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Hugh M. Smith

I have been hiking and photographing the Southwest deserts, mountains, and canyons since 1978. My main focus has been on little-known locations, with an emphasis on historical mines and mining camps.

8 posts

St. George Mine

St. George Mine

The Panamint Valley was a bustling place in the 1870s, with silver mining activity booming in the surrounding Panamint and Argus Mountains. The frenzy began in Cerro Gordo in the Inyo Mountains in the 1860s, moved on to Panamint City in 1873, then finally arrived in the Argus Mountains in

Lost Rhodes Mine

Lost Rhodes Mine

Albert G. Rhodes is nearly forgotten in desert lore, but he and his partner discovered a rich silver deposit in 1886 at the remote southeastern end of the Black Mountains of Death Valley. They hauled 1,200 pounds of silver ore on the backs of mules over eighty desolate miles

Salsberry Prospect

Salsberry Prospect

The Salsberry Prospect was a small mining operation on the shoulder of Salsberry Peak, which can be traced back to the Greenwater Valley copper boom of the early 1900s. Little is known today about the history of the mine, but it appears to have been owned by Jack Salsberry, a

Keys Ranch

Keys Ranch

While not as well-known as many of the other visitor attractions in Joshua Tree National Park, Keys Ranch is one of the true gems of the park. To protect the ranch from theft and vandalism, the Park Service only allows access via a ranger-guided tour. The tour requires advance reservations

Tungstar Mine Tram

Tungstar Mine Tram

This very adventurous hike follows an old mining trail which led to the Tungstar Mine, a 1940s tungsten mine high on the western slope of Mt. Tom, the prominent 13,658-foot peak just west of Bishop. The trail was used in the early days of the mine to build a

Hess Mine

Hess Mine

Not far from the Tioga Pass entrance station to Yosemite National Park lie the remains of the Hess Mine, one of the more accessible 1940s-era tungsten mines in the High Sierra. Three widely-separated claims comprised the mine: the main claim at the north end of Steelhead Lake; a small middle

Hanging Valley and Tungstar Mines

Hanging Valley and Tungstar Mines

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, surging worldwide demand for tungsten led to the opening of several tungsten mines in the High Sierra above Bishop. Two small but relatively high-grade ore bodies were discovered on the west side of Mt. Tom, which would become the Hanging Valley Mine and