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California

303 posts

Graham Mine

Graham Mine

Prospectors flooded into the southern Black Mountains during the Greenwater mining boom of the early 1900s, scouring every canyon and wash. The Rhodes Spring area as well as Virgin Spring Canyon saw intermittent activity, with limited productive mining resulting (See Lost Rhodes Mine). The remote location with its subsequent high

Greenwater Canyon Petroglyphs

Greenwater Canyon Petroglyphs

The Greenwater Petroglyphs comprise two distinct sites scattered along Greenwater Canyon in Death Valley. Etched into the Pleistocene-era Funeral formation basalt and volcanics, these ancient markings represent a significant Great Basin Abstract rock art collection in the California desert region. One thing that makes this site particularly remarkable is the

Corn Springs Petroglyphs and the Little Chad Cabin

Corn Springs Petroglyphs and the Little Chad Cabin

Corn Springs Petroglyphs Out in the open canyon country of the Chuckwalla Mountains lies Corn Springs, one of Southern California's most significant (and often forgotten about) rock art sites. More than 600 petroglyphs have been carved into desert-varnished granite boulders over thousands of years. This was a crucial

Emmett's Lone Tree Cabin

Emmett's Lone Tree Cabin

High in the rugged Panamint Mountains, in the shadow of lofty Manly Peak, sits a humble aluminum-sided cabin that represents one of Death Valley's last authentic prospecting camps. This was the base of operations for Emmett Harder, one of Death Valley's final true desert prospectors, who

Peter B. Kyne's Hideout

Peter B. Kyne's Hideout

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

Lower Monarch Canyon Mine

Lower Monarch Canyon Mine

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

Goldstar and Pinyon Pine Mine Cabins

Goldstar and Pinyon Pine Mine Cabins

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