Horseshoe & Annex Mines, East Fork, Angeles National Forest

Описание: Deep in the East Fork of the San Gabriel River are the nearly forgotten Horseshoe Mines. This area was mined for centuries by Mexicans, Indians and white settlers. Most of the gold was recovered from the mid to late 1800's before hydraulic mining was banned, but profits were still made up until the 1950s, and even today floods and earthquakes churn up new discoveries for prospectors.

Horseshoe Mine

After a dispute between former owners R. Cowper Saunders laid claim to the once famous Horseshoe Mine in 1909. He purchased and patented 82 acres of land, 50 in the vicinity fr the Bridge to Nowhere and 32 more in a more remote region of Sheep Mountain.

Saunders established the Horseshoe Gold Nugget Mining Company and worked it with a few partners. There were three mines in all, the Horseshoe, the Horseshoe Annex and Horseshoe 2. Only two of the three have been found.. Horseshoe Mine changed hands several times over the years. An article printed in Trails Magazine back in the 1930s mentioned ..."The famous old Horseshoe Mine has had many owners and has periodically produced much gold."

Horseshoe Annex Mine

Although it was patented by the Saunders family, the Annex Mine was leased and worked almost exclusively by another family, the Veuhoffs. Theodore Veuhoff, who immigrated from Germany worked the Horseshoe Annex from about 1930 to the early 1950's often assisted by his two sons. He named the mine the "Elvira Veuhoff" after his daughter and also planted the large fig tree which covered the entrance to the mine for half a century.

This mine may have never been found again, had it not been for a fire in 2006, known as the “Nowhere Fire”. Firefighters who were flown in to fight the fire cut back branches next to and in front of the mine. The fire also burned away brush on a plateau area below the mine, exposing the remains of an old stone cabin, presumably used by the original miners. Prior to this, even the forest service was unaware of its existence.

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