BWCA Spaulding lake mine Boundary Waters Group Forum: Cool spots in canoe country
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TuscaroraBorealis
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08/16/2014 05:37PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
 
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TuscaroraBorealis
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07/21/2015 08:32PM  
Old Spaulding Lake cabin











Video & photos taken June 2015.

LOCATION: Extreme east end of lake. N 48 3' 9.98" W 90 12' 45"

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS AREA: Canoe basecamp
 
Savage Voyageur
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08/23/2015 07:44PM  
quote TuscaroraBorealis: " Old Spaulding Lake cabin






I would like to try to find this in a few weeks. I see that you posted the GPS coordinates. My question is what map datum were you using when you took these coordinates? I can switch your N-W deg, min and sec to what I use UTM, but I would only be guessing on the datum and could be way off on the mine location. Thanks for your help on this.







Video & photos taken June 2015.


LOCATION: Extreme east end of lake. N 48 3' 9.98" W 90 12' 45"


FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS AREA: Canoe basecamp "
 
TuscaroraBorealis
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08/24/2015 09:27PM  
I just used the values from my camera (Nikon AW100)so I'm not sure on the #'s.

I'll try 'n' walk you through it....

- Get to the tiny creek on the extreme east end of Spaulding Lake.

- Follow the creek on the left (north) side until you come to the very large beaver dam. (You will probably need to stray from the creek in a few spots due to brush & water etc.) It's probably 150 feet or so from the lake.

- Once you locate the huge beaver dam, head (left)straight north about 100-150 feet to the cabin remains.

It's sort of a bushwhack, as there's no clear cut trail. But, if you poke around in this general area enough, you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. There's also a pile of old garbage just to the east of the cabin.
 
schweady
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08/26/2015 10:09AM  
quote Savage Voyageur: "I would like to try to find this in a few weeks. I see that you posted the GPS coordinates. My question is what map datum were you using when you took these coordinates?"

I'm certain that most coordinates shared here are using WGS 84.
 
Savage Voyageur
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08/26/2015 08:42PM  
Ok great info TB, thanks. I'll try WGS84, thanks Schweady.
 
TuscaroraBorealis
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10/17/2015 05:54PM  
quote Savage Voyageur: "Ok great info TB, thanks. I'll try WGS84, thanks Schweady."


So, were you able to locate the cabin? Or, didn't you even get a chance to look for it?
 
03/20/2016 10:12PM  
I was there in May of 2015 pretty cool
 
TuscaroraBorealis
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01/25/2023 08:42AM  
Photo taken August 2022
 
02/14/2023 11:45AM  
TB, I had been meaning to revive some old threads about this location. I went there solo twice last year (2022). Was able to find the old cabin pretty easily. Got a video of it as well (apologize for the quality). video

Does anyone know if the old winch or any of the old remnants of the mine/shaft/adit are still around? I was able to find a few spots where someone had quite obviously done some exploratory digging and what appeared to be an old open pit/shaft filled in with water.

I wasn't able to find any of the old equipment though. Wondering if it's still there, or maybe I somehow missed it? It's pretty difficult walking and very thick vegetation in some places so I feel like I could have been 20ft from it and not known and it was just me looking.

From what I could discern from prior info the old framed in shaft and the winch were supposed to be somewhere along the ridge to the south of the cabin, but I walked that ridge several times and never found anything. The test pits and the open pit I found were further east than I had expected to find anything, but again no equipment and no framed in, filled in shaft as described.

I also tried investigating the coordinates from the USGS database for the mine, but unfortunately that was also a no-go. They had the mine located somewhere NE of the east end of Crystal Lake. Went to the exact coordinates and searched the area. Nothing there that I could find...
 
TuscaroraBorealis
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02/14/2023 07:39PM  
keth0601: "TB, I had been meaning to revive some old threads about this location. I went there solo twice last year (2022). Was able to find the old cabin pretty easily. Got a video of it as well (apologize for the quality). video


Does anyone know if the old winch or any of the old remnants of the mine/shaft/adit are still around? I was able to find a few spots where someone had quite obviously done some exploratory digging and what appeared to be an old open pit/shaft filled in with water.


I wasn't able to find any of the old equipment though. Wondering if it's still there, or maybe I somehow missed it? It's pretty difficult walking and very thick vegetation in some places so I feel like I could have been 20ft from it and not known and it was just me looking.


From what I could discern from prior info the old framed in shaft and the winch were supposed to be somewhere along the ridge to the south of the cabin, but I walked that ridge several times and never found anything. The test pits and the open pit I found were further east than I had expected to find anything, but again no equipment and no framed in, filled in shaft as described.


I also tried investigating the coordinates from the USGS database for the mine, but unfortunately that was also a no-go. They had the mine located somewhere NE of the east end of Crystal Lake. Went to the exact coordinates and searched the area. Nothing there that I could find... "


Thanks for the report & video link!

I have never located the actual shaft but, must admit, haven't spent any serious time looking either. As you mentioned, the brush & vegetation is pretty dense - especially in August when I was there. I'd think an early spring trip right after ice-out would be the best time to poke around before everything fills in.
 
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