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Posted by D Sherman [72.47.153.24] on Friday, March 02, 2012 at 18:20:50 :
In Reply to: Re: Old Idaho mine photo, I don't think it is a Dodge posted by OleManIdaho [164.165.59.8] on Friday, March 02, 2012 at 17:29:27 :
A lot of useless "development" work was done in the mines during the way. I've forgotten the name of the program, but the government has program to pay for exploration work that might lead to more production of strategic metals. This turned into a bit of a gravy train because it was easy enough to get federal money to drive a drift just about anywhere out of any old mine and say you thought there might be something good out there.
I know one of the outfits from around here has an old gold mine down in that area called the Rescue Mine that they're working on and apparently doing okay with it.
It's a crime about the scrap thieves. We're trying to collect some of that stuff for the "Mine Heritage" exhibit in Wallace. Most anything good and accessible has already been picked over. I have heard stories of good stuff remaining at some old mines, but they're back of roads that have been closed and overgrown for years and you'd be in a heap of federal trouble with the forest service if you tried to clear them out and get back into them. Heck, there's a big old Climax locomotive laying in a ravine off of the St Joe River, but nobody can get to it to scrap it out. Old timers tell me there's the remains of a Lockheed Electra embedded in the side of a mountain about 5 miles from my place, but impossible to find any more, and of course no roads to it. Crashed on a mail run out of St Maries in bad weather back in the 1930s, I think.
Ever wonder why there's so little old iron left from before WWII? They had huge scrap drives during the way, and it was patriotic to turn in all your old iron for scrap. Housewives were supposed to donate their aluminum pots and lead toothpaste tubes. Unless it was still in usable condition or it was way way out in the boonies, and it was made of metal, it got melted down for the war effort.
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