Aerial Photo of Southern Sycamore canyon

This is an aerial photo of southern Sycamore canyon. The red X mark locations of interest.

The X the top right side is Sycamore Point.

The bottom center X is Iron Gate Mine.

I have marked trial heads that enter sycamore but the one to get to the iron gate mine is ware sycamore joins the Verde river just off the photo on the bottom. A road from Clarkdale, and Cottonwood is kind of ruff but well worth the drive.





















There are photos of some of these locations in the stories in other parts of this page and the Sycamore Photo page.

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Lost Mines Found

In researching lost mines of the south west US, I have found that most information that you find will be misleading for the person that has the real info does not want any body else to find their treasure so they will lie to keep them looking some where else. Like the Lost Dutchman. Yes that one too, h
How many people know about another spire that resembles Weavers Needle out side of Phoenix. I my self learned about it and it is tucked back in some canyon where no one is looking to my knowledge. But let me get on with the ones that from my research and exploration are most likely found. Yes I have been to these and took the photographs or one my hunting partners took them.

Lost mine with the iron door has been found ??

   In hunting for the lost padre gold mine in Arizona I like many others (hikers included ) had come upon a cave with an iron gate at the entrance that was for the most part filled in, and another cave that had been walled over but broken in to. Though it is not visible from the creak it is only 40 feet away. There is an old foundation on top of the ridge over the caves and an old native ruin on the west cliff wall that is hard to find. Forest Service has recorded these and I have a copy of the record.
   This place is a nice hike up along sycamore creak. The creak runs along the trail with the trail crossing the creak 4 times before you reach the mine. There are some nice camping and swimming spots along the way. there are a number of springs that pop up here and there for fresh drinking water.
   There is a story of two men that worked the mine back in the late 1930s through the early 1940s before going to war. To my understanding only one returned. He placed a plaque outside the entrance of the mine in memory of his partner. Than he got back to mining it until the forest service kicked him out. He later found the vein at another place and dug into it there for some time.

   This is a photo of the mine entrance the door is open from the old miner but the mine is filled in the rocks are from forest service blocking it.

   This photo is the entrance to the cave next to the mine. A lot of rock had to be moved from it and the mine to get to them.

   This is the in side of the cave next yo the mine. Some body had to of dug this out with it all being rock and the way the tunnel is shaped.

   This photo is of the in side of the cave farther up sycamore. One of my favorite camping spots is this place the out side ledge has a cooking place and water holes above and beside the cave. The oval dark spot in the center is the entrance or in this case exit. from the looks of the wall it was an under ground stream long long ago.

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   Lost Geronimo's gold mine ??

   If I remember correctly Geronimo's gold mine was a spring that contained nice nuggets and would fill back from the spring water kept the material in the spring moving. If so well then this mite be it.

We had come along this spring and the funny thing about it is that there were logs laid out near it that seemed that some one had a system to run water down to separate material and an old foundation to a cabin was also very near.

So then this mine was found and worked also and it to was not claimed to be found but kept secret. The Forest Service most likely knows about this one too but do not want people out there digging up the forest.

Forest Service checks on these from time to time and people have been caught. do not be foolish and do the same.

Lost Spanish mines In Arizona

The lost padre gold mine of Arizona.

   Hunting lost Spanish gold mines for me started back in 1992 when I moved back to Sedona Arizona. I had been prospecting out of Prescott AZ.

   There are quite a few lost Spanish mines in Arizona the Lost Dutchman is the most famous of them but there are the Lost Padre, Geronimo's lost mine, Lost Mine with the Iron Door just to name a few.

    My story starts out after I moved back to sedona and has been quite an adventure for many years.

   A person that I worked with at a print shop approached me and told me about lost Spanish mines in sycamore canyon south west of Flagstaff, and west of Sedona. We met after work and talked about doing a little research.
   Looking through the book stores and libraries to find stories and maps of the area took months. Most books on the subject turned out to have the same stories with some differences. It was like everyone was copying the same information but changing some little facts to mislead the reader. Even though there where some stories that had some information that was not in most of the others they to left out much of what most people where wanting to learn about.
   We had started the hunt for the lost mines in sycamore canyon at an off branch called volunteer canyon. What a challenge! I had not known what the canyon was like and had in store for any person that did not stay on some the trail. But the things you find when you go were few have gone be for if any for there is a lot of canyon in those canyons.
   On one expedition I was walking up a wash that dumped in to northern sycamore ware the canyon is 500 feet deep not 1500 feet deep. In the wall of the wash wall I saw a black crystal, So I dug it out and took it with me to Sedona. I had taken it to many rock shops and got no ware but in one his Father had retired but now every rock there was, he said. He took it and 3 days later I went back. He said "Hi how are you, Well my dad does not know what they are but we will talk all you can bring us." It sounded like I had discovered a new crystal. I had been back in that area but did not find the same wash. In the creak bed I found them but not as large nore whole. this may have been ware the pocket collapsed and broke them.