In 1962, the citizens of Victorville took on a do-it-ourselves attitude when they adopted a volunteer project to convert the old Sidewinder Mine into a Civil Defense fallout shelter. With seven levels and three miles of tunnels through solid quartz, the former gold mine seemed like an ideal location. The mine located 16 miles north of Victorville would be outfitted to accommodate 859 persons, complete with a 72 bed first aid station, library, and a communications post. The Sidewinder Mine was fully outfitted, but due to its remote location, it was subjected to repeated vandalism, and the shelter was abandoned in the early 1970s. Late in the 1880s, the Sidewinder Mine, about 12 miles northeast of Victorville began operations, and in 1887, a ten-stamp mill, driver by water power, was erected to handle ore from this mine. The Sidewinder Mine was worked until about 1895 by a small force of men, and in 1899, mining resumed until 1909. In 1927, the Sidewinder was again reactivated and a mill and cyanide plant were built. War Production Limitation Order L-208 closed this mine in 1942. In 1967, the mine was cleaned up and turned into a fallout shelter,
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 20:01:43 +0000
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