Big Bear, CA
I quiet mountain community full of back country adventure.
Racetrack Valley
Racetrack valley is a rough graded road which departs the Ubehebe Crater site and heads south into the desert. The road is rough, but easily passable in a regular car. However, when entering back country areas such as this it is always a good idea to have the insurance of a reliable vehicle, high clearance, four wheel drive, etc… Do yourself a huge favor and air down your tires if you are properly equipped to air up when the trip is over.
The racetrack valley road is a 25 miles one way trip to the playa. The road is grated, but can be heavily wash-boarded depending on the time of year, rain fall, etc…
Along the way, there are many side trips and alternate trails to help expand your visit.
As you leave Ubehebe Crater, you will be driving south and gradually gaining elevation. Take your time and enjoy the drive, if you are lucky you may see a big horn sheep herd. The road gradually gains in elevation and climbs through a Joshua Tree Forest.
Once you reach the pass, the road continues to drop in elevation all the way down to the playa. Continue straight through tea kettle junction, and bear left down the valley past the side road to the Lippincott mine, which is a great side trail.
As you continue past the road to the Lippincott mine the road drops down to the Racetrack Playa itself. The first stop is ‘The Grandstand’ which is an outcropping of rock located in the north west corner of the racetrack. The second stop is the parking area to hike towards the stones. Don’t try to hike to the stones from the first Grandstand parking lot, or you will be hiking significantly further.
The highlight of the trip, is a short hike to the sailing or racing stones. The start of the hike is the parking area at the southern end of the racetrack playa.
To reach the stones hike east from the parking lot across the playa towards the dark stone hillside. It is short FLAT, meaning really FLAT hike towards the stones. Be sure the check the temperatures before you leave, and bring lots of water. This is true with anything you might want to do in Death Valley. Don’t walk on the playa if it is wet or muddy.
At the end of the 30 miles road there is a small primitive campground for overnight visits. Be sure to check with the National Park Service for regulations of back country camping within the park.
Notoriety
On September 19th, 1969 a Michigan front end loading is found burning along the road near the playa. Apparently, Manson order the machine burned. Park Rangers were deployed to the Racetrack. The rangers followed a set of tire tracked which belonged to a Toyota Land Cruiser which was stolen by Manson. The follow up investigate lead to the arrest of Charles Manson at Barker Ranch on October 12th, 1969.
Racetrack Valley Trail Map
References
The Standard Mill – Bodie, CA
The Standard Mill, also known as the Standard Consolidated Mining Company Mill, was a pivotal element in the history of Bodie, California. The building is one of the most iconic images or Bodie, and dominates the landscape. Located in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this mill played a crucial role in the processing of ore from one of the richest gold-mining areas in the American West.
Formation of the Standard Company
The Standard Company was founded in 1877, quickly becoming one of the most prominent and productive mines in the Bodie District. The company consolidated several claims, thereby gaining control over a large portion of the mineral-rich land. The successful extraction and processing of gold ore by the Standard Company were instrumental in Bodie’s transformation from a small camp into a bustling mining town.
Construction and Operation of the Standard Mill
The Standard Mill was constructed in 1877 to process the ore extracted from the company’s mines. It employed the latest technology of the time, using a combination of steam power, gravity, and chemical processes to extract gold from the ore. The mill utilized the amalgamation process, which involved crushing the ore to a fine powder and then using mercury to separate the gold. This process was later supplemented with cyanidation, which allowed for the extraction of gold from low-grade ore, significantly improving recovery rates.
Technical Details
Originally, as built, the mill is powered by large steam boilers. There boilers are fed using wood brought up to Bodie on the Bodie and Benton Railroad. The mill initially featured a 20-stamp system, but as operations expanded, it was upgraded to a 30-stamp system. Later, the mill is converted to Hydroelectric power from a plant built approximately thirteen miles from the town at Dynamo Pond.
Ore is loaded into the mill using one of two trestles. The primary trestle connects to the backside of the mill, and used to haul ore from the mines deep inside mines inside of the mountain. The secondary trestle is sloped to the north and is used to haul ore up sevens stories above the the loading room. From there, the ore is sorted with grizzly bars before being dropped into the powerful stamps.
The stamps, which were heavy iron rods, repeatedly crushed the ore into a fine powder. This powder was then passed over mercury-coated copper plates, where the gold particles would adhere to the mercury. The amalgam of gold and mercury was then collected and heated to separate the gold from the mercury.
Economic Impact and Contribution to Bodie’s Growth
The Standard Mill was the most significant factor in Bodie’s economic boom during the late 19th century. By 1879, Bodie’s population had swelled to approximately 10,000 people, with the Standard Company producing gold worth millions of dollars by today’s standards. The wealth generated by the mill attracted a diverse population, leading to the establishment of various businesses, schools, and a newspaper. During the height of operations, the stamps from the mill could be heard four miles away, and operated twenty-four hours per day, six days a week.
Challenges and Decline
Despite its success, the Standard Mill faced numerous challenges, including harsh weather conditions, fires, and fluctuating gold prices. The mill experienced several fires, the most devastating occurring in 1898, which necessitated extensive rebuilding. Additionally, as the richest veins of ore were exhausted, the profitability of the mill declined. The Standard Company ceased operations in 1913, marking the end of Bodie’s major gold production.
Preservation and Historical Significance
Today, the Standard Mill stands as a testament to Bodie’s rich mining history. It is one of the best-preserved examples of a 19th-century mill in California. The site is now part of Bodie State Historic Park, established in 1962, which aims to preserve the town and educate the public about its historical significance. The mill’s machinery, structures, and surrounding buildings offer valuable insights into the technological advancements and industrial processes of the time.
Tours are available several times per day for a tickets price of $6 a person. The hour long takes you past the Hoover House up past the stream plant to the trestle, which fed ore up the the top of the mill. From there, the tour route enters the machinery room and power room before dropping into the slucing room and clean up rooms.
The Standard Mill was a cornerstone of the town’s mining industry and played a vital role in its economic development. Through its innovative use of technology and its contribution to gold production, the mill significantly influenced the growth and prosperity of Bodie during its peak years. Today, it remains an important historical site, providing a window into the challenges and achievements of the mining era in the American West.
The Standard Mill Map
More Standard Mill Photographs
The Assassination Attempt of Virgil Earp
The assassination attempt on Virgil Earp, a key figure in the law enforcement of the Old West, occurred on December 28, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. This event was part of the larger conflict known as the Earp-Cowboy feud, which culminated in the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Background
Virgil Earp, along with his brothers Wyatt and Morgan, was heavily involved in law enforcement in Tombstone. The town, at the time, was a hotbed of tension between the Earps and the Cowboys, a loosely organized group of outlaws and rustlers. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881, where Virgil played a leading role as Tombstone’s town marshal, escalated these tensions. In this shootout, three Cowboys—Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton—were killed, while Virgil and his brothers emerged relatively unscathed. This event intensified the animosity between the Earps and their enemies.
The Assassination Attempt
On the night of December 28, 1881, Virgil Earp was ambushed while walking down Allen Street in Tombstone. He was on his way from the Oriental Saloon to the Cosmopolitan Hotel, where he and his wife were staying. As Virgil passed by the intersection of Fifth and Allen streets, he was shot from behind with a shotgun. The blast struck his left arm and shoulder, shattering his humerus bone and causing severe injuries.
Despite the severity of his wounds, Virgil survived the attack, though he was permanently maimed. His left arm was nearly useless for the rest of his life. The attack on Virgil Earp was widely believed to be an act of revenge by the Cowboys for the events at the O.K. Corral. However, no one was ever officially charged with the crime. Ike Clanton and his associates, who had been involved in the earlier conflict with the Earps, were prime suspects, but insufficient evidence and the chaotic nature of Tombstone’s justice system at the time made it difficult to pursue any legal action.
Aftermath
The attack on Virgil Earp further inflamed the feud between the Earps and the Cowboys. Just a few months later, on March 18, 1882, Morgan Earp, another of Virgil’s brothers, was shot and killed in another ambush. This event prompted Wyatt Earp to lead a vendetta ride against the Cowboys, resulting in a series of violent encounters and killings.
Virgil Earp, despite his injury, continued to serve as a lawman. He left Tombstone in 1882 and eventually settled in California, where he served as a law enforcement officer in Colton and other areas. He lived until 1905, passing away at the age of 62.
The assassination attempt on Virgil Earp remains a significant event in the history of the American West, symbolizing the violent and often lawless nature of frontier life during that era.
Testimony of R. J. Campbell in the Preliminary Hearing in the Earp-Holliday Case Campbell
Testimony of R. J. Campbell
in the Preliminary Hearing in the Earp-Holliday Case,
Heard before Judge Wells Spicer
November 23, 1881
On this twenty-third day of November, 1881, on the hearing of the above entitled cause, on the examination of Wyatt Earp and J. H. Holliday; R. J. Campbell of Tombstone, a witness of lawful age, being produced and sworn, deposes and says as follows:
R. J. Campbell, Tombstone, Arizona Territory, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, of Cochise County, Arizona Territory.
(Q) [Question not written.]
(A) I know Ike Clanton and know William Clanton and Frank McLaury, and only knew Tom McLaury by sight. Had no acquaintance with him.
(Q) Did you know the reputation of the three former during their lives and that of Ike Clanton for coolness and courage and for expertness and dexterity in the use of firearms?
[Prosecution objects. Overruled.]
(A) The reputation of Frank McLaury was a brave and courageous man and that he was an expert in the use of firearms. Ike Clanton is the same. William Clanton, I can’t say for him, only by reputation, that he was an expert in the use of firearms. I did not know Tom McLaury, only by sight.
(Q) [Question not written.]
(A) I saw all of them on that day. I came down the street [in] the morning and someone told me that the Earp boys and Ike Clanton had had some trouble.1 I went to Wallace’s Court, and Wyatt Earp went in ahead of me. He took a seat on a bench inside of the railing. Ike Clanton was sitting on the outside of the railing. A few minutes after I got in, Wyatt Earp looked towards Ike Clanton and said, “You have threatened my life two or three times and I have got the best of evidence to prove it, and I want this thing stopped!”, or words to that effect. Some other conversation ensued that I don’t remember, when Wyatt Earp walked up to the railing and facing Ike Clanton said, “You cattle thieving son-of-a-bitch, and you know that I know you are a cattle thieving son-of-a-bitch, you’ve threatened my life enough, and you’ve got to fight!”, and Ike Clanton made the remark, “Fight is my racket, and all I want is four feet of ground!”
(Q) [Question not written.]
(A) Morgan Earp and Ike Clanton were having an excited conversation about arresting and knocking him down. Ike turned to Morgan Earp and said, “If you fellows had been a second later, I would have furnished a Coroner’s Inquest for the town!”
(Q) What did [you] gather from the context of the conversation that Ike Clanton meant by, “a second” later second later than what?
[Prosecution objects. Sustained.]
CROSS-EXAMINATION
(Q) Regarding Ike in court, and his wounds, “if any?”
(A) I don’t know what he was there for, only from hearsay. I understood he was there under arrest for carrying concealed weapons. He was holding a handkerchief to the side of his head. Did not pay any attention to it. Did not see him with any firearms there. I did not see Wyatt Earp have any firearms [in courtroom]. Morgan Earp, I think, had a rifle in his hands and a six-shooter. Did not see Judge Wallace there during the conversation just related. There were a great many people there and I am not positive as to who were there. Did not see Frank McLaury there, nor William Clanton, nor Tom McLaury.
(Q) Are Virgil Earp, Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp, and Doc Holliday by reputation men of cool courage and experts in the use of firearms?
(A) They are.
(Q) How long had you known Frank McLaury on October 26th, last?
(A) Six months. His reputation [as stated in examination in chief] was a general reputation.
(Q) As to Ike’s remark about “Coroner’s Inquest for the town?
(A) The remark was made in Judge Wallace’s courtroom, and just after a conversation between Morgan Earp and Ike Clanton as to his arrest for carrying concealed weapons. It was said in the presence of a number of persons. A man called Coleman was there. I met him at the door on going in the room. I can’t remember the names of any others. It was stated in an ordinary tone of voice and there were other parties as near to him as I was.
(Q) I will ask, if, when Ike Clanton was in Wallace’s courtroom under arrest as you have stated, was that the time that Wyatt Earp said to Ike Clanton: “You cattle thieving son-of-a-bitch, and you know you are a cattle thieving son-of-a-bitch, you’ve got to fight!”?
(A) Yes sir. That was the time.
(Q) Before you heard what you stated in your last answer, did you hear Ike Clanton say anything at that place and time?
(A) This conversation took place just after I got in; and when I got in, Morgan Earp and Ike Clanton were talking excitedly.
(Q) Who was talking to Ike Clanton when he says, “Fight is my racket,” as you stated [before]?
(A) Wyatt Earp was talking to him.
(Q) When did you see Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and William Clanton?
(A) The last time I saw of them, they were going into the O.K. Coral, before the difficulty.
(Q) You stated in your examination in chief that Wyatt Earp told Ike Clanton, in Wallace’s courtroom, that he, Clanton, had threatened his life enough. What reply, if any, did Clanton make to that?
(A) He made no reply that I heard.
[Signed] R. J. Campbell
References
Testimony of A. Bauer in the Preliminary Hearing in the Earp-Holliday Case Campbell
Testimony of A. Bauer
in the Preliminary Hearing in the Earp-Holliday Case,
Heard before Judge Wells Spicer
November 10, 1881
On this tenth day of November, 1881, on the hearing of the above entitled cause, on the examination of Wyatt Earp and J. H. Holliday; A. Bauer, a witness of lawful age, being sworn, deposes and says as follows:
My name is A. Bauer. I reside in Tombstone. I am engaged in the butcher business. I was in Tombstone on the 26th of October, 1881. I saw the difficulty on that day between one of the Earp brothers and Tom McLaury.
[Here witness points to Wyatt Earp and says, “That gentleman looks like him.”]
The difficulty occurred on Fourth Street, between Judge Wallace’s Court and Allen Street. I crossed Allen Street, to go to Judge Wallace’s Court; Mr. Earp walked ahead of me three or four steps. I was in company with Billy Hines, the cattleman. Me and Mr. Hines both saw Tom McLaury coming from Wallace’s Court, and both Mr. Earp and McLaury walked pretty near solid together, face to face. Mr. Hines and I stopped and looked at Mr. Earp and Tom McLaury. They both said something, one to another, which I did not understand. The moment I was willing to pass them both, to go to Wallace’s Court, Mr. Earp raised his left hand or fist like, and run it into Tom McLaury’s face. Tom McLaury had both hands in his pants pockets. Mr. Earp said, “Are you heeled or not?” Tom McLaury answered, “No, I am not heeled. I have got nothing to do with anybody.” Tom McLaury took his hands out of his pockets to ward off the striking. Tom McLaury backed off from Mr. Earp toward the street, from the sidewalk, Mr. Earp followed him, pulling a pistol with his right hand out of his coat picket and knocked him with the pistol on his shoulder and head. McLaury fell in about the middle of the street. He fell on his right side and raised his left hand and held it to his left ear. When I looked around a little and I saw an old gentleman have hold of Tom McLaury, leading him along Fourth Street, crossing Allen and going towards Fremont Street. Mr. Earp struck Tom McLaury two or three or maybe four blows with his pistol. When Mr. Earp left Tom McLaury lying down, he said, “I could kill the son-of-a-bitch!” When Tom McLaury was struck, he opened his eyes awful large. He was dizzy and trembled.
CROSS EXAMINATION
To queries: Wyatt Earp had on a short coat; did not have an overcoat on; it [his pistol] seemed to me an old pistol, pretty large, 14 or 16 inches long, it seemed to me.
(Q) Where is your butcher shop?
(A) I work in a butcher shop on Fremont Street. I have got no butcher shop myself. That is the only shop I work in. I have known Tom McLaury since the 11th day of October of this year.
(Q) Has your brother of the firm for which you work, been buying cattle of Tom McLaury, or dealing with him prior to this 26th of October?
[Objected to. Overruled.]
(A) Yes sir.
(Q) Have you ever been in the butcher business?
(A) Yes sir. I sold out on the third day of March, 1881, to Jacob Everhardy.
[States that he has been in the employ of his brother and the latter’s partner since September 27th. Prior to that, and since he sold out, he was “driving my team, hauling adobes and sand and helping the masons around the buildings.”]
(Q) During the time you were in the butcher business, and before you sold out, did you have any dealings with Tom McLaury or Frank McLaury, or Isaac or William or Phinn Clanton?
[Prosecution objects Phineas Clanton’s name being used in the question asked. Objection sustained on the ground that up to the present time, the name of Phineas Clanton has not been mentioned and he is not shown to have been connected with any part of the difficulty, either directly or indirectly. ]
(A) I had no dealing with any of them as long as I was in the butcher business.
(Q) Do you know where Tom McLaury went after you saw him with the old gentleman going along Fourth Street, after the time of his difficulty with Wyatt Earp?
(A) I don’t know where he went.
(Q) Did you see him afterwards?
(A) Yes sir, in the Capitol Saloon, Fremont and Fourth Streets, about 1 or 2 o’clock. Before his difficulty he was walking from Wallace’s Court towards Allen Street. Wyatt Earp was walking toward Wallace’s Court from Allen Street.
[Signed] A. Bauer