Index Milk Truck/Darrington Mill

[Uncle_Tricky]

I was wondering if anyone knew the story behind the old truck that used to be in the Index parking lot? How did it come to be there, and how long ago did it first appear? Who hauled it away?

 

I was also wondering if anyone knows about the ruins on the right side of the trail to Green Giant Buttress. Just before you cross the creek, there's a remnents of a foundation, some huge bolts drilled into the rock, and bunch of old rusty wheels and machinery. Then there's the piping on the other side of the creek which I assume was used to power the thing with gravity flow? Was it a place to process mine tailings or a sawmill or what? How long ago was it built? When was it abondoned? I'd be interested in as much detail as possible about when, who, etc.

[mattp]

I believe that those "ruins" on the way to Green Giant Buttress are the remains of a mining camp, and that at one time there was a "tram" that ran up the hill to the old mine on the hill accross Copper Creek from the Buttress. The waterworks may have been used to power the thing but although I know nothing about mining machinery my guess would be that it was more likely used to process ore or something because I can't imagine how gravity fed water pressure would produce enough power to drive a tram. Dawn Erickson (who works in the Darrington Ranger Station) knows something about this.