Espejo Update

 

Well another year has almost gone by and as it would seem my efforts of bringing forth knowledge of Antonio de Espejo and his adventures into the Utah mountains as far back as 1583, are beginning to pay off. Thanks to a few good men who has been a part of the exploration that has occurred this year. And one man who has seen to it that I could actually escape my prison to be able to venture deeper into this project, Thank you Michael for all you have done and contributed making these things possible and Chad for his selfless act which continues to bless us…

To brush up on the story of Antonio please re-read…

Roman Vaults in the Uinta Mountains?           originally posted 2018

Massive trees growing out of the second mine dump location

Very old (1480) Spanish coin found while digging out the second mine location

      

In the last two years focus has been upon finding points upon the Espejo Map in order to validate its authenticity, this was accomplished quite smoothly, validation is now a moot point, however finding the mine sites, amour caches or Vaults would be the ultimate, and I am going to keep moving in that direction as circumstances allow. 

The first mine validated was in some ways accidental as the finder did not know of the Espejo map when he found that mine, it wasn’t until years later that it was realized what it was. Many portions of the old trails has been validated as well especially last year. The second mine was to me the most exciting, after months and years of studying the map and fine tuning my understanding of what drainages were intended, one mine location caught my attention and using all I could to pin point it’s location once I was certain, I called one of my best colleagues and he without haste went to visit the site which wasn’t exactly easy to get to, and sure enough he found it! Much has occurred since in the effort to open a mine that likely hasn’t seen the light of day in near 450 years.

Yesterday was a big day for me. After discovery of the second mine, my focus changed to another area of a 3^rd mine, careful consideration and planning was made and early last week I and Michael made our way into the area, I having some limitations, Michael did all the work. The day ended with us not being to much wiser and plans made to return just a few days later were made. We arrived at the site yesterday morning and planned our course for the day. A better path chosen made it much easier for me to get closer in however again Michael did most of the searching but with the benefit of the old trail present. Standing way above the search area and tracking Michaels moves, I spotted a small clearing and flat spot below, this I would use as a point in order to see his positioning. The more I looked at it the more I could see that it was likely what we came to find. After seeing it up close and much investigation I am for the most part certain it is what we think it is… keep in mind after 450 years, an old mine dump is well on its way to merging back in with mother nature and can in some ways be difficult to see even if you are standing on it, further investigation is in the works.

I wish I had some pictures for you, but over growth made it pointless, I’ll see what I can do next trip.

Who knows, I may even have time to find a 4^th location this year… we’ll see… maybe one of the Vaults. I hate the cold and the leaves are beginning to change… Michael just couldn’t get enough of the beautiful landscapes… I will never doubt the off-road abilities of the Lexus. ;-)