Frenchmans mine area

[230]

Anyone been there that can tell me how to find it? Maybe some coordinates or good old fashioned directions.

[230]

Nevermind I found it.

[Lone Ranger]

Where is it?

[230]

Its in the Hedley area.

[Lone Ranger]

You got my interest now.. Any more info or you keeping it a secret? I've heard of it and I probably do know where it is but my brain's nothing coming up with anything off the top of my head. I'm up there a fair bit and I always enjoy doing some mine hunting. LR

[230]

Nope no secret at all. My interest was sparked from a member on this site who started his own site http://www.freewebs.com/bcmines/ when i saw the pics from the Hedley area there i just had to see for my self and with a few questions asked at the store in hedley and a half tank of fuel i found it and spend several hours exploring the caverns and snapping pictures.I wanted to see if the coat was still there,and it is.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6352/frenchmansmine116um5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Lone Ranger]

Nice. You most definitely have gotten my attention now. I'm thinking I might have to do a Hedley trip, maybe I'll head up there for the long weekend. LR

[230]

Let me know.I'll go again.

[Lone Ranger]

Thinking of heading out next weekend since its a 3 day weekend. You interested? I work nights so I'd head up prolly in the afternoon of the first day off (Fri or Sat, can't remember which day its is we get off. Mon?) LR

[230]

I think monday is the holiday.Just make sure you let me know for sure by wed.I am headed to the cabin on thursday morning for the wekend but that is only a short distance from town so i will still met ya in Hedley.

[230]

If you are coming from abby you have to drive right past my cabin so i'll PM you directions and you can stop in on our way.

[Lone Ranger]

Just got back from a weekend up in the Princeton/Hedley area and all I have to say is a huge thank you to the "230" family and friends (I'll announce your guys names later if you don't mind, until then I'll leave it as this). We did a half day hike up to the Frenchmans Mine and spent a good portion of the day there. There was a fair amount of snow which hindered progress but nothing that a little bit of fancy foot work couldn't take care of.

Half the group went in from the upper road and myself and the other half we hiked in from the lower road. Mike (Beast) and myself were carrying rifles for spring time protection and a good thing to because we had an issue with being stocked by cougars (and not that good type :D), and having a dog and 5 children with us that's never any fun. Hats off to all the kids, it was a very long and tiring hike in the snow and they did AWESOME! They were 5 months old, 2, 4, 7, and 14 I believe, and they were very well behaved and brave in the mines.

I'll post the few pics I took and 230 will post theirs in the morning. All my pics suck because I got too wound up in exploring and forgot to take pictures (same with Allenby, I want to return with my camera).

The other half of the thank you is for putting up with Mike and I for the weekend and we had a blast (even if we nearly froze our nards off :D). Your guys' hospitality was incredible and thank you for the encore tour of the Allenby mine as well. We got a "little" snowed in and I ended up missing work today (oh shame!) but we got back just fine tonight. Cheers

[Lone Ranger]

Some more:

[lars]

Crap, I wish I knew you were going before you left (I was on vacation). I lost a bayonet hood from my camera lens in one of the shafts. I don't suppose anyone found one, did they?

Hey 230, what's the story with the coat? I don't recall seeing it when I was there.

...lars

[Lone Ranger]

Sorry, if I would have seen something like that Lars it would have caught my attention, and I searched that whole place high and low without seeing anything.

As far as anyone can tell with the jacket its an old canvas jacket that's era correct, and has been hanging at the entrance to the lowest shaft since the mine was in operation. Its stiff as a board and there's also some nearly-petrified gloves in the second shaft on the ground as well.

A thing that caught my attention was the rumour of a miner who was killed in an accident there and pictures that show outlines of him in them. We had an incident in I believe the lowest shaft (left fork, about halfway to where it ends) where one of the kids absolutely REFUSED to keep moving right out of the blue, and while snapping a couple of pictures there were obvious "orbs" in them, with no rhyme or reason since the shaft was a very typical shape and there was no moisture present. Travis and I were there with his oldest (in the first pic with his back to the camera), everyone else was still up top coming down to meet us. If I was thinking I would have tried mine but until I get the pics from him I can't really say much more since I only seen them on a 2.5" LCD screen, but there are obvious irregular dark shapes in the pictures for no reason - oh, and the camera never acted up the rest of the day. I guess what really bothered him was how little it bothered me and I just kept on trekking right through it all without a second thought. LR

[230]

I will put up pics of te whole event sorta in order.I have over 300 pics of the mines so its hard to choose so i focused more on the group.
The weather was nice and the road was clear
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1972/easterweekend034fb8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Then at the top we found some snow and it slowed the progress
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1393/easterweekend049wi3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5253/easterweekend050mv7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

so we had to walk the last 750m,we passed the creepy teepy

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/704/easterweekend052qg0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

this is a group shot(most of us)outside the upper cavern
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2945/easterweekend072nc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Here is Loneranger taking off on his own for a bit(he needed a time out)
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/131/easterweekend090rh4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A shot from inside looking out
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9470/easterweekend097yf4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It was a family weekend w/kids of all ages,here is the youngest and the oldest of the kids.
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7548/easterweekend119fi4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

freak snow storm rolled in for our entertainment
Ahttp://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5472/easterweekend128ow2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1299/easterweekend129oz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The final day was spent walking around the old allenby townsite so i will pout up a few from there.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9045/easterweekend146qv2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4779/easterweekend147bj1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5551/easterweekend150hp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3931/easterweekend159dr5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


hope you enjoyed them.

[230]

Crap, I wish I knew you were going before you left (I was on vacation). I lost a bayonet hood from my camera lens in one of the shafts. I don't suppose anyone found one, did they?

Hey 230, what's the story with the coat? I don't recall seeing it when I was there.

...lars


the coat was in a few pics i found online from several years ago.I just wanted to see if it was still there and it is.The coat is petrofied.It is the lowest adit just behind the tower on the low road in.

[Lone Ranger]

Thanks for throwing up some of the pics! LR

[lars]

A thing that caught my attention was the rumour of a miner who was killed in an accident there and pictures that show outlines of him in them.
Where'd u hear that?

We had an incident in I believe the lowest shaft (left fork, about halfway to where it ends) where one of the kids absolutely REFUSED to keep moving right out of the blue, and while snapping a couple of pictures there were obvious "orbs" in them, with no rhyme or reason since the shaft was a very typical shape and there was no moisture present.
FYI if there are even tiny dust particles in the air and you're shooting with a flash, you can get strange luminescent orbs appearing in your image. I first noticed this when photographing my kids in a riding stable during a kids' birthday party. It was dry but there was fine sawdust floating around which caused little orbs to appear in the photos.

...lars

[lars]

Nope no secret at all. My interest was sparked from a member on this site who started his own site http://www.freewebs.com/bcmines/

What's the name of the member of this board who owns that site? Just curious...and you're welcome to PM the answer to me.

...lars

[230]

here's the post http://bb.bc4x4.com/showthread.php?t=91021

[RabidRabit]

Nickel plate mountain has 73 miles of tunnel in it. The mountain is literally covered in shafts and drifts. I lived in Hedley for almost fifteen years and explored numerous drifts while up there. You can access one behind Hedley easily by turning right at the centataph(?) and taking a left right after the bridge. From there you follow the road through the tailings where it is ditched off. You hike from there up to one drift that is still in good enough shape to walk in. It goes in about 3/4 of a mile. Standing at the entrance is pretty trippy due to the angle of the timbers contrasting with the angle of the hill. Makes people look like their standing in ski boots leaning forward.
If you take the road along twenty mile creek (on foot), about the 7th or 8th crossing you can meet the Bhuddist Monk living up there as well. He's taken residence in a cave that was blasted for the old flume that followed the river down from the Dam they had their in the 50s.
He's very social and willing to talk. I used to take him fruit and such when I went up their on Day hikes. Very cool, kinda like going to see the wise man on top of the mountain.
If you follow the Donkey trail up from the original mill you can come across five or six drifts as well tucked in the side of the mountain. Most have filled with water but still fun to look in and at.
The french mines have two approaches, generally you go up Nickel plate mountain and when you get to the meadows (after you cross the rock slide) look for a corral on your right at the corner of one of the switchbacks. Take that old road and it'll take you to the bottom of the mine area. Go up a switch back to the next corner on that side of the meadow and stick to the right. This will take you within a couple hundred feet of the top before the road stops. Follow the trail in.
We usually would take a bit of wood and roast hot dogs just inside of the entrance. The entrance is probably twenty feet high and twenty feet across. Lots of drifts you can peer into and a couple of shaft to look down. I wouldn't go in any though as they don't look real safe. Last time I was up there the roof and slid in a bit at the back of the entrance.
It's a fun little adventure. If your out that way behind Ollalla you can find some drifts as well hidden behind some bushes.
There is also a cabin up there that is open to the public to use that not alot of people know about. It's right at the top of the old tram line(Now the powerlines). You can either get to it by the Donkey trail or drive to it by taking a left once you get up to the tailings ponds ontop of Nickelplate. You have to drive down the Hydro line to get to the cabin. Can be dicey at times. You can also approach via an old road through the meadows but this road slides a fair bit and is kinda dicey.
Beautiful view from the cabin. You look straight down at Hedley. I lived in the cabin for about six months and did some renos on it. It got beat pretty bad by some partiers but still works well. Cabin has a well to but take water as the last time I was up there someone had thrown a dead carcass in the well. (almost ten years ago).

[Lone Ranger]

Thanks for the heads up.

The one you mentioned that heads up at a 45* angle I found last weekend on a day trip up there visiting a friend who lives in Hedley. We drove right up to the entrance in my pickup, albeit it is a fairly narrow and steep trail (considering my truck, its much better suited for ATVs and short wheelbase rigs). We didnt have a chance to wander in but I would like to in the future, as well as hike further up the road since it doesnt end there (appears to go nearly all the way up the mountain, but heavily overgrown now).

Greg also mentioned some on Gold Creek Rd (I believe its called) west of Hedley and crossing the bridge on the highway and turning left, back in there somewhere.

The monk has also moved out of the cave and has been reported as wandering up around the Frenchman's Mine IIRC. I know the trail that leads to the cave, as it has suffered several minor slides on it preventing me from continuing in my pickup, and Greg and I weren't in the mood for too much walking due to the heavy heat. I would like to meet the guy and sit down with him for a while and see what he's all about, I bet he has some interesting stories to tell. LR

[lars]

Nickel plate mountain has 73 miles of tunnel in it. The mountain is literally covered in shafts and drifts. I lived in Hedley for almost fifteen years and explored numerous drifts while up there. You can access one behind Hedley easily by turning right at the centataph(?) and taking a left right after the bridge. From there you follow the road through the tailings where it is ditched off.
I was following your description ok until you mentioned the tailings area.


You hike from there up to one drift that is still in good enough shape to walk in. It goes in about 3/4 of a mile. Standing at the entrance is pretty trippy due to the angle of the timbers contrasting with the angle of the hill. Makes people look like their standing in ski boots leaning forward.

I was up behind Hedley back in 2005. We drove into Hedley, went over a little bridge in the village, turned left onto the dirt road that runs beside the creek, and then just before the road narrowed into a hiking path, took the right-hand turn that went up the mountain and turned into a series of steep switchbacks. First, we went past some ore processing buildings/foundations. Near the top was a ore cart track, as well as an unusually wide shaft that angled upwards into the mountain.

http://www.bc4x4.com/tr/2005/whipsaw/whipsaw-15.jpg
Photo taken from the end of the road.

http://www.bc4x4.com/tr/2005/whipsaw/whipsaw-16.jpg
The shaft is behind those bushes past the white Jeep.

http://www.bc4x4.com/tr/2005/whipsaw/whipsaw-25.jpg
Shaft entrance.

http://www.bc4x4.com/tr/2005/whipsaw/whipsaw-17.jpg
Interior shot (obviously).

Now, is the shaft in those pictures the same one that you're describing?

If you take the road along twenty mile creek (on foot), about the 7th or 8th crossing you can meet the Bhuddist Monk living up there as well. He's taken residence in a cave that was blasted for the old flume that followed the river down from the Dam they had their in the 50s.
Where's 20 Mile Crk? Is that the creek we went along that goes through Hedley? When the road narrowed into a hiking path, I was wondering where it went.

If you follow the Donkey trail up from the original mill you can come across five or six drifts as well tucked in the side of the mountain. Most have filled with water but still fun to look in and at.
I don't know if we've gone up there or not. We did hike up around the mill works several years ago, to a knoll with a great view of Hedley, but don't recall seeing any adits.

There is also a cabin up there that is open to the public to use that not alot of people know about. It's right at the top of the old tram line(Now the powerlines). You can either get to it by the Donkey trail or drive to it by taking a left once you get up to the tailings ponds ontop of Nickelplate. You have to drive down the Hydro line to get to the cabin. Can be dicey at times. You can also approach via an old road through the meadows but this road slides a fair bit and is kinda dicey.
Beautiful view from the cabin. You look straight down at Hedley. I lived in the cabin for about six months and did some renos on it. It got beat pretty bad by some partiers but still works well.
Ah, I think I've been there. There were a few buildings up there, and you could walk down along parts of the tramway, too, right? I remember there being a cabin in decent shape up there. My brother and I also got ticks on us while exploring along the tram. If I recall correctly, the tram passed over at least one road but I don't think we found that road in our trucks. This would've been about 5 yrs ago.

Do you know if there are any shafts that actually connect to the Mascot system? I remember when I was up there in the very early '80's that we found an exit from the Mascot shafts that came out to the northwest of Mascot. I wonder if they blocked that entrance? Getting to it would be difficult, anyway. It was surrounded on all sides by heavy rockfall. No trail going to it.

I did find one trail into Mascot (ie: a trail which they haven't gated) but it involves a nerve-wracking traipse across the ridge of a 200 metre long scree slope which goes down a LONG way. Never tried it.

Do you know of any other mines in the area?


...lars

[lars]

The one you mentioned that heads up at a 45* angle I found last weekend on a day trip up there visiting a friend who lives in Hedley. We drove right up to the entrance in my pickup, albeit it is a fairly narrow and steep trail (considering my truck, its much better suited for ATVs and short wheelbase rigs).
It was a cool drive though, wasn't it? Not many trails give you such a fast altitude gain.

We didnt have a chance to wander in but I would like to in the future, as well as hike further up the road since it doesnt end there (appears to go nearly all the way up the mountain, but heavily overgrown now).
We couldn't see where the trail continued.

The monk has also moved out of the cave and has been reported as wandering up around the Frenchman's Mine IIRC.
Oh, I wonder if he's the one that has that teepee near the French Mines?

http://www.bc4x4.com/tr/2005/whipsaw/whipsaw-23.jpg

...lars

[Lone Ranger]

Thank you for posting the pics Lars. Yes, that's the mine we found and that's the one you referred me to in a PM about 2 or 3 years ago. I was somewhat under the impression that it was merely at the end of the field (if you look where the road narrows heading up the river there's another entrance there, barely noticeable. It caved in years ago and you can just barely make out the timbers).

I hiked about 200 yrds past the entrance and the trail appears to zig zag further on up the mountain, almost appearing to continue all the way to the tailing pile from the back of the Nickleplate Mine!!!

Mike (Beast) has my GPS unit now but from what I can tell from looking from the entrance and from looking below, you're about 200' and just around the rock bluff from the Mascot Mine area there, which is very fascinating. We're planning on returning to the Frenchmans Mine and possible the 45* shaft this weekend for a friend's stag (ATV ride), and if I can sneak away for a while I want to try and continue on up the trail to see where it goes. LR

[RabidRabit]

They started doing open pit in the 70's so no new shafts since then. I don't know of any old ones that join up with others within the mountain. I've heard a tail of three guys that went into a shaft somewhere on the mountain and getting lost. After several hours they ran into some miners that were working at about the 3500ft. level, much to their (miners) surprise.

The donkey trail is above the knoll (dump shack), mill ruins and to the left. If you go to the left of the tram line right above the dump shack you can find it pretty easily. An easier access would be to turn right at the cenetaph and take the first right after the bridge. At the end of the road is where the donkey trail starts.

Those pics that you posted are of that shaft lars. When you first drive along the creek your actually on the tailings from the old mine. They've got some vegetation on them now and don't resemble what they looked like twenty years ago.

[RabidRabit]

I did find one trail into Mascot (ie: a trail which they haven't gated) but it involves a nerve-wracking traipse across the ridge of a 200 metre long scree slope which goes down a LONG way. Never tried it.

...lars

I took my wife across that slope.... LOL.... she's never forgiven me for that.