What Was the Deal?
I have found zip about this old mind shaft I photographed this September along the Foley Water of the Deschutes River (Oregon). I don’t believe I ever heard the story about it years ago when I first was pointed toward this spot by Harry Teel. Never thought to ask either later. Someone’s effort to mine and all that attendant work…wow… that must have been quite the task given the location. But, that’s mining. If someday, someone happens along here and is well versed in the history of who mined there on the Foley Water…please share.
Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful areas we have discovered! When Harry told us about it 30 years ago he said it was mystical…. and he was right!
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I have been fishing Foley Waters for more than 50 years, we visited the old mining shack while it was still intact. My brother talked to the daughter of one of the guys who built the shack and made the old road down into the gorge. There was a gold mine up the canyon behind the shack. It produced only a small amount of ore. In 1960 you could see where they had a cable across the river, connected to an old car frame with the motor still there. The tree the cable was attached to is still there, across the river from the old shack, it can be recognized because they cut away all the lower branches. If I remember right they did most of the work around 1909.
If you think this place is beautiful now you should have seen it 50 years ago.
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Thank you for sharing the history. Very beautiful and even 25 years ago you felt you were on a bit of an adventure to find it and fish it. Then you imagined the rugged guys that got in there to build and mine.
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