The Bottomless Pit

Scott told me a few days ago about a place he'd visited when he was a teenager. He said that out near Eureka was a massive, gaping chasm with a large metal grate over it. He and his friends called it the "bottomless pit." He didn't remember where it was exactly, but we decided yesterday to head out there and find it anyway.

Eureka sits west of Santaquin, Utah in the Tintic Mining District. It was, many years ago, a hotbed for mineral production and had many large mines in operation. Today, it exists only as the dilapidated shell of the city it once was - like a ghost town with people living in it. It's a rather creepy, yet fascinating little place.

On the outskirts of town was this enormous headframe. It must have stood 50 or so feet high.

The detailed view of the plaque shows the purpose of the headframe, which is to transport massive amounts of ore and gear up and down the main shaft, which (according to the plaque) can range from 300 to 3000 feet deep.

We stopped at a gas station to get drinks and ice cream and asked the attendant there where the "bottomless pit" was. She inferred that there were many in the area, but that the only one she could direct us to was east of town. Following her directions, we set out east to the dirt road she'd described and found our prize not more than 100 yards from the main road.

As you can see here, the pit spans about 25 feet by 25 feet.

Sadly, pictures do no justice to the size of this hole. I had to shoot wide angle, which makes it appear as if the walls are sloping inward and that the hole is smaller in the middle. This is very much not the case, though.

Close-up view of the rebar lattice - your only salvation from the gaping jaws of the earth below.

Here's another shot through the bars. I tried to zoom in to see further, but the darkness quickly clouds the depths of the hole.

We found a small, two foot length of a two-by-four near the shaft and decided to drop it in. It fell into the blackness without making a sound for four seconds or so, and then we heard a distant *PONK* .... then another second or so passed and we heard a more distant *CONK* followed by another even more quiet. The ever-quieting commotion continued for another three or four seconds until we couldn't hear it anymore - unsure of whether or not the depth was silencing the sound as it continued to fall or if it had finally found a resting place at the bottom.

I couldn't help but wonder about what might lay below on the bottom. How many wallets had fallen from the pockets of reckless visitors? How many pieces of wood were down there? How many rocks? How many bodies? It's a morbid thought, but such thoughts seem to come naturally to you as you gaze into the horrible depths of a bottomless pit.

*********************** UPDATE ***********************

I've had so many ask for directions to the pit so here they are. I have two requests, though, if you follow these directions:

1) Please comment on the blog! Let me know if you were able to get out there and what adventures you had while there. It's fun to hear about this.
2) I take no responsibility for anything that happens to you. There are certain risks and dangers associated with old mines, even those that are capped like this. You proceed at your own risk! Be careful. Use common sense. Don't be stupid. :)

*********************** DOUBLE UPDATE ***********************

Some dumbasses (yes, I called them dumbasses) ruined the fun by being stupid. Due to this, the mine shaft will now be capped with cement. I'm not sure you can even get to it anymore. You can read the news story here: http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-burning-twelve-hospitalized-after-being-burned-at-utah-county-mine-20110717,0,5827173.story It's a shame that things like this are ruined because of the stupid actions of a few. I feel bad for those who were burned, but not for the jackasses that threw safety out the window. Regardless, I am happy I had the opportunity to see the mine shaft and enjoy some fun (safe) times out there with friends. I'm also impressed with the amount of information I've received from others through this post and have enjoyed hearing about the experiences others have had out there. :)

Directions:
1) Take I-15 South to Exit 244 (Santaquin Exit).
2) Head west on Main St. out of town and follow for 16.6 miles
3) Turn right onto Elberta Slant Rd.

Here is the google maps link so you are more familiar with what this looks like.

On the map, you can see the mine as a black square to the upper left of where the directions end.

-Barry