This is a photograph that I took of the "Glory Hole" at the abandoned Vulture Mine near the town of Wickenburg, Arizona. The "Glory Hole" is a large pit that is adjacent adjacent to the main shaft of the mine. In 1923, seven men went into one of the side tunnels off of the main shaft to do some "personal" gold and silver mining. I am not sure if they sneaked in and did this secretly or whether or not they secured permission to do so. The Vulture Mine was still active at that time. The Vulture Mine is a hard rock mine, meaning that wooden support timbers were not necessary, however, the mining company deemed it necessary to leave about 40% of the rock in place as a means of structural support. The stone support columns were laden with gold and silver ore worth millions of dollars. These seven men decided that it was well worth the risk to chip away at these support columns because of the wealth of gold and silver ore available in them. Then finally one day, the columns had been chipped at too much, causing the overhead to cave in. The site of the "Glory Hole" in this photograph had once been a small hill, but the chipping away of the stone support columns caused the earth to sink a little more than one hundred feet, creating a chasm. All seven men and their 12 burros were crushed to death underneath more than 100,000 tons of rock and still lie buried there today. The collapse of the tunnel that they were in exposed rich gold and silver veins that could easily be mined on the surface. The mine was discovered in 1863 by Henry Wickenburg and changed ownership numerous times during its history. A bustling town dubbed “Vulture City” sprung up around the mine and, at one time, had a population greater than Phoenix. However, the operations at the mine faced numerous obstacles such as Indian raids, attacks by highwaymen, high graders (men who went into the mines to steal gold), and a constant lack of a viable water supply. The mine was finally shut down in 1942 by order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The miners thought that they would be returning within six months but operations never resumed. The mine is now privately owned and has not undergone any type of renovation…..it is exactly as it was left. It is located essentially in the “middle of nowhere” and has an eerily quiet presence as though everyone simply got up and left everything behind. It is amazing to see that so many things are still there after so many years of abandonment. However, the owners tell you that you can walk around and see everything “at your own risk” due to the dangers in the buildings and around the mine shaft. The mine still contains millions of dollars worth of gold and silver.

Source: Scan of an original item. Date: 1923. Photographer: Unknown. Repository: From the collection of Geoff and Maureen Timbrell. Used here by their very kind permission.