Bat Cave mine
Encyclopedia
The Bat Cave guano mine located in the western Grand Canyon
of Arizona at river mile
266, 800 feet (243.8 m) above Lake Mead
, was an unusual, expensive and noteworthy mining operation. The cave was apparently discovered in the 1930s by a passing boater. After several unsuccessful attempts by others to mine the nitrogen-rich guano
for fertilizer, the U.S. Guano Corporation bought the property around 1957. Based on a reputable mining engineer's estimate that the cave contained 100,000 tons of guano, the company constructed an elaborate plant to extract the guano. A small airstrip was built on a nearby sandbar in the Colorado River
, and all supplies and machinery needed were then flown in. An aerial tramway
was built from the mine to "Guano Point" on the South Rim, with the cable headhouse built on land leased from the Hualapai
tribe. The cableway crossed the river, with a main span of 7500 feet (2,286 m), and a vertical lift of 2500 feet (762 m). About 6 miles (9.7 km) (30000 feet (9,144 m)) of 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) steel cable were used, to support and pull a cable car large enough to transport 2500 lbs of guano. The same car was used to transport the miners to and from work. The guano was mined using a large industrial "vacuum-cleaner" with ten-inch hoses. From the cablehead, the guano was hauled by truck to Kingman, Arizona
and packaged for retail sale.
During construction of the cableway, which took 14 months, the first of several mishaps occurred. When first tensioning the main cable, a clutch-lever broke, dropping 9850 feet (3,002.3 m) of cable into the canyon. A new cable was ordered and strung, and mining began. The 20000 feet (6,096 m) pull-cable wore out after a few months use and had to be replaced, bringing the company's total investment up to $US 3,500,000.
Unfortunately, the mining engineer's estimate of the potential size of the guano deposit proved wildly optimistic: the cave contained only about 1,000 tons of minable guano, not the 100,000 tons of the engineer's estimate. Most of the cave was filled with valueless limestone
rubble.
In 1959, the cableway was used for the film Edge of Eternity
, with the climax of the film involving a fight on a cable car suspended above the Grand Canyon.
Mining ceased in early 1960. Guano sold for about $100 a ton then, so this was not a profitable venture.
A few months later, a US Air Force jet, illegally "hot-dogging" down the canyon, clipped the cable, damaging the plane's wing and severing the cable. The plane survived, and U.S. Guano successfully sued the Air Force for damaging their property, offsetting some of their losses.
In 1975 the abandoned mine became part of Grand Canyon National Park
. The National Park Service
later proposed removing the tramway remnants within the park, but there was public protest against demolition of these interesting historic relics. As of 2007, some remnants of the old operation remain at Bat Cave, and on the South Rim in the Hualapai Indian Reservation.
Guano Point is still a popular stop for air tours from Las Vegas
, Nevada
. Tourists can inspect the remnants of the old mining operation. Tour operators pay use fees to the Hualapai
tribe, and the tribe offers a barbecue lunch near the old tramway headhouse, as part of their Grand Canyon West business venture.
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
of Arizona at river mile
River mile
In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...
266, 800 feet (243.8 m) above Lake Mead
Lake Mead
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by the Hoover Dam, it extends behind the dam, holding approximately of water.-History:The lake was...
, was an unusual, expensive and noteworthy mining operation. The cave was apparently discovered in the 1930s by a passing boater. After several unsuccessful attempts by others to mine the nitrogen-rich guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
for fertilizer, the U.S. Guano Corporation bought the property around 1957. Based on a reputable mining engineer's estimate that the cave contained 100,000 tons of guano, the company constructed an elaborate plant to extract the guano. A small airstrip was built on a nearby sandbar in the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, and all supplies and machinery needed were then flown in. An aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
was built from the mine to "Guano Point" on the South Rim, with the cable headhouse built on land leased from the Hualapai
Hualapai
The Hualapai or Walapai are a tribe of Native Americans who live in the mountains of northwestern Arizona, United States. The name is derived from "hwa:l," the Hualapai word for ponderosa pine, "Hualapai" meaning "people of the ponderosa pine"...
tribe. The cableway crossed the river, with a main span of 7500 feet (2,286 m), and a vertical lift of 2500 feet (762 m). About 6 miles (9.7 km) (30000 feet (9,144 m)) of 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) steel cable were used, to support and pull a cable car large enough to transport 2500 lbs of guano. The same car was used to transport the miners to and from work. The guano was mined using a large industrial "vacuum-cleaner" with ten-inch hoses. From the cablehead, the guano was hauled by truck to Kingman, Arizona
Kingman, Arizona
Kingman is located in a desert climate on the edge of the Mojave Desert, but its higher elevation and location between the Colorado Plateau and the Lower Colorado River Valley tempers summer high temperatures and contributes to winter cold and rare snowfall. Summer daytime highs reach above 90 °F ...
and packaged for retail sale.
During construction of the cableway, which took 14 months, the first of several mishaps occurred. When first tensioning the main cable, a clutch-lever broke, dropping 9850 feet (3,002.3 m) of cable into the canyon. A new cable was ordered and strung, and mining began. The 20000 feet (6,096 m) pull-cable wore out after a few months use and had to be replaced, bringing the company's total investment up to $US 3,500,000.
Unfortunately, the mining engineer's estimate of the potential size of the guano deposit proved wildly optimistic: the cave contained only about 1,000 tons of minable guano, not the 100,000 tons of the engineer's estimate. Most of the cave was filled with valueless limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rubble.
In 1959, the cableway was used for the film Edge of Eternity
Edge of Eternity
Edge of Eternity is a 1959 CinemaScope film directed by Don Siegel shot on location in the Grand Canyon.-Plot:The film begins with an attempted assassination of a man looking into the Grand Canyon with his binoculars. The assassin disables the emergency brake from the man's car and attempts to run...
, with the climax of the film involving a fight on a cable car suspended above the Grand Canyon.
Mining ceased in early 1960. Guano sold for about $100 a ton then, so this was not a profitable venture.
A few months later, a US Air Force jet, illegally "hot-dogging" down the canyon, clipped the cable, damaging the plane's wing and severing the cable. The plane survived, and U.S. Guano successfully sued the Air Force for damaging their property, offsetting some of their losses.
In 1975 the abandoned mine became part of Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is the United States' 15th oldest national park and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the Wonders of the World. The park covers of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties.Most...
. The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
later proposed removing the tramway remnants within the park, but there was public protest against demolition of these interesting historic relics. As of 2007, some remnants of the old operation remain at Bat Cave, and on the South Rim in the Hualapai Indian Reservation.
Guano Point is still a popular stop for air tours from Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Tourists can inspect the remnants of the old mining operation. Tour operators pay use fees to the Hualapai
Hualapai
The Hualapai or Walapai are a tribe of Native Americans who live in the mountains of northwestern Arizona, United States. The name is derived from "hwa:l," the Hualapai word for ponderosa pine, "Hualapai" meaning "people of the ponderosa pine"...
tribe, and the tribe offers a barbecue lunch near the old tramway headhouse, as part of their Grand Canyon West business venture.
External links
- Historical sketch, largely from the Billingsley article
- Photo of the old cable headhouse
- More photos of the area
- Grand Canyon Association e-publications, including Quest for the Pillar of Gold
- IMDB entry for "Edge of Eternity"
