I recently found the tailings of an old Coal mine in Glacier, WA -- this is a town about ten miles from us and is the center for the skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts. Since I am learning blacksmithing, a cheap source of coal is a good thing and a friend turned me on to this one. There is more in the tailings than I will ever use in several lifetimes and it is all accessible with a 4X truck.
While trying to find out more about this mine (and the location of the adit), I was researching other coal mines in the area. The biggie has always been the Bellingham Number One Mine and until yesterday, I had no clue about where it was located or how big it was.
I found this 2004 report: Bellingham/Lake Whatcom Coal Mines Bellingham No. 1 Coal Mine Preliminary Assessment Report Whatcom County, Washington TDD: 03-01-0002 and was blown away at just how big these operations were. Here is a thumbnail:
I am a mining engineer (freelancer consultant) just settled down here. It's impressive that there was a coal mine in the ground. Based on the layout, it's a typical oldschool bord&pillar mining pattern. Even for now, it's the only way to mine beneath or near water body, to keep the ground intact avoiding inflow through cracks. But currently, they can use continious miner (a moveable cutting machine) cut the coal seam, quicker, less labor.
Before it closed up, the onshore part seems had been mined out, and met more and more drainage problem that increase cost. But I think there should be other minable coal seams in the surrunding sedimentary plain. But due to f*cking EPA, minining became a impossible mission in US. Let's see, for mineral resource and mining industry, canadian and aussies will seize US's balls. US local mining people will extinct in the near future.
The original portal probably at somewhere in the golf club.
I actually have an opening in my back yard that is the beginning of one of the shafts. It was backfilled at one point in time. Over the years some erosion and some caving in opened the entrance back up. I have climbed inside a few feet just to look (not smart at all) There isn't a lot to see though. The shaft goes back about 20 feet then goes under the water. all the old support beams are rotted off and laying on the floor. My main reason for commenting is to warn the adventurous of us not to try exploring the mines they really arnt stable. it will be interesting to see a big sink hole in the middle of town one day. . .