Cleary Hill Mine

One of several lode gold mines in the Fairbanks area. This is a typical underground gold mine, with a tunnel driven back to bedrock and a small stamp mill to crush the rock and process gold out of the ore. There are a lot of support buildings remaining in addition to the mill, including some bunkhouses and cabins for workers, a steam boiler, garages, workshops, and storage sheds. I'm not sure who owns this mine, as there are no signs posted, but while exploring we met some photographers from UAF and a state work crew who seemed to be re-surveying the property. The mine is easy to find but hard to get to, and is one of those back-woods redneck areas that makes you wonder if some grizzled old lunatic is about to jump out and shoot you for not seeing the signs he didn't post.

Tunnel:

  
The tunnel has collapsed from years of neglect. Warm air circulating into the permafrost layer, and the ground being essentially all glacier silt and wind-blown dust makes tunnels here very unstable.

Mill Building:

          
Machinery and equipment. The safe was missing its door.

   
Most of the machinery was electrically driven, with this large diesel generator supplying the power.
 
 

Log Cabin:

          
The most intact structure, with two floors and a small basement carved out for the furnace.
 

Other buildings:
          
 

Stuff:
    
Old car, dog house, and TGR's favorite beverage.
 
 

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