MINING

 

 Miners Park

more formally called

Bullion Canyon Miners Park and Heritage Trail

This park is reached by driving up the Bullion Canyon road west of Marysvale and is accessible during the summer and early fall. The trail begins at the edge of Fishlake National Forest, where you may pick up an excellent keepsake booklet for the "Canyon of Gold" tour with information about each site on the trail - please leave the requested donation if you take a booklet.

Built in the early 1990s by volunteer labor and donations, the park consists of a number of well-marked sites, including mining equipment, a mine portal, a (possibly) Spanish arastra predating the 1868 gold rush, and a number of mine-related buildings. Most stops are simple pull-offs along the road, but at the end of the trail there is a cluster of sites closely grouped in a 1/4-mile walking route.

The initial plan for the site was developed by Cindy Kessler, Forest Service employee. Bob Leonard, archaeologist with the Fishlake National Forest, received the U.S. Forest Services' Gifford Pinchot Award in 1996 for his part in building Miners' Park. Rell Frederick, local mining historian, also played a major role.

 

 

 

 

By Ardis E Parshall, 2006