Big Bear, CA
I quiet mountain community full of back country adventure.
Birdcage Theater
At the corner of Allen and Sixth Streets in Tombstone, Arizona, stands a squat, two-story adobe-and-brick building whose faded crimson sign still proclaims “BIRD CAGE THEATRE.” Opened on December 26, 1881, and operating continuously as a theater, saloon, gambling hall, and brothel until 1889, the Bird Cage is the only major structure from Tombstone’s wildest years that has never been gutted by fire, rebuilt, or substantially altered. Its bullet-scarred walls, original 1880s furnishings, and 140+ bullet holes (counted and documented) make it one of the best-preserved relics of the Old West. During Tombstone’s silver-boom zenith (1880–1886), the Bird Cage never closed—24 hours a day, 365 days a year—earning its nickname “the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast.”
Construction and Design (1881)
The Bird Cage was conceived by William “Billy” Hutchinson, a San Francisco variety-theater entrepreneur, and his wife Lottie, who saw Tombstone’s explosive growth as the perfect market for high-class vice. Built in just 90 days at a cost of $50,000 (roughly $1.5 million today), the windowless building measured 60 ft wide by 120 ft deep. Its most distinctive feature was the main hall’s ceiling, from which fourteen small compartments (the “bird cages” or “cribs”) were suspended like balconies on either side of the stage. These private boxes, draped in red velvet and accessible only by ladders or an exterior stairway, were rented to prostitutes and their clients for $25–$60 a night—an astronomical sum at a time when miners earned $4 a day.
Below the cages ran a 30-foot mahogany bar imported from Pittsburgh, a faro layout, poker tables, and a small orchestra pit. A dumbwaiter connected the basement wine cellar to the bar, and the longest poker game in Western history (8 years, 5 months, 3 days) was played in the basement card room. The stage hosted vaudeville, minstrel shows, masquerade balls, and legitimate theater—often while gambling, drinking, and prostitution continued unabated in the same room.
Role in 1880s Tombstone
In a town of 10,000–14,000 people with 110 saloons, the Bird Cage was the undisputed elite venue. The Oriental, Crystal Palace, and Grand Hotel catered to gamblers and drinkers, but the Bird Cage combined high-stakes gambling, top-tier entertainment, and open prostitution under one roof. Admission was 25¢ for men (ladies free if accompanied), but drinks cost 50¢—double the town average. Performers included Eddie Foy, Lillian Russell, Lotta Crabtree, and the scandalous Fatima (the “Dancer with the Living Serpent”), whose act was so risqué that the Tombstone Epitaph refused to print its description.
The clientele ranged from silver millionaires like E. B. Gage and George Hearst to cowboys, miners, outlaws, and lawmen. Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp were regulars; Doc Holliday dealt faro here; Johnny Ringo and Curly Bill Brocius drank at the bar. The Clantons and McLaurys were frequently seen in the cages. The mixture of alcohol, money, guns, and sex made violence inevitable.
Documented Violent Events Inside the Bird Cage
- 1881–1889: At least 26 deaths occurred on the premises (16 by gunshot, others by stabbing, poisoning, or suicide). 140 bullet holes remain visible in walls, ceiling, and bar today.
- March 15, 1882 – “Russian Bill” Tattenbaum and “Sandy King” King, members of the Clanton gang, were arrested inside the Bird Cage for horse theft. Both were hanged the next day.
- December 28, 1881 (two days after opening) – A gunfight erupted over a faro game; one bullet passed through the canvas portrait of Fatima that still hangs onstage (the hole is visible).
- 1882 – Margarita, a popular “soiled dove,” stabbed rival Gold Dollar in the bird cages with a stiletto after catching her with her lover, faro dealer Billy Milgreen. Gold Dollar survived; the blood-stained dress is on display.
- 1880s – A prostitute known only as “Blonde Marie” leapt (or was pushed) from her cage to the floor below during an argument, breaking her neck. Her ghost is one of the most frequently reported in the building.
Connection to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Although the famous shootout (October 26, 1881) occurred three blocks away, the Bird Cage was intimately tied to the events. The night before, Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury drank heavily here while threatening the Earps. Doc Holliday had been dealing faro in the basement earlier that day. After the gunfight, the bodies of Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury were laid out in the Bird Cage’s back room for identification and embalming before being displayed in caskets on the sidewalk outside.
Decline and Closure (1889–1934)
When the silver mines flooded in 1886–87 and Tombstone’s population plummeted from 14,000 to under 800, the Bird Cage could no longer turn a profit. It closed in 1889, but the building was simply locked—furniture, fixtures, liquor bottles, faro tables, and even the original red wallpaper left exactly in place. The poker game in the basement finally ended in 1889 when the last players walked away. From 1892 to 1934 the building stood sealed, a time capsule of the boom years.
Rediscovery and Modern Era (1934–Present)
In 1934 the Hunley family purchased the property and reopened it as a museum. They found everything untouched: $5,000 in silver coins still in the faro bank drawer, original sheet music on the piano, and bullet-riddled walls. The Bird Cage has operated continuously as a tourist attraction ever since, owned since 1960 by the current family. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1963.
Artifacts on display include:
- The original 1881 faro table used by Doc Holliday
- The mummified remains of a 4-foot Gila monster found in the basement (legend says it was kept as a mascot)
- The Black Moriah hearse that carried the O.K. Corral dead
- The blood-stained stretcher used to carry Virgil Earp after the December 1881 ambush
The building is also famous for paranormal activity; it has been featured on Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and numerous documentaries. Staff and visitors report hearing 1880s music, women laughing in empty cages, cigar smoke, and the smell of whiskey.
Legacy
More than any other structure, the Bird Cage Theatre embodies the raw, unfiltered energy of 1880s Tombstone: a place where millionaires, outlaws, lawmen, and painted ladies mingled in a haze of cigar smoke, gunpowder, and ragtime music. It was never “just” a saloon or theater—it was the beating, bullet-scarred heart of a frontier Babylon. Today, stepping through its heavy wooden doors is to walk directly into 1882, with the ghosts of the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Clantons still lingering in the shadows of the bird cages overhead.
Como Nevada
Tucked away in the rugged folds of the Pine Nut Mountains in central Lyon County, Nevada, the ghost town of Como stands as a weathered sentinel to the fleeting dreams of the 1860s gold rush. Established amid the feverish prospecting that followed discoveries in the Palmyra Mining District, Como emerged as a bustling outpost of timber-framed saloons, mills, and miners’ shanties, its name possibly drawn from the Italian lake for its serene canyon setting or as a nod to the Comstock’s allure. Roughly 11 miles southeast of Dayton via a serpentine dirt road that climbs steep bajadas, Como’s isolation—exacerbated by the harsh, arid terrain where piñon pines cling to rocky slopes and wild horses roam the valleys—mirrors the boom-and-bust rhythm of Nevada’s mining frontier. This report traces Como’s arc from its optimistic founding to its inexorable fade, weaving in its vital ties to neighboring settlements, the iron veins of its mines, the rhythmic halt of trains at its depot, and the colorful lives of its denizens who chased fortune in the sage-scented dust.
The Spark of Discovery and Early Settlement (1860–1863)
Como’s origins are rooted in the gold placers of Gold Canyon, where in 1849, Mormon emigrants first sifted glittering flakes from the sands—Nevada’s inaugural mineral rush, predating the Comstock Lode by a decade. By June 1860, richer quartz veins in the Pine Nut Mountains ignited the Palmyra Mining District, drawing a tide of prospectors, merchants, and opportunists to the canyons south of the fledgling town of Dayton. Initial camps sprouted around Palmyra, a modest cluster of tents and sluice boxes, but as assays revealed deeper lodes, the focus shifted eastward to a sheltered gulch where Como was platted in late 1862.
Merchants arrived swiftly, establishing a U.S. Postal Service outpost below the diggings to funnel letters and supplies from Carson City, 20 miles north. By early 1863, Como hummed with life: four hotels, including the opulent National with its carpeted rooms and parlor; four dry goods stores stocked with Levi’s and lantern oil; two livery stables echoing with the snort of mules; eight saloons awash in whiskey and tall tales; a brewery fermenting lager from Sierra snowmelt; and tradesmen’s shops—blacksmiths forging picks, tinsmiths hammering buckets. A schoolhouse rang with ABCs, and whispers of a weekly newspaper stirred the air, scented with sagebrush and the acrid bite of black powder. Population estimates soared to several thousand, a polyglot throng of Cornish hard-rock men, Irish laborers, and Chinese camp cooks, all betting on the earth’s hidden bounty.
Como’s birth intertwined with the Comstock’s silver frenzy to the north. Dayton, Lyon County’s official seat since November 1861, served as Como’s gateway, its Carson River mills processing ore freighted south from Virginia City via rutted toll roads. Silver City, just 10 miles northwest in the shadow of the Ophir Grade, acted as a vital freighting hub, its corrals teeming with wagons bound for Como’s placers, linking the gold camp to the silver bonanza. This symbiotic web—gold fueling silver’s mills, silver’s capital bankrolling gold’s claims—propelled Como’s early surge, even as some optimists wagered it would eclipse Virginia City itself.
Boomtown Glory, Mines, and Rails (1863–1865)
The arrival of “The Solomon Davis” in 1863—a steam-driven rock mill hauled over the Sierra by oxen—marked Como’s mechanical dawn, its pistons thumping like a heartbeat as it crushed quartz into payable dust. Smaller operations relied on horse-powered whims, their creaking sweeps silhouetted against canyon sunsets. The district’s mines—quartz veins laced with pyrite, gold, and traces of silver—yielded modestly, totaling $212,698 by 1936, but in the boom’s fever, they promised El Dorados. Tunnels burrowed into the hillsides, lit by tallow candles, where picks rang against schist and timbers groaned under cave-in threats.
The Virginia & Truckee Railroad (V&T), chartered in 1868 to tether the Comstock to the world, snaked south by 1869, its iron rails a lifeline for Como’s 11 miles from Dayton. Como Junction became a humming train stop, where locomotives like the brass-polished “Dayton” huffed to a halt, disgorging ore cars bound for Carson River mills and passengers—bankers from San Francisco, merchants from Gold Hill—eager for the Cross Hotel’s parlor comforts. Flatcars groaned under pine cordwood from the Sierras, fueling smelters, while spurs serviced local claims, their whistles piercing the night like miner’s laments. The V&T bound Como tighter to its neighbors: Dayton’s depot funneled Comstock silver south, Silver City’s teamsters loaded V&T flatbeds, and Virginia City’s bankers financed Como’s shafts, creating a regional pulse of steam and speculation.
Historic citizens lent Como its lore. Alf Doten, the ink-stained chronicler, arrived in June 1863 from California, his journals capturing the camp’s raw vigor—saloons brawling with Cornish fists, a brewery’s foam-flecked revels—before he decamped for Virginia City’s scribbler’s life. J.D. Winters, a tunnel-driving entrepreneur, erected a small mill only to watch profits evaporate, drifting north to toil in the Yellow Jacket’s depths. T.W. Abraham and H.L. Weston helmed The Como Sentinel from April to July 1864, their presses churning boosterish prose until the vein’s pinch forced relocation to Dayton’s Lyon County Sentinel. Kit Carson’s shadow loomed too; local lore tied the scout to the district, though his emigrant rescues lay west in the ’40s. And in a macabre footnote, Como’s first suicide in 1864 was spun as “self-sacrifice” in a town where “air so clean, a man can’t die,” a petition for county seat status that amused Lyon officials but lost to Yerington.
Decline and Desertion (1865–1935)
Como’s glory proved ephemeral. By 1864, high-grade pockets depleted, mills idled, and whispers of “pinched-out” veins sent wagons creaking toward fresher strikes. The post office shuttered January 3, 1881, its canvas flap stilled forever. Minor revivals flickered: 1916’s low-grade digs, 1929’s optimistic shafts, but the V&T’s southward pull toward Comstock’s richer lodes drained Como’s vitality, its depot weeds overtaking rails by the 1930s.
A desperate coda came in June 1935, when the Como Mines Company erected a 300-ton flotation mill, its gears grinding Depression-era hopes into slurry. It faltered swiftly, leaving rusted hulks amid the piñons. The surrounding web frayed: Silver City’s fires in 1928 and 1935 razed its freighting heart, Dayton’s mills crumbled, and the V&T, once the Comstock’s artery, succumbed to highways in 1950. Como, unmoored, slipped into silence, its petroglyph-pocked canyons reclaiming the scars of ambition—rock shelters where Washoe ancestors once sheltered, now echoing only wind through abandoned adits.
Current Status
Como endures as an unoccupied ghost town on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) acres, a skeletal mosaic of stone foundations, collapsed mine portals, and scattered relics like ore carts and whim wheels, perched at 5,500 feet amid the Pine Nuts’ wild expanse. No operations hum; the last mill’s ghost lingers in rusting tanks and pylons, while two mine-fed ponds mirror the sky for pronghorn and raptors. Access demands a high-clearance 4WD via Old Como Road from Dayton Valley Road—10.5 rocky miles southwest, passable in dry weather but treacherous after rains, with views of Dayton Valley’s patchwork farms giving way to untamed ridges.
Nevada’s tourism renaissance, buoyed by the V&T’s heritage excursions from Virginia City, draws ghost town aficionados to Como as part of Silver Trails itineraries, its ruins a counterpoint to Dayton’s living history and Silver City’s weathered facades. Recent X posts from November 2025 laud its “impressively intact” foundations and solitude, urging explorers to tread lightly amid the petroglyphs and wild horse herds. Yet, amid Nevada’s 2025 drought watch—with equal odds of wet or dry winters—flash floods pose seasonal perils, a reminder that Como’s canyons yield beauty and hazard in equal measure. It remains a place of quiet revelation, where the V&T’s faded echoes and miners’ ghosts invite reflection on the West’s indomitable, if unforgiving, spirit. For current road conditions, consult BLM resources or Nevada DOT advisories.
Tecopa Inyo County
Nestled in the stark, sun-scorched expanse of the Mojave Desert in southeastern Inyo County, California, Tecopa stands as a resilient outpost shaped by ancient indigenous pathways, fleeting mining booms, and the restorative allure of its natural hot springs. This unincorporated community, with coordinates at approximately 35°50′54″N 116°13′33″W and an elevation of 1,339 feet, derives its name from Paiute leader Chief Tecopa, a figure of regional reverence who symbolized the area’s deep Native American roots. Once a bustling hub tied to silver-laden veins and rattling railcars, Tecopa’s history intertwines with the broader narrative of the American Southwest’s resource rushes, its fortunes ebbing and flowing like the Amargosa River nearby. This report delves into its origins, mining legacy, railroad connections, relationships with neighboring towns, and the historic citizens who left indelible marks on its dusty landscape.
Indigenous Origins and Early Exploration
Long before European settlers etched their claims into the parched earth, Tecopa’s lands were stewarded by Native American tribes, including the Koso, Chemehuevi, Southern Paiute, and Western Shoshone, who traversed the region for millennia. These indigenous peoples utilized the area’s natural hot springs—mineral-rich waters bubbling from geothermal sources—for healing and sustenance, integrating them into their cultural practices. The site served as a vital water stop along ancient trading networks, evolving into a segment of the Old Spanish Trail, established in 1829 by Spanish explorers following Native footpaths. This trail, linking Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Southern California missions like San Gabriel, facilitated trade in goods, livestock, and unfortunately, enslaved individuals. Caravans, including the pioneering 1829-1830 expedition led by Antonio Armijo, passed through Tecopa’s vicinity, navigating from Las Vegas southward via Resting Springs and Willow Creek. The trail’s legacy persists, preserved by organizations like the Old Spanish Trail Association, with a Tecopa chapter founded in 2008 to protect local segments.
The 1859 guide The Prairie Traveler noted Willow Spring’s waters as undrinkable for animals due to saleratus (sodium bicarbonate) contamination, highlighting the harsh environmental challenges that defined early travel. Tecopa’s strategic position along these routes made it a nexus for cultural exchange and survival in the unforgiving desert.
The Mining Boom and Town Founding (1870s–1880s)
The California Gold Rush’s echoes reverberated into Inyo County, drawing prospectors to Tecopa in the late 19th century. In spring 1875, brothers William D. and Robert D. Brown unearthed rich lead and silver ore in the hills near Resting Springs, along the Old Spanish Trail. They organized the Resting Springs Mining District—initially dubbed Brown’s Treasure—and staked claims, incorporating the Balance Consolidated Mining Company with San Francisco investors, including mining magnate George Hearst. A townsite emerged at Willow Creek, five miles southeast of Resting Springs, christened Brownsville. By 1876, it boasted a ranch yielding potatoes, vegetables, and orchard fruits, supporting a burgeoning camp.
Jonas D. Osborne, a seasoned mining superintendent from Eureka, Nevada, acquired the Browns’ interests in early 1876, renaming the town Tecopa in honor of the Paiute chief. Under Osborne’s stewardship, the district flourished: a post office opened in May 1877 with Henry Schaefer as postmaster, and the population swelled to around 400 by 1877, with 200 employed in mining. Amenities included saloons, stores, a boarding house, livery stable, and stage service from San Bernardino. Key mines like the Gunsight and Noonday became prolific, with the Gunsight’s shaft reaching 385 feet by 1878, yielding ore averaging $80 per ton. A smelter began operations in 1877, employing up to 44 men, though challenges like water scarcity, ore composition shifts, and equipment failures plagued progress. A 10-stamp mill was erected in 1879, and a 1,000-foot tunnel completed in 1881 by foreman Everett Smith.
The district produced nearly $4 million in lead-silver ore by 1928, with additional minerals like borax, gypsum, talc, iron, and gold extracted from nearby sites such as the War Eagle and Columbia mines. However, high freight costs—five cents per pound from San Bernardino—contributed to a decline by mid-1879, as miners shifted to Resting Springs. Tecopa was largely deserted by 1881, though intermittent operations persisted under owners like Caesar Luckhardt and later Osborne’s repurchase in 1883 with backer Harry Drew.
Railroad Era and Revival (1900s–1930s)
Tonopah & Tidewater #1 was a Baldwin 4-6-0 steam locomotive, originally built for the Wisconsin and Michigan Railroad, later going to the Randsburg Railway on the Santa Fe as their #1 (later #260). Went to the T&T in 1904 and used in passenger and shunting service. It was scrapped in 1941, and the bell was saved by the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society at Pomona, CA.
The early 20th century breathed new life into Tecopa with the advent of rail infrastructure. The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad (T&T), spearheaded by borax tycoon Francis Marion “Borax” Smith, arrived in 1907, establishing Tecopa as its closest point to the mines and prompting a post office revival (1907–1931, reopened 1932). This line connected Tecopa to broader networks, facilitating ore shipment south to processing facilities.
In 1910, Jack Osborne (son of Jonas) and associates constructed the Tecopa Railroad, a standard-gauge short line hauling ore from the Noonday and Gunsight mines westward to a siding at Tecopa, where it interfaced with the T&T. This 7-mile spur, built amid rugged terrain, underscored regional competition for freight control, pitting Osborne against Smith. The railroad bolstered mining during the 1910s–1930s boom, with the Tecopa Consolidated Mining Company shipping over $4 million in silver and lead ores. Train stops at Tecopa siding served as vital hubs for goods and passengers, linking to Ivanpah and the Amargosa corridor. However, declining ore yields in the late 1910s, coupled with the rise of trucking, led to the Tecopa Railroad’s cessation by 1930 and dismantling in 1938; the T&T followed suit in the early 1940s.
Relationships with Surrounding Towns and Areas
Tecopa’s isolation was mitigated by its ties to neighboring settlements, forged through trails, mines, and rails. Resting Springs, six miles northwest, was an early rival camp with a smaller population (about 30 whites and 60 indigenous residents in the 1870s), featuring a store, blacksmith, saloons, and smelter site. Miners oscillated between the two, with Tecopa initially drawing the bulk due to its proximity to Willow Creek.
To the north, Shoshone emerged as a key ally, founded in 1910 by Ralph “Dad” Fairbanks and his son-in-law Charles “Charlie” Brown, who salvaged materials from the defunct Greenwater mining town. Shoshone’s store, gas pumps, and amenities supported Tecopa miners, with Brown owning shares in local mines and extending his influence as a state senator. The towns shared economic synergies, with Tecopa’s ores funneled through Shoshone’s infrastructure.
Southward, China Ranch (Willow Creek area) was developed around 1900 by Chinese immigrant Quon Sing (or Ah Foo), who cultivated vegetables and raised livestock for miners, adding a multicultural layer to the region’s history. Broader connections extended to Pahrump, Nevada (via modern routes), Baker, California (founded by Fairbanks), and Las Vegas, all linked by the Old Spanish Trail and railroads. These relationships underscored Tecopa’s role as a logistical node in the desert’s extractive economy.
Decline, Hot Springs, and Legacy (1940s–Present)
Post-1930s, mine closures in 1957 (with talc operations lingering 25 years) triggered depopulation, reducing Tecopa to a near-ghost town by the 1980s. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management encouraged homesteading in the 1950s–1960s via the Small Tract Act, attracting retirees to Tecopa Heights. Squatters flocked to the hot springs in the 1960s, documented by writer John Gregory Dunne in his 1978 Saturday Evening Post article, reprinted in Quintana & Friends. Inyo County developed facilities on BLM-leased land, including a community center and baths, shifting focus to tourism.
A mid-1990s renaissance, led by figures like Cynthia Kienitz—who restored historic sites and founded trail preservation efforts—revived the area as an artistic retreat. Today, Tecopa’s hot springs draw visitors, preserving echoes of its mining past amid the Amargosa Opera House’s cultural vibrancy nearby.
Notable Historic Citizens
Tecopa’s story is peopled by intrepid figures:
- Chief Tecopa: Revered Paiute leader (c. 1815–1904), known for peacemaking and adopting modern attire; the town honors his legacy.
- William D. and Robert D. Brown: Prospecting brothers who discovered ore in 1875, founding Brownsville and igniting the mining district.
- Jonas D. Osborne: Mining entrepreneur who renamed the town, built smelters, and navigated booms and busts from 1876–1883.
- Charles “Charlie” Brown: Miner, Greenwater sheriff, and Shoshone founder; married Stella Fairbanks in 1910, became state senator, owned Tecopa mine shares, and shaped regional development until his death.
- Ralph “Dad” Fairbanks: Brown’s partner, salvaged Greenwater to build Shoshone, extending influence to Baker.
- Quon Sing (Ah Foo): Chinese immigrant who transformed Willow Creek into China Ranch around 1900, supplying miners with produce.
- John Gregory Dunne: Author who chronicled 1960s squatters, capturing Tecopa’s bohemian transition.
These individuals embody Tecopa’s spirit of perseverance, where dreams of fortune clashed with desert realities, leaving a legacy etched in crumbling adobes and steaming springs.
Today
Tecopa is a tourist destination for those seeking a peaceful and relaxing retreat in nature. The town offers a range of outdoor activities such as hiking, bird watching, and exploring the local history and culture. Visitors can also enjoy the local cuisine, which features traditional dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. Perhaps, the towns biggest draw is a variety of Hot Springs that are available.
The small town that offers a unique combination of natural beauty, history, and culture. Its hot springs, wildlife, and other natural attractions make it an ideal destination for those seeking a peaceful and rejuvenating escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Tecopa Summary
| Name | Tecopa, California |
| Location | Inyo County, California |
| Population | 175 |
| Latitude, Longitude | 35.8470, -116.2258 |
| Elevation | 1,340 feet |
Tecopa Map
Tecopa is located a file miles east of the California State Route 127 on the Old Spanish Trail Highway.
References
Hell’s Heroes
Hell’s Heroes (1929) is a pioneering early sound Western film directed by the acclaimed William Wyler, marking his first all-talking production and a significant milestone in his illustrious career, which would later include classics like Ben-Hur and Roman Holiday. Adapted from Peter B. Kyne’s novel The Three Godfathers, the story follows three desperate outlaws—Bob Sangster (Charles Bickford), “Barbwire” Gibbons (Raymond Hatton), and “Wild Bill” Kearney (Fred Kohler)—who rob a bank in the desert town of New Jerusalem and flee into the harsh wilderness. Their journey takes a redemptive turn when they discover a dying woman and her newborn baby in a covered wagon, vowing to deliver the infant to safety across the unforgiving Death Valley-like terrain. The narrative blends gritty realism with themes of sacrifice, morality, and human endurance, shot in stark black-and-white to emphasize the desolate landscape’s brutality. Clocking in at around 68 minutes, the film was produced by Universal Pictures and notable for its on-location shooting, which lent an authentic, rugged atmosphere absent from studio-bound productions of the era.
Filmed primarily in the summer of 1929 in the remote ghost town of Bodie, California—a once-booming gold-mining settlement in the Eastern Sierra Nevada—the movie used the town’s dilapidated wooden structures and dusty streets to stand in for the fictional New Jerusalem. This choice of location was practical, as Bodie’s isolation and preserved 19th-century architecture provided a perfect backdrop for the story’s Old West setting. At the time, Bodie was already in decline, with a dwindling population after its peak in the late 1870s and early 1880s, when it housed up to 10,000 residents and was infamous for its saloons, brothels, and lawlessness.
Beyond its narrative value, Hell’s Heroes serves an inadvertent documentary role by capturing rare footage of Bodie just three years before a devastating fire in 1932 ravaged the town. The film’s exterior shots preserve images of buildings, streets, and the overall layout that no longer exist, offering historians and enthusiasts a visual record of Bodie’s pre-fire state. This “accidental archive” is particularly poignant, as Bodie had already begun transitioning into a ghost town, and the movie’s depiction highlights its eerie, time-frozen quality—empty boardwalks, weathered facades, and the remnants of mining infrastructure—that would soon be lost to flames.
Fires played a pivotal and destructive role in Bodie’s history, underscoring the fragility of frontier boomtowns built hastily from flammable wood in an era without modern fire safety. The town’s first major blaze occurred in 1878, followed by others in 1886 and a catastrophic one in 1892, sparked in a kitchen, which obliterated much of the business district along Main Street, including stores, saloons, and homes. This 1892 fire accelerated Bodie’s economic decline by destroying key infrastructure during a period when gold yields were already waning. The most significant inferno, however, struck on June 23, 1932—allegedly started by a young boy playing with matches—which consumed approximately 90% of the remaining structures, leaving only about 10% of the town intact. By then, Bodie’s population had shrunk to fewer than 100, and the fire sealed its fate as an abandoned relic. Paradoxically, these fires contributed to Bodie’s preservation as a cultural landmark; by preventing rebuilding and repopulation, they allowed the surviving buildings to remain in a state of “arrested decay,” now protected as Bodie State Historic Park since 1962. The blazes symbolize the boom-and-bust cycle of Gold Rush towns, where rapid growth met equally swift ruin, influenced by factors like poor construction, harsh weather, and human error. Today, Bodie’s fire-scarred legacy draws visitors seeking a glimpse into California’s wild past, with Hell’s Heroes standing as a celluloid testament to what was lost.
Watch the Hell’s Heroes on the Bodie.com Youtube channel.
Elizabethtown New Mexico
Elizabethtown, New Mexico, often referred to as “E-Town,” is a ghost town in Colfax County, located along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway between Eagle Nest and Red River. Founded in 1866, it was the first incorporated town in New Mexico and briefly served as the Colfax County seat. This report explores the town’s origins, its rapid rise during the gold rush, its decline, and its lasting legacy as a historical site.
Origins and Establishment (1866–1868)
Elizabethtown’s history began in 1866, a year after the American Civil War, when a Ute Indian, grateful for Captain William H. Moore’s earlier kindness, presented him with copper ore samples at Fort Union, northeast of Las Vegas, New Mexico. Recognizing the value of the ore, Moore led a scouting party to Baldy Mountain, where they discovered not only copper but also gold in Willow Creek. Despite Lucien Maxwell’s ownership of the land, the news of gold spread, attracting thousands of prospectors by 1867. Maxwell, unable to stop the influx, charged usage fees and built toll roads to capitalize on the boom.
In 1867, Captain Moore, his brother, and other businessmen platted a townsite, naming it Elizabethtown after Moore’s four-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Catherine Moore. The town was surveyed with wide streets and distinct residential and commercial zones, and lots were sold for $800 to $1,200. By March 1868, Elizabethtown had 100 buildings, including John Moore’s general store, five stores, seven saloons, two hotels, three dance halls, and a drugstore. It became New Mexico’s first incorporated town in 1869 and the first seat of the newly formed Colfax County.
The Gold Rush Boom (1868–1870)
The discovery of gold in every creek and gulch around Baldy Mountain fueled a frenzy of mining activity. By 1869, an estimated 5,000 to 9,000 people lived in Elizabethtown, making it New Mexico’s most populous place at the time. The Moreno Valley became a hub for placer mining, with miners using dry-washing jigs, sluices, and gold pans along Moreno Hill, Ute Mountain, and Ponil Creek. Hard rock mines, such as the Mystic Copper Mine and the Aztec Mine (later part of the Philmont Boy Scout Ranch), also thrived. The Aztec Mine, managed by Prussian-born Lt. Colonel Edward Bergmann, produced roughly $1.5 million in gold in its first five years.
The town’s rapid growth brought prosperity and a vibrant, if rowdy, social scene. Saloons, gambling halls, and a red-light district flourished, with “ladies of the night” operating in cabins and second-floor saloon rooms. The newspaper The Lantern began publication in 1869, and a stage line offered daily service to Cimarron, Taos, and Santa Fe. However, the harsh winters and limited water supply posed challenges. The Moreno Water and Mining Company addressed the latter by constructing the Big Ditch in 1868 to divert water from the Red River, enabling more efficient placer mining.
Elizabethtown also gained notoriety for its lawlessness. Vigilante justice was common, with figures like Clay Allison, a former Confederate officer and rancher, leading mob actions. One infamous incident involved Charles Kennedy, a serial killer who lured travelers to his rest stop between Elizabethtown and Taos, killing up to 14 people. In 1870, after his wife exposed his crimes, an enraged mob led by Allison dragged Kennedy through the streets and lynched him.
Decline and Brief Revival (1871–1903)
By 1871, the easily accessible gold deposits were depleted, and mining costs began to outweigh profits. The population plummeted to about 100 residents by 1872, and the county seat was moved to Cimarron. Elizabethtown was nearly a ghost town by 1875. A brief revival occurred in 1878 when the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad extended tracks from Trinidad, Colorado, into New Mexico, making mining feasible again. Schools opened, and social events like Gold Rush Days attracted visitors. In 1901, the Oro Dredging Company’s Eleanor dredge processed 4,000 cubic yards of dirt daily, producing a quarter of New Mexico’s gold that year.
Despite these efforts, a devastating fire in September 1903, starting in Remsberg’s store, destroyed most of the town, including the Mutz Hotel and much of the commercial district. Only Froelick’s general store survived. The fire was a fatal blow, and by 1917, with mining operations ceasing, Elizabethtown was officially a ghost town. The post office, established in 1868, closed in 1931.
Legacy and Modern Elizabethtown
Today, Elizabethtown is a quiet historical site with few remnants: the ruins of the Mutz Hotel, Froelick’s store (in poor repair), a rebuilt church, and scattered stone walls. The Elizabethtown Museum, housed in a former schoolteacher’s home, displays artifacts, photos, and documents, offering insights into the town’s mining past. The cemetery, a mile up the road, contains graves like that of Florence May Myrick (1880–1889), reflecting the town’s personal stories. The site, partly owned by Mutz family descendants, is accessible via New Mexico State Road 38 and attracts tourists, historians, and ghost town enthusiasts. ATV and horseback tours are available, and the museum operates seasonally.
Elizabethtown’s history is also tied to broader regional events, such as the Colfax County War (1870s), a land dispute involving vigilantes and the Santa Fe Ring, a corrupt territorial government. Notorious figures like Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum and his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang frequented the town, adding to its Wild West reputation. Despite its brief prominence, Elizabethtown produced over 100,000 ounces of gold, a significant achievement for a New Mexican mining district.
Conclusion
Elizabethtown, New Mexico, exemplifies the boom-and-bust cycle of American mining towns. From its founding in 1866 amid a gold rush to its decline by 1917, the town experienced rapid growth, lawlessness, and resilience before succumbing to fire and economic collapse. Its sparse ruins and museum preserve the memory of a once-thriving community that shaped New Mexico’s early history. Elizabethtown remains a poignant reminder of the challenges and dreams that defined the American West.
Sources
- Legends of America: Elizabethtown, New Mexico – Gone But Not Forgotten
- New Mexico True: Elizabethtown New Mexico Ghost Town
- New Mexico Nomad: New Mexico Ghost Towns: Elizabethtown
- FamilySearch: The Elizabethtown Story, Colfax County, New Mexico
- Nomadic Niko: Elizabethtown (Ghost Town in New Mexico)
- FamilySearch: Elizabethtown, Colfax County, New Mexico, Cemetery Details
- Gold Rush Nuggets: Mining History of Elizabethtown, New Mexico