Lost mines
Encyclopedia
Lost mines are a popular form of lost treasure
legend. The mine involved is usually of a high-value commodity such as gold
, silver
or diamonds. Often there is a map
(sometimes called a "waybill") purportedly showing the location of the mine. Common reasons given for the mines being lost include:
Some lost mine legends have a historical basis; some have none. But the lure of lost mine legends is attested by the many books on the subject, and the popularity of publications such as Lost Treasure magazine.
short story "The Lost Mine" features the topic of a map revealing the location of a lost mine in Burma being stolen in London, and its carrier murdered.
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
legend. The mine involved is usually of a high-value commodity such as gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
or diamonds. Often there is a map
Treasure map
A treasure map is a map that marks the location of buried treasure, a lost mine, a valuable secret or a hidden locale. More common in fiction than in reality, "pirate treasure maps" are often depicted in works of fiction as hand drawn and containing arcane clues for the characters to follow...
(sometimes called a "waybill") purportedly showing the location of the mine. Common reasons given for the mines being lost include:
- The mine is discovered and worked by a recluse who refuses to divulge the location, and dies without revealing the location.
- The mine is worked by native peoples who refuse to divulge the location to others.
- The mineral deposit is discovered in a remote location, and upon returning to the area the discoverer cannot find it again.
- The discoverer dies of hunger, thirst, or exposure shortly after discovering the deposit, and his body is found with rich ore specimens in his possession.
- The discoverers are killed by hostile natives. Sometimes the natives cover up the entrance to the mine.
- In Spanish colonies in the New World, many lost mines were supposedly worked under the direction of Jesuit priests before their sudden expulsion in 1767.
Some lost mine legends have a historical basis; some have none. But the lure of lost mine legends is attested by the many books on the subject, and the popularity of publications such as Lost Treasure magazine.
List of lost mine legends
Legends of lost mines are probably worldwide. Those listed below are just a sampling.Mexico
- Lost diamond mine of Vicente GuerreroVicente GuerreroVicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence, who fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and served briefly as President of Mexico...
- Lost Naranjal mineNaranjal mineThe Naranjal mine is the name of a legendary lost gold mine in the Sierra Mountains of Mexico. Folklorist J. Frank Dobie devoted part of his book "Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver" to the story of this legendary lost mine....
, DurangoDurangoDurango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja... - Planchas de Plata, SonoraSonoraSonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, (sometimes called Bolas de Plata). Periodically assumed to be "lost," although the location is well documented. - TayopaTayopaTayopa is the name of a legendary lost silver mine in the Sierra Mountains of Mexico. Many stories, legends and myths surround it as well as articles and books describing the search for it. Folklorist J. Frank Dobie devoted part of his book "Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver" to the story of this...
silver mine, SonoraSonoraSonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
Russia
- In the 19th century, gold fever was prevalent in the UralUral (region)Ural is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It extends approximately from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the bend of Ural River near Orsk city. The boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern side of...
region near Ekaterinburg. There are many legends of the lost mines, for example in Mamin-Sibiryak's stories. - There are many modern stories of lost diamond mines in the Yakutia region of north and northeast Russia
United States
- Lost Dutchman's Gold MineLost Dutchman's Gold MineThe Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is reportedly a very rich gold mine hidden in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona in the United States...
, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... - Mine with the Iron Door, Arizona
- Lost Pegleg mine, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; supposedly found by mountain man "Pegleg" SmithThomas L. SmithThomas L. "Pegleg" Smith was a mountain man who, serving as a guide for many early expeditions into the American Southwest, helped explore parts of present-day New Mexico... - Lost Breyfogle mine, California or NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
- The Lost Cement MineThe Lost Cement MineThe Lost Cement Mine is a legendary gold vein situated in the eastern Sierra Nevada of California, United States.It was supposedly found in 1857 by two men who were separated from their group while crossing the Sierras. They traveled through the "burnt country" and found the gold vein along the...
, California - The Lost Dutch Oven Mine, California
- The Lost Sheepherders Mine, Nevada
- Death Valley Scotty's secret mine, California or Nevada
- Lost Gunsight mine, California or Nevada
- Recluse Goatherder's Gold Mine, Colorado
- Lost Adams DiggingsLost Adams DiggingsThe Lost Adams Diggings is a Southwestern treasure story that refers to the existence of a canyon rich in gold deposits somewhere in western New Mexico in the early 1860s.- The Legend :...
, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
or Arizona - Lost Blue Bucket mineLost Blue Bucket MineThe Lost Blue Bucket Mine is a lost mine reputed to be located along the Meek Wagon Train trail between the present day cities of Vale and The Dalles in Oregon, United States...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern... - Swift's silver mineSwift's silver mineSwift's silver mine is a silver mine fabled to have been discovered in 1760 by an Englishman named Jonathan Swift somewhere between Pennsylvania and North Carolina. It is most commonly rumored to be located in eastern Kentucky or Tennessee.-Legend:...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... - San Saba mine (sometimes called the Lost Bowie mine or the Lost Almagres mine), TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- Lost Rhoades mine, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
- Lost Padre mine, various locations in USA
- Lost Cabin mine, various locations in USA
- Two Frenchmen Mine, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
- The Wheelbarrow Mine, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
- Yocum silver mine, Stone County, MissouriStone County, MissouriStone County is a county located in Southwest Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 32,202. Its county seat is Galena...
Fiction
The Agatha Christie PoirotHercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
short story "The Lost Mine" features the topic of a map revealing the location of a lost mine in Burma being stolen in London, and its carrier murdered.