Wildcat Mines of the Mother Lode and the Sierras:

Long after the California gold rush was over there were still prospectors out in the hills trying to find the "big strike" that would make them rich. Most of the surface gold and placer deposits were worked out, so the only way to find gold was to dig down into hard rock following veins of quartz. Hard rock mining was very expensive and much labor was needed to dig the shafts, so most successful mining operations were conducted by large companies that could raise capital and hire many workers.
 
Young, adventurous miners knew that you couldn’t get rich working in the big mines, so they struck out on their own.  Working on a “shoestring”, these industrious but cash strapped men cobbled together simple...
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The Safire Gold Mine

A few photos showing an example of a vertical shaft head frame for a typical small wildcat mine in the Mother Lode of California. Click on each photo to see a larger image..

The Safire Gold Mine
	The Author in a Side Drift.

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Typical 4 -Man Wildcat Mine

 
Wildcat Mine in Nevada
 

  
    A small mine with a 
    wooden ore car:
   Tuolumne, CA