Chemung and Success


After
cresting the summit of the climb out of Masonic, keep your
eyes peeled on the long descent for a distinct, small dry
lake bed on your right. The rather substantial ruins
of Chemung will then be seen above the road to your left. The
ore body here was discovered in 1909, and the mine and mill
continued to operate until the late 1930's. There is
a protected, level campsite around on the downhill side. The
shafts and adits are close to this campsite, just above the
structures. The two most prominent adits seem to be
in excellent explorable condition. However, there is
a strong, icy blast of air that issues from them that was
frigid enough to deter us! There's plenty to see above
ground anyway! The buildings are, for the most part,
pretty well preserved. When you get up close you can
see that all are riddled with bullet holes, disproving the
adage that you can hit the broadside of a barn! There
are wooden stairways, old arrastres, an old boiler, and everything
else that a good ghost mine should have. Many people
insist that Chemung is haunted by a real ghost, but
only on Saturday nights. They cite any number
of strange happenings to prove their points.
We were
there about noon on Saturday. It was bright and
sunny, and except for that icy blast from the old adit, the
existence of a ghost seemed remote. Still, rumors persist. Check
it out for yourself!

Just
a short drive downhill from Chemung will bring you to a meadow
and some distinctive red tailings. In the center of
it all is the caved in shaft of the Success Mine. With
the Sierras in the background, the remnants of this old mine
make for some good pictures. Speaking of pictures,
click on the thumbnails below for a tour of Chemung and Success.