Osage Asphalt Mine
- Headframe Hunters
- 100+ Poster
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:17 am
- Location: New Mexico
Osage Asphalt Mine
I dunno if anyone here has been in this one; it's behind the ready-mix plant in Osage Beach. It was an aggregate mine owned by Osage Asphalt, Inc. that seems to have closed around 1984.
There are three entrances on the north side of the face; all are covered with corrugated metal siding. The siding has come loose on one; I'm 6'0" 260lbs and barely fit through the man-squeeze between the two-by-fours holding the whole thing up. This is a view of the inside of the gate.
One of the rooms is walled off with cinder blocks; it's empty except for PVC pipe, buckets, and miscellaneous junk. It was probably the underground shop and storeroom for the mine.
I thought that this 'DANGER - EXPLOSIVES' sign was worthy of a photo op, with obligatory face hiding.
I believe that the drifts here are approximately 20 feet high by forty feet wide. It seems like someone wanted to use the mine as a warehouse, based on pickup tire tracks and 'CONTROL STORAGE' being painted on the gate, but it didn't pan out.
This is the gnarliest pillar failure I've ever seen. The pillar intserects a pocket of clay, which dissolved once it got wet. As you get towards the eastern side of the mine, the back (roof) conditions get sketchy. There are a bunch of rock falls and mangled roof bolts, and some installed roof bolts that backed out almost a foot from stresses. In addition to the three entrances on the northern pit wall, there is a fourth on the eastern wall. The workings there seem to be under the ready-mix plant, and are slowly failing from the weight of the plant, its stockpiles, and the massive heap of waste concrete. We didn't enter them for obvious reasons.
There are three entrances on the north side of the face; all are covered with corrugated metal siding. The siding has come loose on one; I'm 6'0" 260lbs and barely fit through the man-squeeze between the two-by-fours holding the whole thing up. This is a view of the inside of the gate.
One of the rooms is walled off with cinder blocks; it's empty except for PVC pipe, buckets, and miscellaneous junk. It was probably the underground shop and storeroom for the mine.
I thought that this 'DANGER - EXPLOSIVES' sign was worthy of a photo op, with obligatory face hiding.
I believe that the drifts here are approximately 20 feet high by forty feet wide. It seems like someone wanted to use the mine as a warehouse, based on pickup tire tracks and 'CONTROL STORAGE' being painted on the gate, but it didn't pan out.
This is the gnarliest pillar failure I've ever seen. The pillar intserects a pocket of clay, which dissolved once it got wet. As you get towards the eastern side of the mine, the back (roof) conditions get sketchy. There are a bunch of rock falls and mangled roof bolts, and some installed roof bolts that backed out almost a foot from stresses. In addition to the three entrances on the northern pit wall, there is a fourth on the eastern wall. The workings there seem to be under the ready-mix plant, and are slowly failing from the weight of the plant, its stockpiles, and the massive heap of waste concrete. We didn't enter them for obvious reasons.
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
I hadn't heard of this one before, thanks for sharing! We've got some mines closer to St. Louis if you're ever in the area. Do you go to S&T? Cause you should definitely check out the Rolla Thread if you live there.
Preservation over plunder.
- Headframe Hunters
- 100+ Poster
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:17 am
- Location: New Mexico
RE: Osage Asphalt Mine
Yep, I'm at S&T. I've done some poking around near STL, particularly near Festus and Pacific. We reconnoitered the Glencoe underground mines- the south mine is being worked on; there's an office trailer in the southernmost entry and at least one security camera, and I heard a trackhoe operating inside. The north mine may be GTG. The yellow tubular-steel gate on the east side of the road is not actually locked; you can drive a vehicle right by it. It would seem as if a house may be built on the spot, across the creek from the mines, but it makes a good place from which to observe the mines. All my recon was done with binocs from 100-200yds+ away.
We also did the Pacific thing when driving back from visiting family friends in Indiana. The entries behind the car wash, specifically. There's enough crap falling off the back there that I didn't feel safe doing it without my PPE, which I had left back in Rolla, so I ran out after getting maybe a hundred feet in. The sound of crackling St Peter sandstone is terrifying when it makes up the roof over your head!!
Which mines did you particularly have in mind? I'm trying to coordinate a trip to a multi-entry underground copper mine at an undisclosed location. Private property; I'm trying to work with one of the landowners.
We also did the Pacific thing when driving back from visiting family friends in Indiana. The entries behind the car wash, specifically. There's enough crap falling off the back there that I didn't feel safe doing it without my PPE, which I had left back in Rolla, so I ran out after getting maybe a hundred feet in. The sound of crackling St Peter sandstone is terrifying when it makes up the roof over your head!!
Which mines did you particularly have in mind? I'm trying to coordinate a trip to a multi-entry underground copper mine at an undisclosed location. Private property; I'm trying to work with one of the landowners.
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
Thanks!
- Headframe Hunters
- 100+ Poster
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:17 am
- Location: New Mexico
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
I just wanted to post a link to YouTube video of this mine. The video quality is a bit iffy since the huge drifts made proper lighting completely impossible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCk08ACbN_0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCk08ACbN_0
- gimpface
- Zen Master
- Posts: 1981
- Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2005 2:05 pm
- Location: Fuck... I think I’m trapped in a well
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
Nice find! I'll have to look into that the next time I'm up that way.
Vampire Killings, buy one get one FREE!
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
Do you (Headframe Hunters) also post on AR15.com?
- Headframe Hunters
- 100+ Poster
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:17 am
- Location: New Mexico
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
Yep! I'm assuming you've run into some of my posts in the Creepy Thread?Chris wrote:Do you (Headframe Hunters) also post on AR15.com?
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
Yessir! Small world!
- Headframe Hunters
- 100+ Poster
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:17 am
- Location: New Mexico
RE: Osage Asphalt Mine
That is too funny! Imitation crab meat, FO, and get both, as they say!
RE: Osage Asphalt Mine
So did you fent 87 times? Any BFL's around here?
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
I have a BFL on my car, trash can guns in my safe, dags in my house...
Anyway...yeah. So there's 3 of us? Sweet!
Anyway...yeah. So there's 3 of us? Sweet!
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
Looks that way. I don't have any trash can guns. Shot one once and I didn't like it so never bought one. I do have a dag. Dumber than a box of rocks in a smart sort of way. Don't have a BFL but I don't generally put stickers on my vehicles. Only one is my parking lot sticker.
Maybe we should meet over in Havener once the new hate chicken place opens......
Maybe we should meet over in Havener once the new hate chicken place opens......
- Headframe Hunters
- 100+ Poster
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:17 am
- Location: New Mexico
RE: Osage Asphalt Mine
Havener is getting a Hate Chicken?!?
I'm in. I'm working for a mining company in Arizona this summer, and will return by mid-August. Been a bit out of the loop as far as goings-on in Rolla.
I'm in. I'm working for a mining company in Arizona this summer, and will return by mid-August. Been a bit out of the loop as far as goings-on in Rolla.
Re: Osage Asphalt Mine
Yup, it will be in the food court and open when the fall semester starts. I'm really hoping they use it as a test bed to see if Rolla will support it and then build a full store out in Rolla West or somewhere. It's going to be slammed ALL THE TIME though. I imagine parking is going to be a problem too.