

tucki_mine_2.0.gpx
File Size:	96 kb
File Type:	gpx

Download File

---