Chemung Mine
Located off the Masonic Road between Bridgeport, CA and the Masonic town site, are the remains of the Chemung gold mine. The Chemung gold mine operated from from 1909 to 1938 and produced over one million dollars in gold. In the 1920s, the Chemung mine was producing low grade and high grade ore. The ore was processed onsite, and then shipped to near by Bodie for smelting.
Along with the increase cost of mining supplies which reduced growth, a poor gold market and the cost of hauling the ore to Bodie over the poor roads for smelting and little mine was doomed and closed its doors in 1938.
The Chemung mine history is not a mining failure, but a failure of management and litigation. During its time of production, the mine built and tore down three mills. During the last year of operation in 1938, 20 men worked the site and less than one year later the mine was closed. The mine itself produced well, however endless litigation for various reasons doomed the mine.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s new life was found in the mine with the efforts of Elton “Heinie” Heinemeyer. Heinemeyer mined for years but never struck it big. Well liked by the town of Bridgeport, CA Heinemeters well being was the source of concern for the people of Bridgeport and it is reported that he would always find time to visit and entertain those who traveled to check up on him.
Currently, the mill building structure is intact but the years of harsh weather have taken its toll. A mild wind will cause some of the walls to shake or shudder, and the lower outer wall is leaning outward. In June 2016, bars restricted access to the mines themselves although the mines do offer a cold breeze on a warm day to cool you down.
There are stories that the site is haunted by a spirit or ghost, but only on Saturday nights, which seems a bit odd to me.
On a personal note, the Chemung mine surprised me. I have been to Aurora three times, Masonic at least three times, and Bodie… at least ten. My last visit to Bodie was in 2013. Afterwards this last trip, I was looking in Google Earth when I “discovered” the Chemung gold mine. How had this mine, such an impressive structure, evaded my radar for so many years? It took me three years from that day to make my first visit to Chemung, and this place is definately on my list for a repeat visit.
Chemung Mine Trailmap
Resources
Scottys Castle – The Death Valley Ranch
Named after Walter Scott AKA “Death Valley Scotty”, Scottys Castle or the Death Valley Ranch is located on some 1500 acres in Grapevine Canyon in Death Valley.
Built by Scott’s benefactor Albert Johnson in 1922, the Death Valley ranch cost between 1.5 – 2.5 million to construct at that time. The stock market crash of 1929 cost Johnson a considerable amount of money, and the ranch was never finished.
Scotty was a prospector, stunt rider and con man who used to con investors in to backing his “mining” adventures. It was reported that when the investor’s delegation wanted the view their new mine, Scotty would march them around the hot valley until they forgave or forgot about their investment.
On March 11, 1906 Scotty stared as himself in a play which opened in Seattle to a full house. We was arrested after his only performance and the charged for his crimes, the publicity exposed him to new investors. In spite of this Albert Johnson maintain interested in his “mine”. Another investigator was sent, who reported back that the mine did not exist. Johnson refused to believe this, and the following year he visited the mine himself, but left without seeing the mine. He was later sued by his investors in 1915 and ended up in jail.
In 1922, Johnson started building Scotty’s castle as a vacation home. When the size and scope of the property was realized, people assumed Scotty used the proceeds for his gold mine to pay for the Ranch. Scotty, ever the promoter did nothing to correct the record and soon The Johnson’ vacation home is associated with him
The Death Valley Ranch was know as “Scotty’s Castle in spite of the fact that Scotty rarely stayed over, rather living and sleeping at a 5 room cabin in lower vine canyon a short distance away
Due to its remote location, the Death Valley Ranch needed to maintain its own power station and water supply and evaporation cooling system. Despite the conditions, Scotty’s Castle boasts a 1,121 pipe theater organ, fountains, clock tower and a massive unfinished swimming pool.
There is no longer gas available at Scotty’s castle or grapevine canyon.
Scottys Castle was flooded in 2015 and not currently open to the public. The opening date has been pushed many times and currently scheduled for 2022. The flood was the result of over 3 inches in rain in just over 5 hours. The flash flood left debris in the visitors center over one foot deep and washed out the road.
Scotty’s Castle Summary
Name | Scotty’s Castle |
Location | Death Valley National Park, California |
National Register of Historic Places | 78000297 |
Further Reading
Scotty’s Castle Map
Scotty’s Castle Personalities
Kelso Depot
The story of the westward expansion is the story of the railroads. Beginning in 1862, the Union Pacific Railroad sought expansion opportunities along the western coast of the United States. To secure a foothold into California the railroads must cross the Mojave Desert and the depot in Kelso was crucial to accomplish this goal. Located at the junction of Kelbaker Road and the Kelso Cima Road, the Kelso Depot stands in testimony of the technological progress of the nations trains.
August of 1900, Montana Senator William A. Clark invested in a small Los Angeles based railway which would become the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad. In 1902, in mine owner made a deal to sell half of the stock to the Union Pacific even before the railway was completed.
In 1905, after 235 miles of track are laid, three warehouse men placed their names in a hat and drew out the winner John Kelso, for whom track siding #16 of the Salt Lake route was named. Later in 1905, Kelso was just one depot along the Salt Lake Route which now stretched from San Pedro, CA to Salt Lake City Utah. This new route opened southern California to the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1921, Union Pacific convinced Senator Clark to sell his remaining shares.
Additionally, in 1905 Senator Clark divested himself of some land in southern Nevada along another rail stop. This auction is considered the birth of Las Vegas, and Clark Country was named for the man.
Built in 1921, The Kelso Depot is architecturally styled as a Mission Revival and just one of several depots along the route which were designated as division points and provided facilities for operations and maintenance purposes. The buildings original design included a telegraph office, conductor’s room, baggage room, staff dormitories, a billiard room, library and locker. The spring water in the nearby Providence mountains allowed the location to service the steam engines. Additionally, the relatively steep 2% 2000 foot grade necessitated the use of helper engines by the steam locomotives of the day to crest the Kessler Summit.
Other depot locations
- Lynndyl, Utah
- Milford, Utah
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Caliente, Nevada
- Yermo, California
- San Bernardino, California
Union Pacific continued to operate the depot from 1921 to 1985. The depot provided much need infrastructure during World War 2, at which point the facility started a long decline in utility. Diesel engines improved efficiency and duration allowed the Union Pacific railroad to reduce their personnel requirements. The 1960’s introduced the second generation of more powerful and efficient diesel engines which eliminated the need for the helper engines. Combined with the cessation of passenger travel in August, 1964 the Kelso depot is destined to languish on the back roads of history. The Kelso Depot ceased operations as a train depot in 1962.
The Kelso Depot is currently in use as a Visitors Center of the Mojave National Preserve.
Kelso Depot Trail Map
References
Rhyolite Train Depot
The town of Rhyolite boasted three train services using the Rhyolite Train Depot which is completed in June, 1908. The depot services the Las Vegas & Tonopah, the Tonopah & Tidewater and the Bullfrog-Goldfield train services. The Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad started its push to Rhyolite by laying one mile of track per day. Later, the railroad redoubled its efforts and pushed two miles per day its its bid to connect the booming two of Rhyolite with the outside world.
The first train entered Rhyolite at 7:00 pm on December 14th, 1906 bringing another 100 people into the town. Train service to the booming mining town was a big deal. The fact that Rhyolite could lure three train services all but ensured the future of the largest mining town in the state.
In 1907, the Las Vegas & Tidewater line alone hauled 50 freight cars per day into Rhyolite. This volume required a large depot to handle the load. In September 1907, the construction of the depot started by the Las Vegas & Tidewater Railroad. The Mission Revival styled building in constructed with concrete blocks built upon a solid concrete foundation. A gentlemen’s waiting area is located in the east end and a separate ladies waiting room is located in the west end. The ticket office is located in the center of the building and the ticket agents office is located on the second floor.
The train depot takes up an entire city block on Golden Street. The cost on construction was $130,000, or about $3.8 million in 2021.
The train depot in Rhyolite is complete in June 1908. The timing of the complete is ironic in that it coincided with the beginning on the decline of Rhyolite. Within months of completion of the depot, more people were leaving town using the station than arriving. In the first year of operation, the railroad generated a small profit. Between 1909 and 1919 the railroads lost money each year. By 1919, the railroads cut their losses and salvaged the tracks for other projects.
Rhyolite Ghost Casino
The 1920’s offered a brief revival to the town on Rhyolite. Wes Moreland purchase the train depot in 1935 and opened the Rhyolite Ghost Casino in 1937. Drinking and gambling are available on the first floor. The second floor operates as a brothel. The star of World Ware 2 halts the brief rebirth of Rhyolite. The fuel rationing almost completely drained the economy in the area.
In the 1960’s Moreland sister inherited the train depot. Mrs. Herschel Heiser operated a museum and gift shop out of the old station.
At the time it was built, the train depit is claimed to be “The finest in the state.” Today, the train station is one of the best preserved.
Rhyolite Trail Depot Map
Rhyolite Train Depot Marker Text
In keeping with its prominence as a mining center, Rhyolite was serviced by three railroads: the Las Vegas & Tonopah, the Tonopah & Tidewater, and the Bullfrog-Goldfield.
The Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad laid one mile of track per day, then two miles of track per day, in its hurry to connect Rhyolite with the outside world. The first train from the Las Vegas & Tonopah entered Rhyolite at 7 p.m. on December 14, 1906, with about 100 passengers.
It was a big deal for a young mining town to be serviced by one railroad, but three railroads were almost unheard of in the history of Nevada. With three railroads, it seemed that Rhyolite was destined to be the largest mining camp in the state and the first few boom years made this prediction look inevitable.
By 1907, the Las Vegas & Tonopah alone was hauling 50 freight cars into town per day. The large volume of freight required a large depot to handle it.
In September 1907, the Las Vegas & Tonopah began building the depot that stands before you. It is constructed of concrete block with a solid concrete foundation in the Mission Revival style. There was a gentlemen’s waiting area on the east end and a ladies’ waiting room on the west end. A separate baggage room was located east of the men’s waiting area. The ticket office was located in the center of the building, and the ticket agent’s quarters were located upstairs.
It was planned to take an entire city block on Golden Street and cost approximately $130,000 – the equivalent of $3,798,393 in 2021.
The Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad Depot was completed in June 1908, around the same time that Rhyolite began its slow decline. Within months of its completion, more people were leaving Rhyolite through the depot than were arriving.
The railroad turned a small profit in 1908 but lost money every following year until it was finally dismantled in 1919. The tracks were salvaged, but the depot was left to stand as one of the few remaining buildings from the Rhyolite boom, primarily because it could not be moved elsewhere.In the 1920s, Rhyolite enjoyed a small revival through tourism. Wes Moreland bought the depot in 1935 and, beginning in 1937, operated it as the Rhyolite Ghost Casino. The drinking and gaming were conducted downstairs, while a different type of hospitality, reportedly staffed by “working women,” was conducted upstairs in the old ticket agent’s quarters.
Like the town before it, the casino had a relatively short life. The onset of World War II, and the associated Rhyolite Train Depot Markerwar effort, including fuel rationing, completely drained the area’s economy.
By the 1960s, the building had passed to Moreland’s sister, Mrs. Herschel Heisler, who operated the lower floor as a museum and gift shop for tourists.Since the 1930s, the depot has passed from person to person, eventually ending up with the Barrick Mining Company.
In October 2000, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) acquired the depot, along with most of the Rhyolite Townsite, from the mining company in a land swap.At some time before the swap, a group of local citizens replaced the historic depot roof with modern composite shingles. Although not historically accurate, the shingles have helped preserve the building in the relatively good condition that you see today.
At the time the depot was built, the local newspaper claimed it was “the finest in the state.” Today, it is one of the best-preserved examples of early twentieth-century Mission Revival train depots in Nevada.
The BLM’s Tonopah Field Office is working to restore this historic building. If you would like to donate to the restoration, a secure donation box is located to your right. All donations will be used in Rhyolite.
Please help us keep the depot in its current condition. Report acts of vandalism to the Tonopah Field Office at (775) 482-7800.
Leadfield California – A Death Valley Ghost Town
Leadfield California is a ghost town located in Inyo County and Death Valley National Park and found on the Titus Canyon Trail. The town boom in 1925 and 1926, however, Leadfield is a town that was started on fraud and deceit.
According to Legend and an article in Desert Magazine, and shameless promoter C. C. Julian wandered into Titus Canyon and started blasting tunnels. He then discovered lead ore which he purchased and brought down from Tonopah, Nevada. Julian then produced maps and other promotional materials and found investors from the East coast. The town of Leadfield was born and died on the imagination of this one man.
The truth of the tale is not quite as interesting or spectacular. According the the National Park Service, Leadfield ore was first worked in 1905. During the Bullfrog boom, which took place outside of Beatty, prospectors worked the land looking for the next big hit. In the fall of 1905, nine mine sights were identified and claimed by W. H. Seaman and Curtis Durnford. The ore from these sites was assayed in Rhyolite at $40 per ton. The men bought out a local consortium and the Death Valley Consolidated Mining Company was incorporated which released promotional material and sold shares for 2.5 cents each.
The mine and its ore did produce, however the Death Valley Consolidated Mining Company soon discovered that the expense of hauling the ore to Rhyolite and then the frieght costs to ship the material to smelters further off caused the ore to be not profitable. After six months of operation the Death Valley Colisidated Mining Company disappeared.
Despite early failures, in March of 1924 three prospectors wandered into the canyon and staked several claims. Ben Chambers, L. Christensen and Frank Metts worked their claims of lead ore for over one year before selling the claims to John Salsberry. Mr. Salsberry saw enough promise to form the Western Lead Mines Company and started to raise capital via stock sales at $0.10 per share. By the end of 1925, the Western Lead Mines Company was working 50 claims in the valley and soon began in invest in infastructure in the form of a compressor plant. A long steep road was constructed for LeadField to the Beatty Highway.
In early 1926, the Western Lead Mines Company build a boarding house and piped in water from a nearby spring. The town of Leadfield was named officially January 30th, 1926. Stock from the Western Lead Mines Company went on sale in January and within a 24 hour period, 40,000 share of stock were sold at $1.57 per share.
In February 1926 it became known to the public that C. C. Julian purchase shares and was now President of Western Lead Mines Company. Almost immediately the California State Corporation Commission began an investigation into the stock sale because a permit was not granted for the stock sale. The promoter went to work, along with several other mine operations, raise interest and money for the town. City plans were filed with Inyo County, however the spectre of investigation loomed.
Despite the arrival of a post office, investment into the location, and hundreds of feet of tunnel, C. C. Julian was ordered to cease sale of stock by the California State Corporation Commission. Around the same time, the primary tunnel of the Western Lead Mines Company penetrated to the ledge which experts predicted the highest quality ore. This ore was assayed at 2% and far too low for profit considered freight costs.
Leadfield and the surrounding mines where gone months later. Mr. Julian was blamed despite the facts that he did not start the venture, there was ore at the location, and he invested money and time towards the venture. Once his Leadfield venture faltered, he moved onto to Oklahoma and was caught up in yet another scam. Julian later fled the country for Shanghai in March of 1933 m where he committed suicide in 1923 after several more failed schemes. Julian was buried in a beggers coffin and his funeral was attended by nine people.
Mr. Julian is responsible for the road through Titus Canyon, which many is a favorite route of visitors every year.
For a detailed history, the NPS offers a great article.
Leadfield Town Summary
Name | Leadfield |
Location | Inyo County, Death Valley, California |
Latitude, Longitude | 36.8466107,-117.0592307 |
GNIS | 1658952 |
Elevation | 4000 feet |
Newspaper | Leadfield Chronicle ( 192?-19?? ) |
National Register of Historic Places | 75000221 |
Further Reading
- Ghostotwns.com
- Digital Desert
- NPS.gov
- https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2019/07/20/drilling-for-black-gold-the-strange-saga-of-c-c-julian-part-one/