Exploring Two of LA County's Historic Mines: The Acme and the Star of the West Mines

Los Angeles County Mines #21:

Come join me in this amazing exploration of two historic mines located in Los Angeles County, California. Both of these mines are situated in the same canyon right at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The first mine in the video is called the Acme Mine. This mine was worked by the appropriately named Acme Mining Company, most likely from the 1920’s into the 30’s. I have found four explorable adits at this site, including one that I had to dig out. Digging the adit out was worth the effort as it contained rail and a flooded winze. The depth of the winze is unknown, but I don’t think it connected to any lower levels, as there wasn’t enough infrastructure to support it. There appeared to be a headframe over the winze, but there was no place for a sheave, so I’m not sure how it functioned. Nonetheless, it’s always amazing entering a mine that no one has been in for years.

At the Acme Mine, I found the ruins of a smelter and several foundations, including one that looked like it had a pipe cemented in it. I found an almost identical pipe foundation about 100 ft. in elevation above the first. There was an adit above this upper foundation, but it was surprisingly very short. I am unsure of the pipeline’s function, as it appeared to be too small to serve as an ore chute. The adit above also didn’t appear to be a water tunnel, so I’m not sure if the pipeline was for water. I also found the remains of cable in the area, so there may have been an aerial tramway as well. This makes sense as there would need to be a way to bring the ore down from the main adit (the one with the winze).

According to the local resident Challoner Thomson, the Acme Mine produced $435,000 worth of gold, though this figure is not official. This report was written in 1954.

The second mine I explored is called the Star of the West Mine (aka the Reberg Mine). It has a much longer history than the Acme mine, as it was first worked in the 1880’s. A man named G. Rehbert (possibly a misspelling of Reberg or vice versa) founded the mine and formed the St. George Mining District. I have found two adits for this mine, and it’s possible they were reworked by the Acme Mining Company. Gold was recovered in a 12 ft. diameter horse-drawn arrastra about a quarter mile up the canyon. However, I have not found any sign of it.

Видео Exploring Two of LA County's Historic Mines: The Acme and the Star of the West Mines канала Forgotten Mining History