In 2004, We met up with our friends Dan, Annie, and Micah to explore this old mine in the southern part of Joshua Tree. We spent most of the day hiking to this old mine camp. We were surprised to find a few old cabins, the mill remains, and an ore car (now gone). What a great place!
Someone stole the ore car and various artifacts sometime after my visit. The mine portals are now gated.
Prospectors first discovered gold at the Moser mine (also known as the El Sid) in the 1880s, with small-scale production occurring in 1911, 1931, and the late 1940s.
In 1979, Sidney Ragsdale claimed the abandoned workings and operated them until 1994, renaming it the El Sid. The site has been vandalized, but a modern mine and mining camp remain. The mine has over 1,000 feet of underground workings.
