Keystone Mine - Mohave County
Where: Located in the Cerbat Mountains off Mineral Park Road, Mohave County
Mining District: Wallapai Mining District
Travel Conditions: The road to the Keystone mine is passable with a high clearance 2WD vehicle at this time but the water continues to cut away at the roads. It is recommended that a 4WD vehicle be used to explore this area.
Operation Dates: Discovered in 1870 with the last year of production from 1901 to 1948.
History:
What you will see today: As with many of the old mine locations in this area there is evidence or the mine tailings on the side of the mountain indicating the previous workings. There are two locations near the mine where the concrete footers and slabs remain as ghost to the production that took place here.
At the peak of the largest tailings pile is located a mine shaft fenced in for safety reasons. Sitting on the South side of the mine shaft is a small gas engine operated hoist cable. The opening of the shaft is framed with a metal base and rail tracks protrude from the shaft.
Just up the hill, from the main mine shaft, is the smaller of the two old concrete footers with a metal tank still present nearby. Just beyond this area and across the dirt road is another fenced area surrounding a second mine shaft.
The second set of concrete footings, located on the side of a hill, adjacent to the smaller footers is the larger of the two processing locations. Several levels to this processing location are apparent from the concrete footings. This concrete structure is on a slope just below another set of mine workings. Minimal wood skeletal structure remains with most no longer present.
Amongst the trees near the main workings, there are old cans and other small rusty items remaining from the time of operation. I came across a wooden structure containing some short levers attached to a rack and pinion along each side of the structure. It appeared that the wooden structure could be moved back and forth on its base. I am not sure of the purpose for this fixture but it was interesting to walk around and study the complete structure.
Comments: This location is a short ride from Kingman on paved roads and a short distance on a dirt road next to the large copper mine now operated by Origin Mining Co. The copper mine is mostly dormant at the time of writing this in June 2017. There are some great views of the copper mine across from the Keystone Mine.
Minerals Mined: Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, and Copper
Acknowledgement: Western Mining History, mindat.org, Arizona Place Names