Fremont Mining District – San Bernardino County, California

You can walk into what is seen of the adit workings. You would need to rappel to access the shaft. The shaft is gated and would need to be opened to access and then rope work would be required to explore the inner workings. The adit is interesting because it appears the adit was more of a decline that has been backfilled. There is a small cavern in the adit holding water barrels. Surveyors do not believe this was the extent of the adit.

The last 8 miles to this claim is on an easy 2WD dirt road weather permitting. Surveyors went to the claim just after a rainstorm and there were massive puddles that would have been unpassable at the time without high clearance 4WD.

Contact us for exact coordinates.

The Monarch-Rand Mine is a historic gold property that has documented production of thousands of ounces of gold, silver and copper. The property covers the major producing workings. The Monarch-Rand Mine operated until roughly 1963 or 64. The mine was closed down amidst low gold and silver pricing. It The mine is a massive old beast which has not been surveyed or mapped for at least 50 years. Multiple foundations on the claim indicate there was a mill, headframe and hoist house at one point in time. Historically there should be well over 4000' of workings in the mine. There is some footage of the interior workings from 2012 at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6220KqWoadw (note: This footage is not made by Vendor, Inc. and is provided only for reference.) The adit entrance has been backfilled and the shaft has been grated. This was done by the land manager and will require a bond to access. For more information please contact our offices during normal business hours. All that remains of the Monarch-Rand Mine camp and mill are foundations. There is substantial room for staging and vehicles. Access is direct from the highway along a county dirt road. The road has some high spots and 4WD is highly recommended. The Monarch-Rand Mine has produced thousands of dollars in gold bullion. The mine also has extensive reserves noted in many historic documents. These reserves were noted after the closing of the mine in 1964. The Monarch-Rand is a rich gold property that has not been examined or addressed in over 50 years. This property is not recommended for small miners or individuals. The mine will require a plan of operation to be functional again. This will incur bonds from local land managers. The new owner of the Monarch-Rand Mine will have substantial gold reserves to tap, but it will require some upfront investment. The property is priced to reflect this fact.

The Fremont Peak District is underlain by Precambrian gneiss that has been intruded by Cretaceous granitic rocks (Jennings, 1977; Dibblee, 1968). Rhyolitic dikes probably related to the Opal Mountain Volcanics intrude the older rocks and are associated with many of the gold occurrences in the district. Gold reportedly occurs along with pyrite and arsenopyrite in a series of parallel quartz veins (one to four feet wide) and also along the contacts of rhyolite dikes and the granitic basement rocks. Placer gold also occurs in this district but has not been worked because of the lack of water.[1]

California State Mineralogist Report from 1925 states:

The original workings o f the Monarch Rand Mining Company were approximately 1600 feet southeast of the Baltic Shaft . The Monarch Rand Shaft , now known as the Monarch NO. 1, is a 1 1/2 compartment vertical shaft , now 450 feet deep . It is planned to sink ' to 700 feet . Stations have been cut at 118 , 168 and 218 feet . One; vein , 34 feet thick , has been found in this shaft which was said to assay $48.00 (2.2 opt), chiefly in gold . This vein which lays on the hanging wall of a quartz latite dike , was cut off on the top, bottom and both ends by faults . 100 tons of ore were taken from the NO. 1 shaft .[2]

From a 1968 report

The Fremont Peak (Gateway) mine, owned by Mrs. W. O. Walker, is located half a mile west of Fremont Peak. The workings are developed along a series of a series of parellel quartz aveins. 1 to 4 feet wide, which strike generally northeast and dip steeply norwest. wall rock is quartz monzonite. Gold, pyrite, and arsenopyrite occur in veins and also along the contact between quartz monzonite and rhyolite dikes. workings consist of a 185-foot shaft inclined 20 N from vertical sunk on an iron-stained quartz vein in quartz monzonite with three levels and about 3,250 feet of drifts and cross cuts. There are also three adits 60 to 200 feet long on the property. Milling equipment consist of an amalgamation mill. The mine is now idle.[1]

Access to the Mine: You can walk into what is seen of the adit workings. You would need to rappel to access the shaft. The shaft is gated and would need to be opened to access and then rope work would be required to explore the inner workings. The adit is interesting because it appears the adit was more of a decline that has been backfilled. There is a small cavern in the adit holding water barrels. Surveyors do not believe this was the extent of the adit.
Tailings Present: 50,000 + tons, Mostly waste rock was seen in the tailings. Surveyors saw lots of iron and quartz and since this area was mined for gold, it is likely claimant could spend some time reprocessing the tailings and may see some return.
Entrance: Solid Rock
Mine Cut: Adit and Shaft
Minerals in the Mine: This claim was historically mined for gold. Surveyors saw lots of iron stained quartz and iron in the area. No visible gold was seen but with more time surveyors probably would have seen gold.
Foot Traffic in the Mine: Moderate
Last Worked: 1964