Anglo Saxon Gold Mine (Trouser Legs), Pinjin Goldfield, Menzies Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Anglo Saxon Gold Mine (Trouser Legs)	Mine
Pinjin Goldfield	Ore Field
Menzies Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Anglo Saxon Gold Mine was the most substantial gold mine on the field, active until 1915, and today the most visible. It is just north of the homestead, and in 1986-1987 was developed as an open pit. Tailings heaps, machinery remains, old car bodies and a skeletal windmill remain at the site. The old battery site is just south-east of the pit, between it and the Nippon Highway. Please get out of your mind a German autobahn. The Nippon Highway is a 2 wheel track heading east into the Great Victoria Desert, and nothingness.

Some exploration companies have called the mine Trouser Legs.

The Anglo Saxon during its early 1900's period produced 6675 tonnes of ore for 5411 ounces of gold from underground workings. In 1911, the Anglo Saxon North mine was acquired, the lease adjoining to the north. Regular crushings continued until 1915.

A couple of great sources for information about mines on this goldfield, were the two visits by the State Mining Engineer. They were however moments in time. Beyond this little information reached the outside world from the goldfield. Alas his 1905 visit fails to mention the Anglo Saxon, but it does rate a mention one year later on a repeat visit.

From another source, O'Brien and party is said to own the mine in 1905, and the main shaft is down to 140 feet.

GML 729R. Montgomery states the Anglo Saxon was one of the first leases worked on the field in 1897, and at the time of his visit was a deep hole dug by the original prospectors. They abandoned the lease due to distance to a battery, and little water or resources available.

Prospectors returned in 1904 and began sinking a shaft. The deposit consisted of many irregular quartz stringers through shattered country rock. A little gold was found in the quartz, and pyrite lower down, where the ground was less weathered and harder.

100 feet to the west was a parallel reef 8 inches wide containing a shaft down to 60 feet. 20 feet to the east of the main shaft, was another shaft down to 35 feet, on a reef 15 to 18 inches wide. The same distance further east was another reef carrying gold.

None of this probably remains and was destroyed by the 1980's open pit operations. The present exploration company attempted to get approval to extend the open pit. This was rejected by the State Government's Department of the Environment, due to the mine's likely impact on the neighbouring Pinjin Station homestead. The mine borders the homestead to the north.

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