Existing comment:
Community Fact Sheet
Orphan Mine Site
A Site History...
The Orphan Mine Site is located on and below the South Rim at Grand Canyon National Park. The Site is approximately two miles northwest of the South Rim Village, between Maricopa Point and the Powell Memorial. The Park's Rim Trail, which traverses approximately twelve miles of the South Rim of the canyon, detours around the Orphan Mine property.
The Orphan Mine Claim, sometimes referred to as the Orphan Lode Mine or the Lost Orphan Mine, was filed in 1893 and patented in 1906. The property was surveyed as containing 20.26 acres of land extending from approximately 500 feet south of the South Rim to approximately 1,100 feet below the South Rim. During the early decades of the 20th century, periodic mining operations were conducted at the Orphan Mine, deriving copper and other precious metals from the workings. In 1931, geologists determined there were high-grade uranium deposits present in the Orphan Mine Site.
In 1953, a private mining company began leasing the mineral rights to the property, and in 1956 the company purchased both the mineral rights and the surface rights. The mining company built many structures to support its mining activities, including a three-tower aerial tram system for hauling ore from the lower mine area to the upper mine area on the South Rim. In 1959, the mining company replaced the tram with a hoisting shaft in order to increase production. The hoist included an 80-foot-high steel headframe which remains on the South Rim and a crosscut from the shaft to the main ore deposit at a depth of approximately 1,500 feet below the South Rim.
In 1962, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Interior to accept title to the Site. Site mining activities were required by the 1962 legislation to terminate no later than 1987. Mine production ceased in 1969. The National Park Service has determined that the Site may be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
And now.. .
Currently, mine wastes are present at the upper and lower mine areas as well as on the steep slope down the canyon along the path of the old tram structures (the middle mine area). The upper mine are is fenced with both a chain link metal fence and a temporary outer fence to protect park visitors from any potential exposure to radiation or other mine waste contaminants. In addition, signs have been posted in the Horn Creek draining warning the public not to drink the water in Horn Creek due to potentially hazardous levels of radioisotopes. The lower and middle mine areas are inaccessible to park visitors. The most notable feature of the lower mine area is a large "glory hole" which is visible from Maricopa Point. |