Ontario Abandoned Places will be rebranded as Ominous Abandoned Places

Venus Silver Mine Ruins, YT

Abandoned Mill/Foundry in Yukon, Unorganized, Yukon, Canada

Dec 16 2021

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Recent status Abandoned
Location # 18132

Hazards of Venus Silver Mine Ruins, YT

Confirmed arsenic contamination. Deteriorating wood framed mill positioned on a very steep and unstable slope comprised of loose rock and debris. Weak flooring in many spots. Nails, sharp objects. Grizzly bears.

History of Venus Silver Mine Ruins, YT

Built 1908. Abandoned 1920.


Origin:

John Conrad founded Windy Arm district silver mines and had the Venus Mill built in 1908 to ease the high cost of shipping silver ore out of the territory. Gravity pulled a line of ore-filled tipping buckets 460m down an aerial tramway cable from Venus Mine to the mill. Belt-driven mill machinery crushed and ground the ore into a powder. Mineral concentrate, floated out of the crushed rock by chemical means, was dried, bagged and shipped by steamboat to the railway at Carcross. The South Klondike Highway, now running past Venus Mill, was built in the late 1970s.

Abandoned:

John Conrad went bankrupt in 1912. Yukon District Gold acquired the property in 1918 and ran it for only 2 years before abandoning the project.

Future:

Nope. Arsenic contamination.

Interesting Features:

  • Impressive architecture somehow managing to survive a century of abandonment on an extremely sleep and unstable slope.
  • Half a dozen levels to explore.
  • Breathtaking views in every direction.


Note: Map seems to believe this location is in BC but it is on the YT side of the border.

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Comments

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2 years ago

I remember this from when I lived up there 15 years ago. It's amazing it's still standing considering how massive (and unstable) the snow pack can be.

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2 years ago

AMAZING. 😍

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2 years ago

Thanks for sharing. Great photos!

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2 years ago

I take it there is no access to any of any shafts? Sketchy, and VERY impressive it survived the time with what just looks to be a timber framed mill, on a hill. LOL

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2 years ago

The portal is still accessible but it's a pretty savage hike up the mountain to access it. Frank has a good video of the mine itself. https://youtu.be/J1g8k7e8J98 The slope at the mill site is really bad but if you want to shoot the entire mill it's the only way down to the water. Very loose rock all of the way up, if you misstep you're surfing a rockslide.