It's called the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine. If you're in the area, it's a really neat experience led by knowledgeable guides.
Our guide was a little spit of a woman who said she grew up in mining. Her grandfather was a miner and she became a miner. She was full of information and stories.
But first, some artsy shots from around the mine while we were waiting our turn to go down.
And here's the cage. We donned hard hats and they squeezed about 8 adults & 2 kids into that cage. We were literally crushed in together and not many of us were petite people. Somehow the cage door still shut and down we plunged 1,000 ft below ground.
Read this sign carefully. They're very strict about the rules.
This was not one of those Disney rides, where they trick you into thinking you went somewhere but you're still on the ride. We really did get in an old steel cage elevator kind of contraption and went underground. Way underground. Neither the cage nor the cave are for the claustrophobic.
I'll admit, when the cage went back up, I kinda wondered "what if we get stuck here?"
We learned all about gold, what it looks like, how they discover and follow the veins, tools, drifts, and a dozen other terms I don't remember.
We even got to ride in a mine car!
Our guide fired up some old jackhammers and played audio of blasts. You can't imagine the sounds!
It's incredible how those men worked. Backbreaking, dangerous work. Young teens worked in the mines, too. I imagine they all had short lives.
At the end, we were able to choose from a crate of rocks with gold flecks in them. By the way, real gold looks like silver when it's mined!
Scroll down to see the donkeys and read a sad tale.
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