[RodF]

For those who like history, and enjoy a bit of an off-trail scramble, here's an interesting dayhike near Port Angeles. It's about two hours hike from the trailhead, and is worth an hour or two of exploration once there. Little River Trail, above Port Angeles, leads 8 miles up the south branch of Little River to Hurricane Hill. I've previously reported here the construction of two new footlogs on the trail. The first of these, 1.8 miles from the trailhead, spans Little River to its west bank at the mouth of Cowen Creek.

BCHW footlog at 1.8 miles

From here, a way trail branches up Cowen Creek to the Gregory or Angeles Star mine. I finally got a chance to explore this, led by friend and fellow aficionado of local history, Norm, who spent three days last winter extensively exploring this area. The way trail up Cowen Creek, although completely unmaintained, is readily followed. It begins above the south bank, leading in about 200 yards to a beautiful campsite on Cowen Creek, where two large windfall logs are used to cross to the north bank.

crossing Cowen Creek

The "way trail" soon drops to merely a well-used route, scrambling over dozens of windfall logs and short scrambles, with only rare fragments of actual tread. It crosses Cowen Creek five times in a half mile, rewarding one's effort with views of this beautiful stream.

Cowen cascades

recrossing beneath big log

A major tributary stream valley enters from the south at about 0.3 miles, and another from the north at about 0.5 miles - these are good to note as waypoints. The route then becomes faint on the north bank at about 0.6 miles, as one comes to the first evidence men worked up here: a sawn cedar stump with springpole notches.

sawn stump with springpole notches below mine

A short distance upstream, looking across Cowen Creek to its south bank, one will see the air compressor tank.

air compressor and tank

Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co. piston air compressor

tank and compressor foundation

flywheel...

...with crank to drive compressor

The air compressor was removed from its concrete foundation. The air tank once stood upright, and is now lying on its side. Compressed air pipe is located upstream, partially buried in gravel bars, at a couple sites about one and two hundred yards upstream towards the mine shafts. This powered the pneumatic mining drill used to set charges and blast the mine shafts.

compressed air pipe

How was the air compressor driven? Evidence was found in the stream bed upstream of the main mine shaft: a bored wooden water pipe reinforced with wrapping steel wire.

water pipe

As at the Tubal Cain powerhouse, it must have fed a Pelton wheel, which was then geared down to spin the flywheel and crankshaft for the air compressor. But the Pelton wheel and its gearbox are gone... presumably when the mine was abandoned, they were worth enough to pack out and sell? The air compressor had been taken off its foundation, so perhaps they were intending to pack it out as well, but didn't return for it. The main shaft is about 200 yards upstream of the air compressor, and also on the south bank (it's a bit of a scramble, and the easiest route is on the north bank). It winds 225 feet into the mountain, and has a side adit, both following quartz veins.

main shaft entrance

main shaft

quartz vein at end of main shaft

drill holes

quartz

Just above the main shaft, another short exploratory shaft also follows quartz. The second-largest shaft is about 200 yards upstream, right on the north bank of Cowen Creek, but a slide above it has partially blocked its entrance, so it is flooded.

second shaft, on north bank

The third-largest is another 100 yards upstream, high above the north bank. Looking up from the stream, you can see its entrance above the tailings. It contains the widest of the many quartz veins the miners were clearly seeking.

wide quartz vein

Norm has located two additional short exploratory adits high above the south bank, and another one further upstream on the north bank, for a total of seven. He said these are shallow, and take a lot more effort to get to, so we didn't try to find them on this trip. History. "In the early 1900s, M. J. Gregory opened a mine in the Little River drainage southwest of Mount Angeles. By 1917, Gregory's mine consisted of four tunnels ranging from 40 to 210 feet in length." - Historic Mining Properties in National Park Service Units in the Pacific Northwest, NPS, cited on Windsox. "Government Land Office surveyors' 1905 notes mentioned that gold, silver and copper had been discovered in several places on the north slope of Mount Angeles (DNR Maps and Surveys). At about the same time M. J. Gregory began working a mine in the Little River watershed southwest of Mount Angeles. By 1917, Gregory successfully drove four tunnels into different ledges on the mountain slope ranging in length from forty feet to 210 feet. Specimens were reportedly assayed at eighty-two percent zinc with smaller quantities of gold, lead and copper (Olympic Leader 1917, 21 August; Webster 1917)." - Gail H. E. Evans, Historic Resource Study, Olympic National Park (NPS, 1983), Chapter 3. "Angeles Star Claim (Winter Claim; Gregory-Savage Claim), Cowan Creek, Clallam Co., Washington, USA T29N-R6W, Section 6 A Zn,Au,Cu claim located on Cowan Creek, a tributary of the Little River. It worked two 6" veins and a 36" vein. Developments include a 166' adit, 225' adit, and a 200' adit. Minerals: Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Quartz, Sphalerite." - Marshall Huntting, Inventory of Washington Minerals, Part II, Metallic Minerals, Vol. 1 (DNR, 1956), cited on Mindat. I searched General Lands Office online records, but was unable to find the filed mining claims.

[H. Hound]

Thanks for the report. I love finding stuff like that out in the woods. I checked the reference in "Inventory of Washington Minerals" part II "Metallic Minerals" for the Angeles Star, and it's listed as unpublished. Unpublished field notes can be viewed at the DNR library in Olympia if you want more info.

[haydenslides]

Motivated by your trip report, I made it up to the mines today! A little hint for anyone attempting the trek: as you work your way up the creek two creeks will flow into the main creek. At the first one stay left and at the second one stay right. There is a faint way trail up to the site but it disappears and crosses the creek numerous times...you are basically looking for the path of least resistance.

[trestle]

Thanks RodF, another great walk back in time.

[MyFootHurts]

Went 4 miles mile up the Little River trail today to about the 2000' level. Couldn't find the mine trail. I think I was looking in the right place, just too much brush and undergrowth.

[RodF]

[MyFootHurts]

Yeah that's about where I looked. Guess it was just obscured by the spring foliage.

[Stumblefoot]

If you were 4 miles in then you were way too far. I believe it is only about 2 miles from the trail head to Cowen creek. I was up there last fall and made some small blazes marking the way trail. I agree that sites like this shouldn't be lost to history, or known only to a few. If the park service refuses to or is unable to maintain these trails then all that will keep them from disappearing into the brush is more usage.

[Hiking addict]

I made an account so I could give an update on Gregory Mines. I went there January 22 2022 and did make it up to them. Your directions were very accurate even 8 years later. We were afraid we would not notice Cowen Creek downstream from the bridge but we did easily. The way trail is good for the first half of the way there. Unfortunately, the attachments to the top of the piston air compressor have been stolen, however it’s not spray painted or moved. We managed to find 6 mineshafts in total and 5 upstream from the main one. We found the mine above the tailings on the north bank, but we never found the flooded mine. We didn’t have boots anyway. We kept exploring upstream and found two shafts on the south bank right next to the creek similar to the main mine that only they went back only about ten feet, however upstream is where all the relics are. We found a very hidden mine on the north bank very close to the creek that was obscured by the foliage that I literally stumbled into while walking the bank, I was unhurt. It went back 5 feet. We made it up to a confluence which split the creek in half. You should be able to tell on a map. This is where we stopped, but I think there are many more mines to find including ones that go back far. I have a trip report of this on WTA if you want to see it. I have already inspired someone to retrace my steps and they too put up a trip report. Thank you so much for sharing this trip report to all of us. It was really a walk through time over 100 years ago. I will come back here one day, to explore the mines high above the south bank we didn’t locate. And to clear the blowdowns and do some flagging. Not to mention bring boots to explore the flooded mine and perhaps a hammock for an overnight.

[Hiking addict]

https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report-2022-01-22-3528373027

[Hiking addict]

Click the link if you want to see a youtube video of the mines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKEI31M-PNE.

[Hiking addict]

Here are some extra details about my trip. Directions are very accurate even after 8 years. A very large contributary creek with a small valley enters from the south(left) at 0.3 miles marking the halfway point. Keep right on the main creek. There is another small creek that enters the valley from the north at 0.5 miles is just past the air compressor and has a really beautiful cascade. The people in the youtube video scramble up to it at the end of the video. The cascade is an indication you are so close to Gregory mine on the other side of the creek from the falls(the south side). The main mine is obvious. Just past the main mine, there is an unnatural scree from two mines that are really high on the south bank. We tried to locate them but we didn't have the time and I climbed up the slope for 200 feet above the creek when I decided that it was too steep. Located just across the stream from the unnatural scree you will find the flooded mine. I suggest you bring boots to explore the flooded mine We didn't find it on our trip but we know where it is in relation to the scree because of the video. Looking from the south bank across the scree you will see another mine high on the north bank. We explored this shaft. It only went back about 25 feet and was hard to get to. But it was worth it for us. Two more mineshafts right on the bottom of the creek ravine about 300 to 400 yards upstream located on the south bank go back about 15 feet. One of which had red tape laying on the ground at the entrance. I'm not sure what it was but the rubber red tape almost looked like the outer cover for a dynamite stick. There are lots of iron slinky pipes in the creek here and random peices of metal. On the north bank not far from the two other shafts is another shaft that goes back about ten feet. It's so hidden and so interesting. Looking out of the mine the creek is right in your face. Then, the creek splits into two and it looks like there are additional mines beyond this confluence. We stopped here and turned around. If you go beyond this spot let me know what you find! If you have any questions then just ask.

[Hiking addict]

Tomorrow I am going to Crescent Mine near lake Crescent. It dates back to 1923 or 99 years ago and apparently goes back several thousand feet. They’re are so many adits( mine portals) and lots of relics. I will post a report about it. It will be really interesting, I you want to know more than click the link http://exploreolympics.com/reports/?p=8345

[Hiking addict]

I successfully went to crescent mine about a week ago https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8035211