Desert Fever: Preserving Our Mining Heritage

Last Updated: 9th Jun 2014

By Russell Hartill

A chapter from the rereleased Desert Fever: A History of Mining in the California Desert 1781-1981

PRESERVING OUR MINING HERITAGE

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HISTORIC MINE SITES

Stop Backfilling these “books” of mining history

The need for preserving and interpreting the history of mining in the California desert is great. There is a serious lack of representation within the National Park System of sites and districts with mining themes. In spite of the important role mining played in the development of the American West, one has to look hard to find a place in the West where the story of mining is told. At the same time there is a great deal of public interest in this subject In the California desert, what is left of mining sites is hardly enough to provide the desert visitor with a clear idea of what it was like and what went on. In many cases where buildings and structures at a site are preserved and in all cases where they are not, dynamic interpretive programs are needed and in some instances reconstructions will be required, in order to adequately present the story of mining.

A Piece of History of your own…marketing items to experience history

In the California desert a marvelous opportunity exists for living history demonstrations, where the public can as much as possible “experience” history. If the public had a place or places to go where they would be able to “see” and “feel” history through meaningful experiences at visitors centers or demonstration areas, vandalism and relic hunting would be reduced. Relic hunting is nothing more than an attempt to “have a piece of history of your own.” Having a place to go that allowed one to see and feel these relics or reproductions in use, and perhaps even be involved in prospecting, mining and milling activities, would serve to educate the public, preserve history and encourage conservation of historic resources.

In conjunction with experiences and demonstrations it is necessary to provide the visitor with the opportunity to take a piece of history home with him in the form of creative and dynamic booklets, books, cassette sound “tours,” reproductions of relics, photographs, posters and emphera, etc. It is a healthy and common desire of the public to want to feel and heft history, get closer to it, rather than coldly and statically look at history through the glare of a glass case. The visitor should be
encouraged to make history a part of his life.

Mining History Chronology

Most of the better preserved mining sites are located in isolated areas, while many of the lesser preserved sites are of equal significance and deserve to be a part of any management plan for the desert. In selecting sites for preservation/interpretation that represent the history of mining in the California desert, a chronological balance should be kept so that sites are not chosen merely because they are well preserved. The history of mining in the California desert can be roughly broken up into decades, as in the sample below.

1780-1820 Early Spanish Mining

1820-1850 Mexican period

1850-1860 Anglo-American Beginnings

1870s
1880s
1890s
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s

Significance: Public and Research

Determining significance is the process by which administrators make subjective value judgments in the most objective way possible. Different types of significances exist in mining history. There is public significance of a site, or how important the site is for interpretive programming, and in educating the public; research significance, or the site’s importance in yielding data that would increase our knowledge of mining history; and legal significance, which is used to determine whether or not the site qualifies for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Legal Significance

In determining the legal significance of a mining site or area, we suggest that the following points be considered:

1. Production figures or the richness of ore.

2. Mining, milling processes used – including any outstanding adaptations, uniquenesses.

3. Personalities. To what extent did owners achieve notorierity or prominence through their mining activities?

4. Pioneering. How far reaching was the mine in influencing the first water, transportation, or commerce into the area?

5. Promotion. Extent of capitalization. If stock was issued, on what exchange?

6. Uniqueness. Firsts of their kind, outstanding examples of architecture, outstanding degrees of preservation.

Some quantative data exists in mining that makes significance a little less difficult to calculate. For example, production amounts could be used as a gauge for sites hoping to qualify for regional, statewide, or national significance. Care should be used so as not to exclude an obviously important site, i.e. Greenwater, simply because its production figure was low. Population figures, whether the town supported a newspaper or railroad, etc. would also help determine the extent of the site’s influence and importance.

Specific Recommendations for interpretation

What follows is a list of the more important mining camps and sites within the California desert. A survey of these historic mining structures and sites is badly needed. Any outstanding buildings, millsites, or ruins should be recorded as a part of either the RABS (Historic American Buildings Survey) or the HAER (Historic American Engineering Record). Some of the survey could be accomplished using already existing aerial photography. The photography shows structures not listed on maps and structures which were present at the time the photograph was taken but which are no longer standing. Video tape recorders, and photogrammetric recording of buildings are some other techniques which may be used. Field surveys would attempt to record and document the present condition of each site, photograph and map the location and condition of any foundations, trash dumps, abandoned machinery, headframes, etc.

Living History opportunities

From the data obtained in these field surveys, several sites should be chosen and developed as “living history” areas where prospecting, mining and milling techniques could be showcased for the public. Oral history and historical arcaeology methods should be used to extensivley research the history of the showcased areas for incorporation into the interpretive programs. Sites selected for showcasing should have museums, underground tours (similar to, but more extensive than, the ones conducted in the Tropico Mine at Rosamond) combined with experiential demonstrations of mining and milling techniques. In selecting such sites, primary considerations would be accessibility and interpretive value (those sites with a high public significance rating). Six sites that could be considered to meet this criteria would be the Anthony mill ruins, Cerro Gordo and Randsburg in the Bakersfield BLM District, and Providence (Bonanza King Mine), Amargosa (Salt Spring) gold mine, and Tumco in the Riverside BLM District. The historical interpretation of Randsburg, because of the sizeable number of privately owned structures meriting attention, probably could not be undertaken by the BLM alone. However, a cooperative effort with federal, state, and private funding could make this possible, and Randsburg has exceptional interpretive value because of its central location, its accessibility, its relatively well-preserved state, and its historical importance.

Besides the selection of a few sites for showcasing, abandoned mines or camps that have exceptional interpretive value but are less accessible, or are of smaller regional impact, should be considered for less extensive, perhaps self-guided interpretive programs. There could be dozens of these sites scattered throughout the desert, with caretakers provided to guard against vandalism and provide information for visitors.

Whether the sites are showcased or less extensively developed, the present claimholders/owners of mining property adjacent to historic sites should be approached and involved in all phases of management decisions affecting the site. Whenever possible, owners, private organizations, and local or regional historical groups should first be encouraged to develop and implement their own interpretive programs and protection measures for nearby sites with historic value, in full cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management. Where such interest does not exist for a given site of importance, and the site in question is endangered, support for the protection and interpretation of that area should then be sought at the county, state, or federal level.

As most of the historic sites worthy of interpretation/preservation are old townsites, steps should be first taken to determine whether they were ever patented, and if not, governmental agencies should first attempt to preserve and interprete these sites while inviting the surrounding claimholders/owners of important historic mining properties to voluntarily become a part of an interpretive program with the town. Then, depending on the resources of the agency, abandoned millsites and land deeded to the state for unpaid taxes could be obtained for interpretive purposes and perhaps even outright purchase/donation of additional historic property would occur once the successful interpretation of the town was under way.

Co-exist with present-day mining

Where a historic mining camp is situated near a valuable mineral deposit, the camp should be interpreted while still allowing mining. New mining operations could help maintain existing buildings rather than degrade them. Since at present the BLM has difficulty protecting most historic sites found on the public domain, a mining company with employees or a watchman on site is a deterrent to vandals. Many camps currently are protected by watchmen, since owners obviously don’t want valuable equipment stolen. As these owners feel they have a mineral property worth developing, history and mining can exist side by side. Since the site is honoring the history of mining, mining operations at or near the historical sites would be entirely appropriate, and would lend a sense of realism to the area.

On those sites not selected for interpretation, owners and mining companies should be encouraged to develop interpretive programs and/or protective measures for historic structures and areas under their ownership, and idealy should advise the BLM before conducting any operations that may seriously endanger the historical integrity of a site so that salvage archaelogical digs could be performed. Companies and owners should cooperate with historical societies in jointly conducting an historical archaeological survey and inventory of historical values on or within their property. This can be achieved by pointing out that such actions would be good public relations for the owners, claimholders and companies involved. The BLM should grant the permits necessary to conduct such archaeological research on sites in the public domain.

The story of mining in the California desert could be a valuable historical experience for the American people. It is a story that needs to be interpreted and presented as part of any management program of the California desert.

POSSIBLE SHOWCASE AREAS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

AMARGOSA (SALT SPRING) GOLD MINE (South of Dumont Sand Dunes, San Bernardino County)

Gold 1850s-1860s

Site of first gold production in northern desert (1850)

ANTHONY MILL (Inyo-San Bernardino County)

Obscure mine may have been worked in the 1870s.

BONANZA KING MINE (Providence Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Well-preserved town; beginnings date to 1880s when the mine was in operation.

CERRO GORDO (Inyo Mountains, Inyo County)

Silver-lead, zinc 1865-1880

California’s largest silver-lead mine; and responsible for much of the growth and development of Los Angeles. The townsite is well-preserved, lending itself well toward interpretive programming.

RANDSBURG (YELLOW ASTER) (Rand Mountains, Kern County)

Gold 1895-1918

The 14th largest producing gold mine in all of California; the largest in the California desert.

RANDSBURG (ATOLIA) (Rand Mountains, Kern and San Bernardino Counties)

Tungsten 1904-1945

The largest high grade scheelite deposit in the world.

RANDSBURG (RED MOUNTAIN) (Red Mountain, San Bernardino County)

Silver 1919-1929

One of the few California desert mines to flourish in the 1920s, the California Rand Silver mine produced over thirteen million dollars. Its discovery gave Randsburg its third boom, over three decades of steady mineral production.

TUMCO (Cargo Muchacho Mountains, Imperial County)

Gold l884-1927

Tumco was the second largest mine in the United States producing gold from low-grade ore. Tumco supported a small town and had a one hundred stamp mill.

OTHER OUTSTANDING MINING SITES IN THE CALIFORNIA DESERT

BEVERIDGE (Inyo Mountains, Inyo County)

Gold 1877-1890

Inyo County’s biggest gold-producing district and also its most inaccessible.

BLACK METAL MINE AND LANDING (Chemehuevi Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Silver mine discovered in 1879. Some operations until 1890. The landing on the Colorado River in 1881 was a thriving little mining camp. Black Metal Landing is now a resort on Lake Havasu. Dos Palmas in the 1860s was an important stop on the road to La Paz, Arizona. An important camping spot for prospectors. Home of Frank Coffee, local prospector.

BURTON’S CUSTOM MILL (Tropico Hill, Kern County)

Custom mill that received ore from hundreds of miners in the California
desert during the 1930s until closure in 1956.

CALICO (Calico Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Silver 1880s

Large silver producer, presently a county park.

COPPER WORLD MINE/VALLEY WELLS SMELTER (South of Clark Mountain, San Bernardino County)

Copper 1868, 1898-1918

Discovered in I868. The largest copper mine in the California desert. Mining began in I898 and was worked on and off until I9I8. The smelter was erected in January of 1899. Mining is underway at present. Vast slag pile at site of smelter and occupied structures.

COSO (China Lake Naval Weapons Center, Inyo County)

Gold and Silver 1860

Early attempt to establish mining in the California desert. Discovered by Dr. E. Darwin French’s 1860 exploration party while looking for the “Lost Gunsight Mine.” Ruins possibly well-preserved due to location within China Lake Naval Weapons Center.

DALE, NEW DALE, VIRGINIA DALE (Between Dale Dry Lake and Pinto Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Gold 1880s-1890s

Three mining communities that started in the late I880s. At the Virginia Dale
mine ten years ago, the cyanide tanks and ore bin were well-preserved.

DARWIN (Darwin Hills, Inyo County)

Silver-lead 1874-1883, 1916-1918, 1941-1951

Darwin was once home for fifteen hundred people during its heyday. Three smelters worked high grade ore in the late 1870s, but Darwin’s greatest contributions occurred during the war years; production over thirty-seven million dollars. Little of present-day Darwin dates back to the 1870s.

GOLDSTONE(Due south of Goldstone Tracking Station, San Bernardino County)

Gold 1916, 1930s

A 1916 boom town, probably never very large. Some structures, probably built in 1930s still stand.

GREENWATER (Black Mountains, Inyo County)

Copper 1904-1907

Stock speculation in this boom camp indirectly caused the panic of 1907 and was labeled “the monumental mining stock swindle of the century.”

HART (Castle Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Gold 1908-1910

Boom town of 1908-1910. No remains left.

IRON CHIEF/EAGLE MOUNTAIN (Eagle Mountains, Riverside County)

Gold 1900s, Iron 1940-

Was an important producer of gold at the turn of the century. In the late 1940s it became the center of Eagle Mountain Iron Operations, the biggest West Coast iron mine.

IVANPAH (New York Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Silver 1870-1890

Rich silver camp that existed from 1870-1890, which peaked about 1880-1881.

Reportedly no remaining structures.

KRAMER (BORON) (Boron, Kern County)

Borax 1927 to date

The largest and highest grade borax deposit in the world. Discovered in I9I3 but no real production until I927, when all operations were transferred here and new Ryan was closed.

KRAMER (Kramer Hills, San Bernardino County)

Gold 1885, 1899, 1926.

Site of three gold rushes, 1885, 1899, 1926. No remains.

LOOKOUT (Lookout Mountain, Inyo County)

Silver-lead 1875-1880

Best preserved of the silver-lead boom towns of the I870s. Developed by Senator George Hearst, its charcoal kilns in Wildrose Canyon are a popular attraction in Death Valley. Lookout should be preserved and interpreted to compliment the story of the kilns.

MACEDONIA (COLUMBIA) MINE (Providence Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Silver 1860s, 1900s

Silver mine active in I860s and early I900s. Well-preserved ruins nearby.

MIDLAND (between Little and Big Maria Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Gypsum 1925-1973

A company town, I925-I973, adjacent to operations of U.S. Gypsum Company. Peak employment of four hundred. Only a few foundations exist

MOJAVE (Soledad Mountain, Middle Butte, Kern County)

Gold 1933-1943

Rich discoveries in the 1930s that produced millions. The Silver Queen Mine, discovered 1933 and yielded ten million dollars. The Cactus Queen Mine, discovered 1934 and yielded four million dollars.

MOUNTAIN PASS MINE (South Clark Mountain, San Bernardino County)

Rare earths 1950s to date

Mine owned by Molybdenum Corporation of America that is the largest known deposit of rare-earth minerals in the world.

NEW YORK/SAGAMORE MINE (New York Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Silver 1873-1890

Reportedly the site of the first milling works in the California desert, It started December 1873. Mined for silver on and off until 1890.

NILAND C02 FIELDS ( Niland, Imperial County)

Carbon Dioxide 1927-1954

Carbon dioxide gas field located at the southeastern end of the Salton Sea. An important economic asset of Imperial County in the 1930s. Also, Section 10, Township 11S, Range 13E SBM is the site of the first drill hole to test the commercial potential of geothermal steam in Imperial County.

ORO GRANDE (North of Victorville, San Bernardino County)

Silver 1880-1892

Now site of extensive limestone mining and milling complex. Well-preserved cabins and a headframe exist on flanks of Silver Mountain.

PANAMINT (Surprise Canyon, Inyo County)

Silver-lead I873-I877

A famous boom camp developed by “silver senators” Jones and Stewart. Ruins of a twenty-stamp mill and a number of foundations still stand.

POTHOLES AREA (Southeastern Chocolate Mountains, Imperial County)
JACKSON GULCH (Cargo Muchacho Mountains, Imperial County)

Placer gold 1780-1781

First gold production by the Spanish in California prior to the U.S. acquisition of the area.

PICACHO (Southeastern Chocolate Mountains, Inyo County)

Gold 1879-1910

Part of the oldest mining region in the California desert, a four hundred and fifty ton mill employed seven hundred men and was possibly the largest cyanide plant in America. Picacho mine produced approximately fifteen million dollars.

PLEASANT CANYON (Pleasant Canyon, Inyo County)

Gold 1890-1920

Important gold producing area in the late 1890s to early 1900s and in the 1930s. The mining camp at the Radcliffe Mine (Clair’s Camp) is well-preserved. An excellent ball mill and stamp mill are still standing. World Beater Mine also well-preserved.

RED CLOUD MINE (Chuckwalla Mountains, Riverside County)

Copper 1880s, 1899-1902, 1910s

This mine may have been discovered in the 1860s. Worked in late 1880s, 1899-1902 and prior to World War II. Extensive remains exist of smelter that was probably never completed.

RYAN (NEW) (Greenwater Range, Inyo County)

Borax 1915-1927

Low grade borax deposits developed and mined until the Kramer discoveries went into production. Once served by a narrow-gauge railroad, it has a remarkably well-preserved townsite and mines.

SALINE VALLEY (SALT) DEPOSIT (Saline Valley, Inyo County)

Salt 1911-1930s

An exceptionally pure grade of salt developed by one of the steepest tramways in the United States. (The tramway is already on the National Register.)

STEDMAN BAGDAD CHASE (South of Ludlow, San Bernardino County)

Gold 1902-1910

Sizeable mining community flourished from 1902-1910. No buildings were standing in 1970. Mining has been under way on and off since 1972 at the Bagdad-Chase Mine.

TECOPA (Northern Kingston Range, Inyo County)

Silver 1865-1890s, 1940s- 1954

Silver mines first located in 1865 that have produced over three million dollars. Operated later by the Anaconda Mining Company, this district with Darwin was among the top silver-lead producers in the state.

VANDERBILT (New York Mountains, San Bernardino County)

Gold 1891-1893

A sizeable mining community existed here for about two years from 1891-1893. No remains are reported to exist. Mining has been under way on and off since 1968.