Olds Mines...

superduty

superduty

Member
#1
#1
These old mines where operated from the beginning of the 1900's up till about the mid 1990's. They mines limestone that was about 99.99% pure calcium. This was one of the purest calcium deposits in the United States. It has been owned by many major chemical companys through out its history. Now part of its a nature trail. The other side is a underground dry storage for the National Archives.The underground tunnels are not opened to the public yet but I talked to a guy there today and he said in about two months they will be.



























This was the old maintains shop and power house. Many of these old mines where the first to have electricity in the area. they had their own power generating plants. The first pics is of the shop. The old forge is where they would heat and sharpen the drill bits.



























 
superduty

superduty

Member
#3
#3
EPC Guy said:
Nice pics and tour of the area...will you be able to hunt the area?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure. There would probably only be relics out there. I some times work for the last company that operated it and they are all business all the time. Might find something some partiers dropped.:alcoholic:lol:
 
EPC Guy

EPC Guy

TQ Ambassador
#4
#4
superduty said:
I'm not sure. There would probably only be relics out there. I some times work for the last company that operated it and they are all business all the time. Might find something some partiers dropped.:alcoholic:lol:
Click to expand...
Well, good luck if you get a chance to swing a coil out there...ya just never know...
 
superduty

superduty

Member
#8
#8
There was at one time a huge fall out shelter in there. Theres old civil defense containers laying around everywhere out there in some places. When I was a kid we used to buy raw whole milk from the farmer down the road. One day he had this whole wagon full of what looked like huge welding rod cans. He had one that he pried open with a cold chisel and in side was different colored hard sugar candies. They where like lemon drops but all different flavors. He was feeding them to his milk cows. He said every so often they would rotate the food supplies down in those fall out shelters and when they did sometimes you could get a hold of the old out dated stuff.He said we could have all we wanted. My brother busted a tooth off on a chunk. I think they where from the late 50's-early 60's but to us they where quite the treats!!:doh: There could be stuff around there I guess but it would be hard digging thats fer sure!!:yikes: I have heard stories from some of the old miners that some of the passage ways went several miles back into the hillside and there are several thousand acres mines out underground. Whats kinda strange is the old town used to be layed out in the river bottom at the base of the bluff all around the entrance to the quarry. During the Great flood of 1993 the whole town was flooded and the Government bought the whole place out. The plan was to move the whole town to the top of the bluff over looking the flood plain so now theres a brand new town built right over these tunnels. I have often thought about metal detecting the old town location but i would not even know where to begin to ask for permission. After the flood the place looked like a bomb went of because the water rose and stood for several weeks. The wave action in that standing water destroyed almost every building and the river washed tonnes of stuff in from other locations which where flooded further up stream. Also as the water that flooded the area stood for those several weeks all the silt in it settled out causing a layer thick mud several inches thick to cover everything. When the water fell and the clean up began the first thing they had to do was dig the roads out. The only buildings left where the very old ones built out of stone. If anyone would like more info about the town and the flood just do a search on the town of Valmeyer IL and the "great Flood of 1993". Heres a few links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valmeyer,_Illinois

http://www.conradol.com/valmeyer.html

Right near this town one of the most viewed video footage of the flood was taken near this town when a news helicopter captured a levee busting and washing away a local farm stead. Thwere are still pics of it near the end of this first video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuCXXCFQLo4&feature=related



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRhElpS_Y_I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reAoNVxX_9g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWZ2fX-vwog
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top