Continuing my documentation of obscure local mining sites, I visited the Berrong-Johnson Copper Prospect. Originally a copper prospect, it was mostly iron pyrite that was found here. Initial prospecting was carried out in the late 1800s. A 1918 survey reported a large prospect pit, some smaller test pits, and a collapsed tunnel on the site. It was stated that "the showing of gossan on this property is among the best in the state, and it is very probable that a workable pyrite deposit could be developed if transportation was available." Unfortunately the distance to the nearest railroad was too great for economic success.
There was further production here after that report, as I found multiple additional pits, and a deep vertical shaft, the bottom of which I couldn't see. The harsh lighting was absolutely horrible, so I cut my exploration short until I could return on a day with no sun.
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Pit A1
Slumped pits like this were all I initially expected to find here.
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Pit B1
A smaller pit with a spoils pile behind it.
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Pit B1 from another angle.
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Pit B2
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Deep vertical shaft
Coming up from Pit B2, I had to climb around a large spoils mound.
Rounding the crest and seeing this, I knew it wasn't just another pit.
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Deep vertical shaft - a closer look.
I didn't get close enough to the edge to see a bottom. I tossed
a stick down, and it echoed off the sides before hitting bottom.
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Deep vertical shaft - from the opposite side.
The hole starts off round, just over 6 feet in
diameter, then squares off as it gets deeper.
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Pit C1
This may be a collapsed deeper shaft.
This site definitely merits further exploration...
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A week later, under mostly cloudy skies, I returned to the Berrong-Johnson prospect site to try for better photos. The main thing I wanted to see was how deep the "bottomless pit" vertical shaft was. With better lighting, I could see that it is around 25-30 feet deep. I may have also located the old tunnel (which was reported collapsed prior to 1918) that leads toward the shaft.
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Pit A1, much more discernible than in the first photo on this page.
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Pit B1
This hole is about 6 feet deep, but the photos just don't reflect that depth...
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Pit B2, with possible collapsed tunnel mouth at center
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Possibly the top of the collapsed tunnel mouth...
It would take some digging to verify this speculation...
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B3 - the deep vertical shaft.
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Looking down shaft B3 with better lighting than my first visit.
I could see a few old bottles and a can on the floor.
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With some more exploring, I found another pit and a number of long cuts/trenches.
Unfortunately the clouds disppeared and I was again left with contrasty conditions for photos.
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Earlier, I'd found this rock and mortar U-shaped wall built into a bank.
I think it was an old spring head, which has moved underground.
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