Clipper Mine

The Clipper Copper Mine is at 3823 ft Lat 47.0204 N Long 121.8532 W

This is in Pierce County, Washington. downstream of Surprise Lake.

Copper and some silver and gold were mined here.

It's a hard rock mine ... no mine is safe, but this is certainly safer than a coal mine. Never enter a coal mine.

Bring multiple sources of light. Wear waterproof boots. The ceiling is low ... wear head protection (hard hat, perhaps bike helmet)

Directions

• • 1.5 to 2 hours drive from Tacoma

  • Drive past Wilkeson, don't take the Mowich Lake fork (take instead the Mt Rainier Carbon River entrance fork instead.)

  • Turn left onto bridge across Carbon River (forest road 7810)

  • Drive on National Forest Develop Rd 7810 (on the way to Coplay Lake or Summit Lake from Carbon River entrance)

  • Past Shiplake Creek, there is an old mining road. Entrance to the road from 7810 is at Latitude: 47.023273° N Longitude: 121.845192° W

  • Hike 0.3 miles up old mining road.

  • The road will cross Shiplake Creek. After the creek, the road will be wet with runoff from the mine. Follow the road and when the water stops, look to your right up the hill for the crushed rock talus slope & tailing dump.

  • The entrance itself is not visible from the road. Almost, but the talus slope gets in the way.

  • You can scramble up the rocks, or go just beyond it and hike up through the trees (on the left, looking up) for an easier route. (Easier for me at least.)

  • Be very careful on the way down.

  • There's a lot of water in the mine ... bring good boots and/or socks to change into later.

Notes

Leola Mining Co ... or is it Leloa Mining Co ... of Tacoma Wa.

There's a restroom at at the town hall at Wilkeson, supposedly one at Coplay Lake, and one at the Carbon River entrance to Mt Rainier.

Links

• • Pictures from my 2010-10-16 visit http://picasaweb.google.com/mike.betz/20101016ClipperMine#

  • picture of entrance, map of location, and 1902 description of mine http://www.panoramio.com/photo/15005344

  • video that I used to find the mine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkL2zaf_smo&feature=related

  • geocache nearby http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=5f490eda-6df1-4c78-ba05-28ef2874f5e5

• Mindat entry http://www.mindat.org/loc-69563.html

  • http://www.ghosttownsofwashington.com/Clipper_Mine.html ... 1901-1943

  • stock share for Clipper mine. http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/stk-clipper-mining-co-1906-washington-137452477 and http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/stk-clipper-mining-co-1906-washington-173464763

  • More notes http://northwestjournalonline.com/carbon-river-mining-towns.html. includes part of Article from: Alaskan Magazine And Canadian Yukoner (1900), about metal mines in the Carbon River Valley

  • More stock certificates http://www.oldwesthistorystore.com/washington_page.htm

Notes from the geocache link

The Clipper mine was known as a “lode” or “hard rock” mine, one of many in the immediate area. The primary mineral taken from the mine was copper, though Some small amounts of gold and silver were also found. Long abandoned, it is in remarkable shape for it’s age. As it is a lode mine, very few if any timbers were needed to support it’s structure, since it was blasted out of solid rock. I’ve been through the entire mine several times and can attest to this. Since there was no road at the time, packing light was the name of the game. Instead of using narrow gauge railroad tracks, the miners used what was readily available to them. Inside the mine you will see rough hewn 4x4s laid on the floor, with 1/8th inch steel straps on top. The straps being much lighter than steel tracks. These straps were about 1 ½” wide, and served the purpose well. There is a steady flow of water coming from the mine year round, with about an inch or two at the entrance. It slowly diminishes as you proceed into the mine. About 2/3 rds of the way in, there is a small amount of water coming through a seem near the top of the mine.

This mine doesn’t have any “winzes” or vertical shafts.

There are several “crosscuts” or “drifts”. A “crosscut”, in this case, is a horizontal branch of the tunnel that takes off from the main tunnel without following any vein of ore. A “drift” is the same as a “crosscut”, except it does follow a vein of ore. These “offshoots” only go for about ten to thirty feet and then deadend. There are four or five of these. The main tunnel goes back approx. 1150 feet, then it too, deadends. If you look carefully at the end, you can see a couple of unused blasting holes.

Notes from GhostTownsOfWashington http://www.ghosttownsofwashington.com/Clipper_Mine.html

1901-1943. Was also known as "Mothers Day". Tunnelled by 3 shifts of men working day and night. Calcopyrite ore ... 10-45% copper with varying amounts of silver and gold. Sides stained with malachite and azurite. Was owned by Tacoma WA's Leloa Mining Company

Notes from MindAt (see above) says the following are present:

• • Arsenopyrite (an iron arsenic sulfide (FeAsS), hard metallic, opaque, steel grey to silver white)

  • Chalcopyrite ( copper iron sulfide mineral, cuFeS2, brassy to golden-yellow color)

  • , Malachite ... capper carbonate hydroxide. Cu2Co3(OH)2 ... green-colored

  • , Pyrite ... fools gold ... iron pyrite ... iron sulfide FeS2. luster and pale brass-yellow hue.

  • , Quartz ... SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen shared between two tetrahedra, giving overall formula SiO2

  • , Tourmaline ... crystal boron silicate mineral, with elements such as aluminum, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium or potassium. Variety of colors. Semi-precious. Most commonly it is black, but can range from brown, violet, green, pink or pink+green.

Below is info copied from the 1902 Washington Geological Survey. It has info on what the Clipper mine was for. (taken from a post at Panoramio by njwc found at http://www.panoramio.com/photo/15005344)

CARBON RIVER DISTRICT.

The Carbon river district is located in the southeastern part of Pierce county, mostly to the westward and northwestward of Mount Rainier, many of the properties being even upon the lower slopes of that mountain. The district is reached from the town of Fairfax, the terminal of one of the Northern Pacific coal routes. This town, which is located to the west of the principal properties, will be their natural shipping point when the mines begin to produce ore. Fairfax is forty-two miles from Tacoma by rail. At the present time probably the most important properties in the district are those of the Washington Co-operative Mining Syndicate and of the Montezuma Mining Company. These two companies, in addition to their copper mining interests, are at present developing upon a large scale some extensive coal deposits at Fairfax. The companies are operating in very close harmony and it is their intention to carry on their future mining operations in the district in conjunction.

Surprise«—Probably the most important group of claims in this district is what is known as the Surprise group, located on the east slope of Bald mountain, on Shiplake creek, ten miles by trail northeast of Fairfax. The country, as might be expected in that locality, is extremely rough, the steep slopes of the mountain side giving good facilities for mining operations, it being possible to attain considerable depth without sinking shafts and to avoid the necessity of building expensive pumping plants. Both water power and timber are practically without limit. The Surprise group comprises thirteen claims, twelve of which lie on a magnetic east and west line, while the thirteenth claim, known as the Hog Back, located near the center of the group, lies in a north and south direction. All of the development work to date has been done upon the Surprise claim, the most southeasterly one of the group. Upon this claim three distinct ledges are found. The development aggregates 365 feet of tunneling and drifting, but to the present time only 40 feet of depth has been reached by the main tunnel or drift. The company owning the property has recently acquired a right in a tunnel being driven by the Clipper mine at a vertical distance of 300 feet below, from which tunnel it is proposed to run a crosscut 360 feet to the main Surprise ledge. By the use of this tunnel a considerable depth of ore may thus be obtained and the work of mining considerably facilitated. The ledges on the Surprise claim carry both chalcopyrite and bornite and with these considerable hornblende is associated. The main ledge upon which all of the work has been done to date, averages between four and five feet in width, with a distinct pay streak of 22 inches ; its dip is seventy degrees to the southward and very uniform. The vein occupies a true fissure in a country rock of syenite, the gangue matter closely resembling this country rock. Upon the Hog Back claim mentioned above as the only one of the group running north and south, three distinct ledges are found, with chief values in gold. The gold is associated, however, with some small amounts of copper and iron, chiefly chal- copyrite. The elevation of the main tunnel, at what is called the headquarters camp, is 4,160 feet above sea level. During the summer of 1901 a considerable amount of development work was done upon this property, both underground and in surface improvements. It is the intention of the owners to begin very soon the operation of the property upon a large scale. A small air compressor has been installed at the mouth of the Clipper tunnel for use in driving the above-mentioned crosscut to the Surprise ledge, and it is understood that considerable work has already been done upon this crosscut.

Clipper.—This property is located southeast of and immediately adjoining the Surprise group. Comparatively little work has been done outside of the main tunnel that was mentioned above. Mr. T. H. Wilkins, address Fidelity building, Tacoma, is the chief owner of the property.

Chicago.— The Chicago group of six claims, owned by the Montezuma Mining Company, is located about nine miles from Fairfax at a short distance from the main trail leading to the Surprise mine. This group is then about two miles east of the Surprise. The property has not up to the present time been developed, nothing beyond assessment work having been done. The ore is chalcopyrite, carrying some small amounts of gold and occurs in a fissure vein in diorite.

East Lake.— The East Lake group of six claims, owned by the Washington Co-operative Mining Syndicate, is another property not as yet developed. This group is located about one-half of a mile due east of the Surprise, being between that property and the Chicago. A number of veins are found here, all with a general eastward strike. The ore is chalcopyrite, and the country rock is syenite.

Blue Star.— The Blue Star group, consisting of fourteen claims, is located on Cowcowan creek, a tributary of the Carbon river, and is six and one-half miles by trail from Fairfax. There are nine known veins or ledges running through these claims, most of them strong and well defined and showing at the outcrops widths varying from eight inches to eight feet. Most of these ledges strike east and west ; but one well-defined vein is found running almost due north and south. The ore is chalco- pyrite of good appearance, with varying values in both gold and silver. The country rock is gneiss. Comparatively little development work has as yet been done upon this property. A tunnel having a length of about 40 feet has recently been driven, and it is understood that the present owners propose immediate development work.

Tacoma. — This property is located upon the Mowich river, seventeen miles, by pack trail, southeast of Fairfax. Four claims are embraced in the property, owned by the Washington Cooperative Mining Syndicate. Adjoining these claims the Mon- tezuma Mining Company owns a group of five claims. The country is heavily timbered and is provided with an abundance of water power. The main ledge, upon which all development work to date has been done, averages 25 feet in width. It strikes northeast and southwest and dips eighty degrees to the southeast. The outcrop is exceedingly well defined upon the north side of the Mowich river, the mountain rising very abruptly from the creek bed, with practically no vegetation upon it. The ore is chalcopyrite, disseminated throughout the ledge, but as development has progressed a rich streak about three feet in thickness, consisting of chalcopyrite, intimately mixed with calcite, is found along the foot wall. The property was first opened by a drift, along the hanging wall, located about 175 feet above the bed of the creek. This drift has been driven for 200 feet along the vein, with five cross-cuts to the foot wall aggregating 100 feet in length. Late in the summer of 1901 the company installed a small air compressor and is now engaged in driving another drift about 125 feet below the first, working with machine drills. The air compressor is run by water power. The ore is stated to contain from five to thirty-three per cent, in copper, with $2 in gold and $3.50 in silver per ton, or in all having an average value of $60 per ton. This property is admirably located for mining work and may be expected to give a good account of itself in the near future. No ore except for purposes of experimental treatment has as yet been shipped. It is the purpose of the Washington Co-operative Mining Syndicate to erect a smelter adjoining its coal property at Fairfax. The company will then be practically self-contained and in a position to smelt its own ore as well as those of the other properties of the district. If the calcite, occuring with the ores along Mowich river, is found to continue in depth, it will be of great importance in forming a flux in smelting.

Visits

• 2010-10-16 http://picasaweb.google.com/mike.betz/20101016ClipperMine# Easy walk of 0.3 miles up old road, including crossing Shiplake Creek. Hardest part was either the short scramble up the hill (go through the trees slightly past the mine for an easier route) or having to bend over to avoid hitting head. Bring waterproof boots, head protection, and multiple light sources.

• 2012-07-11 Went back and this time went all the way to the end of the mine, past the spot where water comes out of the wall. Sure wish I had brought extra shoes. Hit my head on the ceiling many times (was wearing hard hat, but still...). One of our party slipped on the way back down, while traversing the talus slope, ended up falling facing down the slope. He was shook up, but only suffered mild scrapes and bruises, thank goodness. Pictures eventually at picasaweb.