One of the few hard rock mines in Fairbanks, the Hi-Yu opened around
the early 1930s and closed in the '50s. The property is currently owned
by the large Fort Knox mine, and there is some talk of restarting mining
operations there (probably on the same huge strip mine model as Fort Knox
and True North mines nearby). The water quality at the site is rather poor,
as determined by BLM studies and a UAF grad student's report that I was
able to find when researching the property.
The mine site consists of a number of old wooden buildings, the ruins
of a tram or railway, and a few polluted ponds and streams. We didn't find
the shaft on this trip, although we suspect it's farther up the hill.
Inside the mill, which is slowly falling down the hill into the vally.
There are a lot of old rusty machines left, including most of the stamp
mill (the crushing machine pictured in the 4th and 5th images. The stairways
were all pretty messed up, but fun to walk on.
Other buildings nearby. There were a few that were largely intact,
and a lot more that were pretty collapsed and damaged.
This is what happens when Satan decides to come up through your floor
and kick your ass.
Old abandoned vehicles... oh wait, that last one belongs to The Gunslinger,
but it should be abandoned.