*Eureka Mining District – Mohave County, Arizona
*You can drive to just below the tailings of the mine entrance.
*Please call or Email for exact coordinates

The Arrastra Mine is a small set of workings on some likely very good gold deposits. This was a small scale mining operation. It is thought to have started in the late 1800s. It was likely worked intermittently until it was shut down in 1941 by the War Act. Sometime in the early 1960s, a miner by the name of George took the claim over and started working it. George stayed until he passed away in 1987 or 1989. It is unknown if his grave is nearby but it was not located by surveyors. The claim has a series of old buildings on it. The basic brick structure has been added on with awnings, an old camper, and various walls and doors. There is also an old workshop that is filled with old magazines and reading material. Many old implements that may have been used for mining. In addition, there is an early 1980s small pickup truck. The “yard” is filled with artistic expression and there are various sculptures all around the buildings. Some of the buildings bear large murals, assumed from George. The claims are set in a large wash where gold has been found from small nuggets to a monster 68 ounce nugget that came out near the highway in 1977. There is a shaft that is mostly ant-hilled and would need significant work to be usable. The shaft cannot be too deep due to the location so close to the old wash. The wash is where the majority of the mining work seems to have occurred. There are some old screens and riffles in the wash, probably set up to catch the easy gold in a wet season. There are substantial amounts of gold bearing black sands found all along the wash. As the wash on the claim continues it starts getting into large boulders and rock outcrops. Still lots of black sand, but good spots for the heavier gold to get caught. The best part about a placer claim like this is the ability for the claim to change with each year. New spring runoff brings new ore deposits from above. Some small history was found at the mine stating that “George” live out at the claim for twenty-seven (27) years until he passed away. Over those years he collected tons of old magazines and books that can be found in the workshop/shed. There is a camper and structures on the claim that would require minimal work to become habitable again. This claim consists of a Lode and a placer.

"West and northwest of Hillside are the McCloud Mountains, a granite range that attains a maximum altitude of 4,900 feet. Westward, these mountains give way to the ruggedly dissected basin of the Santa Maria and its tributaries, Burro, Boulder, Yavapai, and Bridle creeks. This basin, which descends to a minimum altitude of 1,600 feet, is characterized by desert vegetation and hot summers. Aside from the larger streams, water is obtained from a few springs and shallow wells.
This region is composed mainly of granite, gneiss, and schist, intruded by various dikes and stocks and overlain in places by mesa-forming lavas. It contains the Bagdad copper deposit, the Copper King zinc deposit, and several gold-bearing veins of which the Hillside and Crosby have been notable producers. Although these veins are of the mesothermal quartz-pyrite-galena type, they have been mined mainly in the oxidized zone. Early in 1934, preparations were being made to mine and concentrate ores from the sulphide zone"

There is no defined history of the mines or production. The site shows simply as a shaft on older topo maps.

Surveyors documented some small history that was found at the mine camp. Old murals and paintings on the buildings state that “George” lived out at the claim for twenty-seven (27) years until he passed away.

George looks to have passed away in 1989 or 1987. Minimal work has been done to the cabins or shops since then, but due to their remote location, the claims have not been looted or destroyed and the buildings and mine are in nearly the same condition as old George left them.

Over those years George collected tons of old magazines and books that can be found in the workshop/shed. The magazines range from 1961 to 1985 from what the surveyors observed. The structures on the claim would require minimal work to become habitable again.

These claims could be easily worked under the casual use guidelines with no permitting or bonds needed. If one wanted to utilize the buildings or bring a motorized sluice or shaker to process the black sands, a Notice of Operation would need to be filed and approved. This may include a bond which would likely be less than $1000.00

"The name of John Lawler is closely associated with the early history of mining in the Bagdad area. Mr. Lawler started locating claims in 1880 and, either through location or purchase, acquired complete or part ownership of most of the favorable mineralized ground. He was one of the organizers of the Eureka Mining district, formed August 16, 1884; the Bagdad area is a part of this district.[1]
The Eureka district, of southwestern Yavapai County, is bounded by the Santa Maria River on the south, Burro Creek on the northwest, the Mohave County line on the west, and the Phoenix branch of the Santa Fe Railway on the east. From Hillside, its principal railway shipping point, the area is accessible by improved roads that lead to Bagdad and Kingman, and by numerous unimproved routes."

Mine Details:

Access to the Mine: You can drive to just below the tailings of the mine entrance.
Tailings Present <1000 tons Entrance Sandy Mine Cut Shaft Depth / Length Not more than 100′ Minerals in the Mine Gold Foot Traffic in the Mine None Last Worked 1987-89 Federally Registered Mining Claim ID: AMC443324/443325