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 deep into the hillside to expand the workings. A single two-ton silver and lead ore shipment was recorded in 1926, but the elusive tungsten lode remained tantalizingly out of reach. Some variation of the cabin was probably built around this time.
Sometime in the 1940s and 50s, three miners - Jay Ricketts, T.L. Button, and Elmer Schneider - worked the Lucky Lode claims for tungsten around the existing cabin. They cut pits and trenches in the slopes above the cabin, seeking deposits along a granite-limestone contact.
These days, dreams of tungsten have faded, but the cabin at Roger's Camp endures. Volunteers and Park Service staff have restored the cabin as a free, no-frills, first-come-first-served backcountry shelter. The rehabbed one-room cabin now contains basic supplies, including a bunk bed and wood stove. It makes a great place for weary travelers to spend the night. Please follow Backcountry Cabin Etiquette and leave it better than you found it.
My photos below are from 2006, 2016, 2020, and 2023.
