Wall Street Mill

Wall Street Mill, JTNP

The Wall Street Gold Mill is a very interesting and rare example of a complete small desert gold mill. And to boot, it is only a short walk inside the backcountry of Joshua Tree National Park.

Once owned by prospector and rancher Bill Keys, the mill was a custom mill, meaning that it processed ore in batches for many local area mines. Keys started up the mill here in 1932 after purchasing the stamps from New Eldorado Company at Pinyon Well and relocating it from there. The mill had been working at Pinyon Well since 1891. Keys worked the mill intermittently until 1942 when WWII closed all the gold mines. His son took over and operated it for a brief time starting in 1949. Bill last ran the mill for about a month in 1966. It was acquired by the National Park Service in 1971 from the Keys estate.

We have visited the mill a few times over the years. Even walking out there at night once. It is a great place.

Here I am in one of the old trucks on the way out to the mill. This was taken in 2001. Here I am in one of ...
The Desert Queen Well in 2001. The well was dug in 1908 by William Morgan for the Desert Queen Mine. The water would have been hauled to the mine. Later, after 1924, the land was sold to Worth Bagley and known at the Bagley Well. Bagley homesteaded here. The Desert Queen Wel...
Old truck. Old truck.
"Here is... Here is where Worth Bagley bit the dust at the hand of W. F. Keys May 11 1943." I'm not sure who painted this in. The story goes that in the late 1930s, a retired lawman, Bagley, moved in to a nearby homestead. For reasons that remain unclear, Keys and Bagley had some serious ill feelings between them. Some of Keys cattle were shot and Bagley reportedly became obsessed with murdering Keys. The two had a gun battle and Bagley was killed. Keys claimed self-defense but was convicted of manslaughter and send to San Quentin. He was paroled in 1948. He eventually was pardoned in 1956. Keys died in 1969. "Here is... He...
The NPS has a sign about the mill. The NPS has a sign a...
The Wall Street Millsite Well. Reportly dug in the summer of 1896 by early rancher Bill McHaney to water his cattle. It was run by a gasoline engine and the main supply of water for the mill. The Wall Street Mill...
Chimney stack and old car. Chimney stack and ol...
Ore loading trestle. Ore would be hauled in an ore cart up to the jaw crusher and grizzly. Ore loading trestle....
The mill equipment was driven by belts and pulleys. A belt would come off of an engine and run this main shaft. The mill equipment w...
Water tank. Water tank.
Looking down on the engine. Looking down on the ...
The 12hp Western Gas engine that ran the mill. It has a single 6" cylinder. The 12hp Western Gas...
Two stamp mill and amalgamation table. The table would have been covered with copper plating and mercury. Two stamp mill and a...
Baker Iron Works, Los Angeles. Baker Iron Works, Lo...
Alysia and Bear at a Myer's Concentration table. Heavier gold sands not caught on the amalgamation table would be concentrated here. Alysia and Bear at a...
We make a return visit to the Wall Street in 2006. We pass the old truck again. We make a return vis...
Niki tries to start it up. Niki tries to start ...
Slowly rusting away in the desert. Slowly rusting away ...
Looking up the loading rails. Looking up the loadi...
Baker Iron Works two stamp mill. 1891. The stamps weigh 1,100 lbs each. Baker Iron Works two...
Niki gets a shot of the ore feeder that drops ore into the stamp battery. Notice the belt driving the bull wheel and cam shaft which raised the stamps. It is rare to see this belt still in place. Niki gets a shot of ...
The automatic ore feeder. The automatic ore fe...
Fulton jaw crusher. Fulton jaw crusher.
Grizzly and jaw crusher. Grizzly and jaw crus...
The desert is a strange place at night. The desert is a stra...
We come back out to the mill the next day, we stop at the remains of the Desert Queen Well. The wood in the foreground is possibly the remains of the Bagley homestead. We come back out to ...
The pump. It has a few extra wheels. I'm guessing it was once powered by a gasoline engine to supplement wind power on a calm day. The pump. It has a ...
Lewis tries to get some water pumping. Lewis tries to get s...
We of course watch on in amusement. We of course watch o...
The Worth Bagley stone in 2006. The Worth Bagley sto...
Kind of a lonely spot. Kind of a lonely spot.
Getting close to the mill, we find some blank headstones Bill Keys had ready. Makes you wonder what he had in mind. He seems to like stone carving. Getting close to the...
This looks like the remains of a wooden outhouse. This looks like the ...
Jamie spots an old car. Jamie spots an old car.
It is a 1929 Lincoln Phaeton that has been converted into a truck. It is a 1929 Lincoln...
Looking across the main power shaft with pulleys and belts. Looking across the m...
The top of the stamp mill with the stamp stems and tappets. A wooden "finger" holds the left stamp in maintenance position. The top of the stamp...
Jaw Crusher with view of the Wonderland of Rocks. Jaw Crusher with vie...
Looking down the inclined trestle. Note the winch used to haul ore carts up the rails on the left. Looking down the inc...
Another shot of the pulleys. Another shot of the ...
The engine is still here. Belts still in place. The engine is still ...
Jamie gets some photos of the tables. Jamie gets some phot...
The stamps are hard to get a good photo of. The stamps are hard ...
Here are the stamps and the amalgamation table. The stamp battery dies and a shoe are on the table. Those would be in the battery, of course. Here are the stamps ...
Back outside the mill. Back outside the mill.
Wall Street Mill - 20060205-PICT0027.jpg Wall Street Mill - 2...
Walking around the site, I find a claim corner marker. This is one of three around the mill site boundary It was made by Keys. Walking around the s...
I think this is Wall Street Mill Site Corner 2. I'm not sure about the 6585 B. Perhaps it is a claim number? I think this is Wall...
As we are hiking out, my dad stands next to a giant Nolina. One of the largest I've ever seen. As we are hiking out...
We stop at the old truck again and say farewell to the site for now. We stop at the old t...