Iron Miners
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 Post subject: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 4:26 pm 
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Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:43 pm
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Location: Bedford, Virginia
Does any one know anything about the Iron mines that where formerly in Botetourt Co. VA specifically the Spec Mine and its exact location, I've spent the past few weekends looking for and talked to some locals but still haven't found the mine itself, anything would be appreciated.


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:23 am 
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Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:21 am
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Location: United States
ExplorerTuttle wrote:
Does any one know anything about the Iron mines that where formerly in Botetourt Co. VA specifically the Spec Mine and its exact location, I've spent the past few weekends looking for and talked to some locals but still haven't found the mine itself, anything would be appreciated.


Do you know what the closest town to the mine(s) was?

Regards,
Fred M. Cain


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:27 am 
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Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:43 pm
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Location: Bedford, Virginia
Spec, it was named after it


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:16 am 
have you tried Google Maps? I did, and I found the Ophir Trestle and the location of the Ophir tram house, plus the mine the tram came from.


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:28 am 
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Location: Bedford, Virginia
really? b/c ive spent quite a bit of time on Google maps with no such luck


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:29 am 
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Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:43 pm
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Location: Bedford, Virginia
any way u can send me your findings? thanks


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:45 am 
I don't have any findings yet. Google Maps is blocked at my school for some reason! I'll have to look when I get home. Lucky for you, today is a half day, so I will be able to look in the afternoon!


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:07 am 
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Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:21 am
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Location: United States
ExplorerTuttle wrote:
Spec, it was named after it



I tried scouring the area around Spec, VA on the U.S. Geological Survey's online topo map. I found a couple of references on the map for iron mines. There was an "Iron Mine Hollow" and an "Iron Mine Creek", I think it was, but I couldn't see any adits or shafts indicated. Probably they were bulldozed or sealed a long time ago.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:21 am 
My geology teacher lent me some maps he had of that area. I came to the same conclusion. (His closet in the classroom has maps for every state! (more than one map per state in most cases))


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:40 am 
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Miner Dave wrote:
My geology teacher lent me some maps he had of that area. I came to the same conclusion. (His closet in the classroom has maps for every state! (more than one map per state in most cases))


But, here's the thing: *IF* you could get your hands on a USGS topo map that was older, say from the 50's or 60's, it might show the adit(s) before it was sealed. That would give you the exact location.

Then, if you went to that location, you might find it. As I'm sure you know, after an adit has been bulldozed in, sometimes over the years the fill material they pushed in there settles and a small opening can open back up.

I squeezed myself through such a small hole in Arizona one time. After we got in there, it was easily tall enough to stand up without hitting our heads!

Regards,
Fred M. Cain


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:46 am 
What kind of mine?


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:04 am 
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Miner Dave wrote:
What kind of mine?


I'm really not sure. It was actually what I would call a "prospect". It only went back about 40 feet if it was even that far and came to a complete dead end under a wooden chute. The wooden chute appeared to come down from above somewheres but this really puzzled us. It wasn't all that far underground. We combed the hillside above and found nothing. Where could the chute have come from?

All of this was perhaps 100 - 200 yards away from the Max Delta Mine in Phoenix's South Mountain Park. The Max Delta was much larger and we explored part of it although we barely scratched the surface. The Max Delta produced gold, silver and copper over a sporadic on again off again span of around 60 years.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:05 pm 
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Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:43 pm
Posts: 12
Location: Bedford, Virginia
The mine im.lookong for is specular hematite ,an iron ore, ive seen pics of and may have located old narrow gauge RR on Google maps


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:07 pm 
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Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:21 am
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Location: United States
ExplorerTuttle wrote:
The mine im.lookong for is specular hematite ,an iron ore, ive seen pics of and may have located old narrow gauge RR on Google maps


I have definitely found a reference to iron mines in a gulch east of Spec, VA and just below the ridge that carries the Blue Ridge Parkway. But no adits are indicated and USGS shows adits when they are there which suggests they may have been sealed or bulldozed in or something.

I did a screen shot of the area but I don't know how to post that here.

Do you have an e-mail address I can send it too?

Try this and see if this works: http://www.imageurlhost.com/images/xge9a15ce78yyuz03y_Iron-mines.jpg

Regards,
Fred M. Cain


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 Post subject: Re: Mines of Botetourt Co. VA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:48 pm 
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Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:43 pm
Posts: 12
Location: Bedford, Virginia
The screen shot worked great, thanks!


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