Eldorado Canyon
Techatticup Mine Tour ...
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Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours is based in Eldorado Canyon, about 45 minutes southeast of Las Vegas,
just east of the small ghost town of Nelson, Nevada. From Las Vegas take Hwy 95 south, then exit on Hwy
165 and head east past Nelson. It is easy to find and well worth the trip.
During our trip we met Tony and Bobbie Werly who are the owners. They were friendly and helpful, and
our tour guide Billy was great. The area includes a nicely restored mining camp, with a company store
and many other cabins and buildings that have been restored, along with tons of old mining artifacts like
ore cars, ore buckets, ore wagons, mining tools and equipment, and much more. The picture above is the
view across the road from the company store. Located high on the hill you can see the 900 foot deep
vertical shaft of the Techatticup Mine, along with the headframe and remains of the stamp mill, ore chute
and processing mill.
We arrived after the time that the mine tours normally end, but they still accommodated us and gave us a
fantastic tour. The company store is a great place to relax before or after your tour. It is packed with tons of
old historic pictures, mine diagrams, and other artifacts. Our tour started in the store with about a 10-15
minute introduction where our guide filled us in on the background of the area and some of the history of
the Techatticup Mine, which is one of the oldest, richest, and most famous mines in Southern Nevada.
just east of the small ghost town of Nelson, Nevada. From Las Vegas take Hwy 95 south, then exit on Hwy
165 and head east past Nelson. It is easy to find and well worth the trip.
During our trip we met Tony and Bobbie Werly who are the owners. They were friendly and helpful, and
our tour guide Billy was great. The area includes a nicely restored mining camp, with a company store
and many other cabins and buildings that have been restored, along with tons of old mining artifacts like
ore cars, ore buckets, ore wagons, mining tools and equipment, and much more. The picture above is the
view across the road from the company store. Located high on the hill you can see the 900 foot deep
vertical shaft of the Techatticup Mine, along with the headframe and remains of the stamp mill, ore chute
and processing mill.
We arrived after the time that the mine tours normally end, but they still accommodated us and gave us a
fantastic tour. The company store is a great place to relax before or after your tour. It is packed with tons of
old historic pictures, mine diagrams, and other artifacts. Our tour started in the store with about a 10-15
minute introduction where our guide filled us in on the background of the area and some of the history of
the Techatticup Mine, which is one of the oldest, richest, and most famous mines in Southern Nevada.
| Entering Mine |
| Mining Equipment |
| Following guide in mine tunnel |
| View looking out from mine tunnel |
The pictures above and to the right show you some of
the buildings that make up the mining camp.
Its a short, about 200 yard hike from the company store
to the mine entrance for the underground tour. This hike
takes you past the millsite where the gold and silver
was extracted from the ore. Our guide did a nice job of
explaining the process that was used and told us about
the different equipment that we saw along the way.
Below are some pictures of the Techatticup Millsite and
some of the mining equipment and views along the way.
the buildings that make up the mining camp.
Its a short, about 200 yard hike from the company store
to the mine entrance for the underground tour. This hike
takes you past the millsite where the gold and silver
was extracted from the ore. Our guide did a nice job of
explaining the process that was used and told us about
the different equipment that we saw along the way.
Below are some pictures of the Techatticup Millsite and
some of the mining equipment and views along the way.
The underground mine tour begins through a restored
horizontal mine entrance. It goes by several names (Savage
Mine, the Long Tunnel, or the Powder Tunnel). During a hot,
100 degree F July day the mine temperature was a
comfortable below 70 degree F temperature with a nice
breeze flowing through when we took our tour.
The underground portion of the mine tour takes you about
500 feet into the mine, and allows you to go down several
intersecting tunnels and view up and down stopes where
they mined out the rich gold and silver ore.
The mine tunnels are in great shape and easy to walk
through. Steel walkways have been constructed in many
areas to allow you to walk over areas where the ore has
been mined out and view up and down the stopes. In a
number of places the quartz vein that the miners were
chasing is very evident in the tunnels.
horizontal mine entrance. It goes by several names (Savage
Mine, the Long Tunnel, or the Powder Tunnel). During a hot,
100 degree F July day the mine temperature was a
comfortable below 70 degree F temperature with a nice
breeze flowing through when we took our tour.
The underground portion of the mine tour takes you about
500 feet into the mine, and allows you to go down several
intersecting tunnels and view up and down stopes where
they mined out the rich gold and silver ore.
The mine tunnels are in great shape and easy to walk
through. Steel walkways have been constructed in many
areas to allow you to walk over areas where the ore has
been mined out and view up and down the stopes. In a
number of places the quartz vein that the miners were
chasing is very evident in the tunnels.
Eldorado Canyon has also been the location for several movies and our guide showed us some old
movie props, airplanes and other spots on the site where movie footage was shot and stunts performed.
Like with any remote, desert location encounters with snakes, cactus, wildlife, heat and or other safety
hazards may exist . Be sure and stick close to your guide and follow their instructions.
Our whole family thoroughly enjoyed visiting Eldorado Canyon and taking the mine tour. It was very fun
and informative. Because the owners and guides make you feel right at home, I noticed that others who
had taken tours seemed to hang around and just soak up the atmosphere. No one was in a hurry to leave
and many of the visitors could be found later, relaxing in a rocking chair on the porch or inside the store
looking at all of the old pictures and artifacts displayed there.
Below are some pictures of Eldorado Canyon and the Techatticup Mine that we took when visiting in the
Summer of 2011. Enjoy!
movie props, airplanes and other spots on the site where movie footage was shot and stunts performed.
Like with any remote, desert location encounters with snakes, cactus, wildlife, heat and or other safety
hazards may exist . Be sure and stick close to your guide and follow their instructions.
Our whole family thoroughly enjoyed visiting Eldorado Canyon and taking the mine tour. It was very fun
and informative. Because the owners and guides make you feel right at home, I noticed that others who
had taken tours seemed to hang around and just soak up the atmosphere. No one was in a hurry to leave
and many of the visitors could be found later, relaxing in a rocking chair on the porch or inside the store
looking at all of the old pictures and artifacts displayed there.
Below are some pictures of Eldorado Canyon and the Techatticup Mine that we took when visiting in the
Summer of 2011. Enjoy!
| Miner Check-in Board |
| Powder Tunnel |
| Steel walkway over stope |
| Quartz Vein |
| Cross tunnel |
| Looking up at stope where ore was mined out |