December 2024 News

High above Redlands Canyon in the southern Panamint Mountains of Death Valley lies what local legend claims was a secret camp of Western author Peter B. Kyne. The remote site, accessed via Striped Butte Valley, features a large stacked-rock tent platform perched precariously on the mountainside, offering sweeping views of

Just a few miles south of fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, the Cottontail Petroglyphs are two adjacent sites at either end of an Aztec sandstone bluff. The site consists primarily of abstract symbols with some representational symbols of bighorn sheep. Despite being close to town, this is still an interesting site

After scouting the Indian Mine in the upper reaches of Monarch Canyon of Death Valley, we turned our sights on a solitary adit in the lower part of the canyon. I couldn’t find any history on this little prospect, but after heading out there, I’d guess it dates from around

On the eastern slope of the rugged Old Woman Mountains are the remains of two weather-beaten cabins. Unlike the area’s earlier gold and silver prospects, these mines targeted barite, a mineral primarily used in oil drilling. Barite (or Baryte) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate, generally white or colorless,

Hidden deep within the Big Rock Wilderness of eastern Nevada’s Pahroc Range lies an extraordinary archaeological treasure: the Pahroc Big Rock petroglyphs. This remarkable site, a single boulder featuring Archaic period rock art, was discovered by chance when rock climbers stumbled upon it many years ago. One face of this

This amazing site is just around the corner from the Sky Portal site, and I visited it on the same trip. Did I mention that I almost got lost on this trip? I almost got lost on this trip. The GPS device I was using to navigate this maze of

Nestled in the Old Woman Mountains Wilderness, the remote Lady Jeanne Mine is a challenging trek for those seeking beautiful scenery, solitude, and mining history. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any history on this gold and silver prospect. One wonders who Lady Jeanne was. Up at the mine itself are the

Just off Interstate 15, in the shadow of Clark Mountain, lie the scattered ruins of Rosalie, also known as Valley Wells. Rosalie’s tale began in 1898 when the Ivanpah Smelting Company of Los Angeles recognized the potential of nearby copper deposits. They sank two wells at a site about 5

We’ve visited this mine many times since first exploring it in 2001. It is well-known and well-traveled but so extensive that it is still fun to explore. The mine has miles of drifts and stopes across at least nine levels. It has a few hard-to-reach passageways, and there are

We have visited this mine many times over the years. It is one of the earlier mines in the War Eagle Mine group. It was successful enough that the owners built a tramway down the hillside and developed their own railroad to connect to the mainline Tidewater and Tonopah railroad.

These are various photos from our trips over the years to the Columbia mine out in the Mojave Desert. Part of the War Eagle complex of mines, it is well-traveled. Much of the remaining mining equipment has been stolen since my photos were taken. A May 25th, 2012, article in

Geologist’s Cabin is an icon among the many Death Valley backcountry cabins. It stands picturesquely at the western end of Striped Butte Valley above Anvil Spring with a majestic view of the Striped Butte itself. It is a fantastic place to visit. The cabin itself is a fine, well-built

I stumbled across this remote mining prospect and cabin site in the wilds of Death Valley. I’ve looked through my research books but couldn’t find any information on this place. Judging by the debris, the cabin dates from the 1950s or earlier, but I’m only guessing. Someone

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

Possibly one of the most well-known backcountry cabins in the Mojave National Preserve is Riley’s Camp. John Riley Bembry was born on February 5, 1899, in Arapaho, Oklahoma. He preferred to be called Riley instead of John because he found it more distinctive. After serving in World War I as

Geer Camp is one of my favorite places in the Mojave National Preserve. It is a small and cozy cabin with a great view and makes for an ideal place to camp if you are in the area. Robert R. Geer built the small, one-room cabin in 1940 as a

Surprisingly, just off the I-15 freeway northeast of Baker in the Mojave Desert of California are four or five groups of rock art scattered across small basalt hills and along a sandy wash. The main site is right next to the freeway. And when I say right next to the

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

In 1886, Albert G. Rhodes and his partner discovered a promising silver deposit in the hills behind the spring that would come to bear his name. They extracted and transported 1,200 pounds of ore, worth approximately $800, before meeting a tragic fate on a return trip to the mine.

Jean François de Lamoignon (shortened to Jean or John Lemoigne) was a black-bearded Frenchman who differed from most of the other early Death Valley prospectors; he was a well-educated mining engineer. He came to Death Valley around 1879 to supervise the Eagle Borax Works. Unfortunately, by the time he had

I decided to head out to try and track down an arrastra I read about a long time ago. It was mentioned in a report to be one of only two known “wagon wheel” style arrastras in a national park (The other one is the Pinto Wye Arrastra out in

A restored mining cabin known as Roger’s Camp sits a little ways inside the Mojave National Preserve, with minor abandoned mine workings located just uphill. Maurice Mulcahy of Dagget first stumbled upon traces of silver, lead, and tungsten deposits in the early 1900s. Later, three shafts were sunk 30 feet

There are still some enduring mysteries in Death Valley. One of them is the 1834 Rocks. These puzzling inscriptions, found at three sites and separated by a wide distance, each bear a unique combination of symbols: a date, a cross, and a chalice, with an enigmatic “SP” monogram at all