Keane Wonder Mine
click the photo to view the gallery
The Keane Wonder Mine is one of the most significant historic mining sites in Death Valley National Park. Located high on the western slopes of the Funeral Mountains, the mine overlooks the Amargosa Desert and the eastern margin of Death Valley. From its position nearly 1,500 feet above the desert floor, the site offers sweeping views across the valley and illustrates the difficult conditions faced by early desert prospectors and mining companies working in the region.
Gold-bearing quartz veins were discovered here in 1903 by prospector Jack Keane. Investors soon organized the Keane Wonder Mining Company and began developing the property in 1906. Because the ore body lay high on a steep mountainside, engineers constructed a large aerial tramway system to move ore down the slope to a mill located near the desert floor. The tramway stretched nearly a mile and carried buckets of ore across the rugged terrain, dropping more than 1,500 feet in elevation to the processing facilities below.
Mining operations expanded rapidly between 1907 and 1911. During these years the Keane Wonder Mine became one of the more productive gold mines in the Death Valley region, producing more than one million dollars in gold. As with many desert mines, however, declining ore quality, rising operating costs, and financial difficulties eventually forced the operation to close around 1912. Later attempts to revive the property never matched the early period of production.
Today the remains of the Keane Wonder Mine include foundations, tramway towers, tailings piles, and scattered mining structures that overlook the desert basin below. These ruins provide a visible reminder of the early twentieth century mining boom that briefly transformed the mountains surrounding Death Valley.
Jack Keane found gold in this area of the Funeral Mountains in 1903. The ore was of high quality and the mine was sold for $150,000 before any development began. The peak years, 1907 through 1911, the mine processed nearly 74,000 tons of gold, silver and lead ore paying roughly $9.22 a ton. Throughout the years from the discovery of the mine, 1903 to 1916 production totaled $1,100,000.
Also see:
Keane Wonder Mill
Keane Wonder Tram
History of Keane Wonder Mine
Click here to zoom out to the Death Valley Map