Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Urban exploration in Arkansas
wandering
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Re: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by wandering »

arkie 123 wrote:Be Careful. If you look there are some huge posts/beams on each side of the tunnel. They are braces for the roof. You can see where rocks are falling. I've been told there is a cave above the tunnel. Might be worth a look. Good luck.
Cave?!?
first I've ever heard of it, its also not on the USGS maps.
Maybe its just a cave-shelter overhang. Dunno.
Always be safe when exploring such places and make sure someone knows where your at so if the unthinkable happens rescuers know where to start looking.
arkie 123
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Re: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by arkie 123 »

I have a friend that lives pretty close the property. He has told me about the cave. I would think the huge rocks in the tunnel might be from the cave above. I'll ask David and get back
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Re: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by testube »

Someone was just telling me about an old uranium mine in that area - supposedly a very *large* (tall, wide) mine.

Anyone heard this before? First I'd ever heard of it, although I recall reading in some history books about some zinc mines east of the tunnel.
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Re: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by arkie 123 »

Tube, There is a mine up on Butler Holler. There are several up in the edge of Mo. Lets go this winter
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VBJag
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RE: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by VBJag »

Couldn't find anything about actual uranium mines, but I did find this:
Uranium (U) minerals are classified as primary and secondary. Primary uranium minerals are in the same physical state as when originally deposited and secondary uranium minerals are formed by chemical weathering of the primary minerals. The most commercially important primary mineral is pitchblende. Pitchblende, a massive form of uraninite (UO2), is not known in Arkansas. Secondary uranium minerals are normally brightly colored and may be in any type of rock. Carnotite (K2(UO2)2V2O8.3H2O), a canary-yellow mineral, is the most common. Both primary and secondary uranium minerals may be detected by their radioactivity, using Geiger counters or scintillometers. Some instruments will not distinguish between radiation emitted by uranium or by other radioactive materials. Therefore, a chemical assay of the radioactive substance is necessary to determine the amount of uranium.

With the advent of the "atomic age" in July, 1945, the search for uranium in the United States began. Prospecting was stimulated by exploration and discovery bonuses provided by Federal atomic energy legislative acts.

In Arkansas, several uranium anomalies were discovered during the 1950’s. Several localities yielded samples with 0.1 percent or more uranium oxide. At most localities the radioactive mineralization is secondary or related to organic matter. In most instances, the uranium-bearing minerals have not been identified.

The Potash Sulphur Springs igneous intrusion in Garland County is probably the best known and perhaps the first site where uranium was discovered in Arkansas. The mineralization is at the contact of the Cretaceous syenite complex with folded Paleozoic novaculite and shale beds. The U.S. Geological Survey identified the uranium-bearing mineral as pyrochlore ((Ca,Na)2Nb2O6(OH,F)), a primary mineral. Soil samples assaying up to 0.4 percent uranium were collected from this site. The Rankin prospect in Pike County consists of radioactive carbonized wood fragments in the lower part of the Trinity Group (Cretaceous). The fragments range greatly in size, the smallest containing the most uranium. The highest assay obtained was 0.24 percent uranium oxide. The uranium mineralization is secondary, but the uranium-bearing minerals have not been identified. At the Chandler prospect in Garland County, uranium is present in gorceixite (BaAl3(PO4)(PO3OH)(OH)6), an uncommon mineral that coats the surface of narrow fractures in the novaculite. Samples of this mineral have as much as 0.35 percent uranium oxide.
The radioactive material at the Bear Hill prospect in Marion County is a bitumen sparsely scattered through an outcrop of Paleozoic black shale. Samples of the bitumen assayed up to 2.0 percent uranium oxide, although no uranium-bearing mineral has been identified. At the Runyan prospect, just north of Magnet Cove in Hot Spring County, radioactive material is present in narrow smoky quartz veins that fill fractures in the host rock, novaculite. Samples assaying as much as 0.14 percent uranium oxide were collected from this deposit, although the individual radioactive minerals are unknown. The Uebergang prospect in Saline County contains both thorium and uranium in a granite-like quartz-feldspar rock. A select sample contained 0.019 percent uranium. Individual uranium-bearing minerals have not been identified.
Doesn't look like there was ever an uranium mine in Arkansas.
arkie 123
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Re: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by arkie 123 »

I'm not sure if the one on Butler road is in ark or not. The three I know about are in the Mark Twain forest. Easy to find.. Once you find them. Still part of the bottling plant there. Not much but some.
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Re: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by testube »

Cool. I'll have to try and get more details the next time I talk to the guy who told me about it. He made it sound like he had seen it himself.
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RE: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by umrdyldo »

Just to give an update. I traveled to this tunnel 11/4/12. This is a fun little trip.

36°26'53.99"N 93°41'20.29"W

Enter from Country Road 250 from the north.

Another trip close to this is the old train bridge in Beaver, Arkansas. It's best to enter from east side crossing Leatherwood creek. There are stepping stones you can't see on aerial. Very easy and nice view back to the west towards Beaver, AR.
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RE: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by cavejunkies »

butler holler is in arkansas, its right past the town of beaver where the old R.R. bridge is , if your on 23 check out blue moon cave , alot better then tracking off a mile and a half of woods to see a collasped tunnel, lol, just my opionon lol
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RE: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by cavejunkies »

rumor has it theres some caves out in butler hollar that were used by old kkk members to dispose of babies and other people,cattle , ect.. not sure how much truth to it,
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RE: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by hedlight »

Was thinking of making a trip out to the tunnel next week, and I noticed this giant hole on Maps. This isn't the tunnel I take it, it's very large. Is this an old mine or just a shadow or some other trickery? It's not far from the tunnel location....

Image
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hedlight
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Re: RE: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by hedlight »

hedlight wrote:This isn't the tunnel I take it,
That moment when you realize what you thought is a giant cave or mine is just a pond/lake :roll:
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Re: RE: Directions to Holiday Island train tunnel?

Post by BROUSER »

hedlight wrote:
hedlight wrote:This isn't the tunnel I take it,
That moment when you realize what you thought is a giant cave or mine is just a pond/lake :roll:
Still worth a look. Appears to be springfed, which doesn't rule out a cave.
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