Lost Mines

 I started looking at posting about the San Saba mine in hopes the wrecking crew would jump in and do their thing. The more legends and stories I read they all seemed to have things in common, to explain why they are lost. So I went in another direction for now.
Like:
 The mine is discovered and worked by a recluse who refuses to divulge the location, and dies without revealing the location.
 The mine is worked by native peoples who refuse to divulge the location to others.
 The mineral deposit is discovered in a remote location, and upon returning to the area the discoverer cannot find it again.
 The discoverer dies of hunger, thirst, or exposure shortly after discovering the deposit, and his body is found with rich ore specimens in his possession.
 The discoverers are killed by hostile natives. Sometimes the natives cover up the entrance to the mine.
 In Spanish colonies in the New World, many lost mines were supposedly worked under the direction of Jesuit priests before their sudden expulsion in 1767.

 I am not a big believer in lost mines some legends have a historical basis; but most seem to be just campfire tales.
 I also have a problem with the Jesuit hiding tons and tons of gold and silver, they did do some large scale mining but I am sure that most metal was shipped back to Spain as soon as possible. In the 15th and 16th century gold and silver had little value in the new world. 

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,22173.msg155041.html#msg155041

Thanks Jones real or not real the story falls right into the scenario of other lost mines.

 The discoverer dies of hunger, thirst, or exposure shortly after discovering the deposit, and his body is found with rich ore specimens in his possession.

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,22173.msg155051.html#msg155051

Agreed Seldom, they all read like a dime store novel. Fun to think about next to impossible to verify. Like the lost Blue Bucket Mine, the Meeks party definitely got lost in southern Oregon, Sarah Chambers tombstone exists, but no one has found the deposit, and no one is really even sure if there was actual gold found since none of the party knew what it was. Kind of an important part of the equation. 

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,22173.msg155075.html#msg155075

 Hi all, Seldom I think these are all reasonable reasons for the loss of a mine/ mine site.
 Jones the location of the Dead horse could be a good starting point. If it was found in a log jam it could have been washed down stream a way.
 In earlie mining days in Queensland Australia rainy season floods ended many a gold prospecters days. A few lost mine story's relate to this event. Remember in these old times you couldn't drive down the local highway get up to date weather reports call for medical help from your cell phone...
 I know one story relating to a friends family, anyways this old guy only just made it out of the dessert alive with his gold. If he didn't make it it would be like all the other lost mine story's where a guy is found dead with rich samples.

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,22173.msg155217.html#msg155217

Her is another we can add to the list in fact its the one that I tink is the answer to the Dutchman.

A cache of rich ore is found  over time the finder pass it off as his mining find. After he dies are disappears a legend gets started that old Larry had a rich mine when in fact he only had a small amount of rich ore.

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,22173.msg155278.html#msg155278