Uncovering a Hidden Winze in the Abandoned Grizzly Gulch Mine

Does the Grizzly Gulch Mine really have a haunted shaft? On my initial visit to this abandoned mine, I came across a winze in the tunnel floor that had been covered up with a huge pile of broken timbers and ladders. For those of you who don't know, a "winze" is a small, vertical shaft found in a tunnel floor which leads to lower levels in a mine. On the wall near the winze in the Grizzly Gulch Mine, the old-time miners had used their carbide lanterns to scrawl the words "DANGER" and "HAUNTS" with an arrow pointing to the winze that they were so careful to cover up and seal completely. It seemed a bit unusual because two other winzes earlier in the mine were not covered up at all. Why would the miners go to all that trouble to cover up that particular winze and then write the words "DANGER" and "HAUNTS" next to it? Maybe a fellow miner died in that area of the mine. Maybe that particular winze really was haunted. Who knows? Curiosity got the better of me, so I recently returned to the Grizzly Gulch Mine by myself to uncover the winze and see if the lower levels in the mine could be accessed there. Later on, I hiked down the mountain on an old mining road and found another adit for the Grizzly Gulch Mine that led into the bottom of a deep, narrow, open stope. Along the way I documented another one of the mine's leftover, windowless buildings. Enjoy!

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[knighttemplar]

I was curious how common haunts/ghosts in a mine were historically, so I took some time to find and read through a bunch of old newspaper articles and found stories about miners' encounters with ghosts over the decades. It seems ghostly encounters definitely were a thing that would disrupt mines and sometimes the owners would have to investigate the reported ghost before the miners would go back in. Filling that winze in so severely may have been a move by the owners to placate the fears and get the miners back in after something happened with it.

One of the interesting articles was from 1897 and it was kind of a report on the superstitions of miners and they had info from miners working in the US, UK, and Columbia. The article said "nearly every mine" has ghosts, lucky and unlucky days, mascots such as horseshoes the miners would use for good luck, and beliefs based on tragedies that occurred or local traditions about accidents and murders involving the mine. Miners would report seeing a "death's hand" that would appear as a white hand that took hold of the rungs of the ladder as a miner was descending, this was seen as a grave omen for the miner it followed. Many miners reported being warned by something before catastrophes, such as a miner who heard a voice calling his name three times before he finally put down his pick and went to see who it was, and an enormous rock fell where he had just been working. A 1923 article said that there had been a cavein in an Oklahoma mine which took the lives of 13 miners, the survivors said they had seen the apparition of a black dog that seemed to have tried to warn them of the danger, and afterwards it was said a ghostly woman dressed in black could be seen patrolling the area where the men had died.

Ghostly miners may have been the most common sighting, with the spirits usually moving about the mine until they vanished down a drift or shaft, or sometimes would be seen or heard working the mine.

[Porty]

"Haints", in Appalachia.

I've seen and heard some weird things around mines (footsteps, voices, orbs, strange shadows, machinery noises). The Higdon Mine in Missouri had all of those. It's since been reactivated.

Some mines in New Mexico give the feeling that someone or something is watching you - stay away from the Rosedale district, something is very wrong with that area. The whole Magdalena district feels strangely comfortable, even though it's one of the most dangerous to explore. Steeple Rock is fine in the day, but watch out at night...weird things out there that make digital cameras go fuzzy.

Long story short, there are things out there without a scientific explanation. Certain legends wouldn't have stuck around as long as they have without being grounded in the truth. New Mexico is a very strange and very old place.

[AbandonedMaine]

Something caused them to spend that much effort plugging it up.

[murielvaillancourt]

They must be very afraid of this ghost! It must be better to keep him alone. Thanks a lot, Frank for the ride .💞i am still alive but now my doc says that he can’t anymore suppress my constant suffering in my column nerves with morphine and fantanyl higher doses. So my daughter buys me for my 65 y birthday this month, a virtual reality set and now i can watch all your videos like if i was really with you! This system is useful for people in burnt unit or in palliative care like me, to distract the brain from the suffering. I also have an app to watch galaxies and stars! I love this because i can’t no more going on my balcony in wheelchair to watch Saturne and Jupiter with my telescope. Thank you to help me dreaming and be alive .

[moanamaree]

I’ve heard that alot of miners back in the day and very few today have come across openings into massive underground cabins that were believed to be created and built by humans but it’s unexplainable on how a person in those times could of made it down there without the equipment we use today. I think that’s why I started watching your channel, very informative and great experience.

[windetrails]

In all my years in the uranium mines I never heard the word WINZE. That's interesting, Gotta hand it to those old miners, they worked hard to accomplish the same goals as the modern miners do today. They got the job done. Great video!

[morelenmir]

They *really* didn't want people going down that blind shaft--or perhaps something getting out... For a fraction of a second when you panned up to the stope I fully, fully expected there to be something stood in the tunnel, watching you.

[timetogodoug]

Thank you Frank, have a great rest of your day!

[Minerer]

These were fun mines! Thanks for sharing. I visited each of them awhile back, back in my "early" days, but it was fun to see them from your perspective. That second mine, the one where you could see daylight from above, actually goes downwards. I think there's a winze (wording?) just beyond that pile you stopped at. When I was there, I did the "rock test" and it dropped quite a ways. I didn't go down, however, because of the same reasons you pointed out. That mine did not strike me as a very stable one.

Thanks again for sharing. Be safe on your adventures!

[AT-kijz]

A rare two-holer! That was like the Ritz Carlton of outhouses! Cool vid Frank, damn shame they backfilled that winze - I think you have enough fans willing to excavate just to see what's down there 💀👻

[twwtb]

Thanks man. It's always fun to come along for the ride.

[KasualBeast]

100% believe in Ghosts. If i remember correctly you had an encounter or two with some unexplained activity in 1 or some of your vids...Also ty again for another upload. In these times i need every distraction i can get and this is one of my favorites!

[michaelkrutz]

All that work to uncover that winze and it's back filled... bummer. The timbers holding up that partial collapse looked pretty sketchy to say the least. Thank you for taking me along on the adventure.

[steelgranny]

Wow, they were sure serious about blocking whatever it was from escaping...my country friends from here, (Missouri) call ghosts "haints", or a location would be "hainted". :) Excellent location Frank, and as always, thank you for bringing us such great content! Loved it.

[dancjr]

Awesome video as always!!! Those miners were serious about keeping that winze closed off, definitely a lot of sweat involved, thanks for attempting to gain access, the ghouls must be disappointed, they’re still stuck down there 😆. That was definitely a large outhouse, was that much of a distance from the portal? The second mine portal was interesting as well, I thought it was cool the way the two tunnels became an open cut following a vertical vein. Thanks for sharing Frank, stay safe.

[misaelflamenco]

By any chance would you ever consider going back to The Waldeck Mine? Just curious...

[aslerunarborgersen]

Thank you for taking us with you on your adventures, Frank. You have alot of exciting mines over there, and I really like to "join" you on your trips....here from my chair in Norway. Take care, and I am already waiting for your next adventure.

[petehatzakos]

So a long time ago, I knew a couple who liked to visit old ghost towns and the first thing one of the couple would go to, is where the outhouse was, took a shovel and dug for little artifacts. One persons trash is another persons treasure. She would find all sorts of glass items from the late 1800s. Amazing stuff!

[astralvirgin]

Afternoon Frank! Fun adventure in that sketchy mine and too bad that winze was inaccessible...I think the ghost would have been very thankful for letting him/her/it out (even tho they can pass thru anything!). As always, looking forward to the next fun afternoon, take care and stay safe out there!!

[victoryfaust]

If I ever read Danger and Haunts I would walk the other way, you go out of your way to find it. Haha. Great work and thanks for revisiting it!