Big Bear, CA
I quiet mountain community full of back country adventure.
George Hearst
George Hearst (September 3, 1820 – February 28, 1891) was an American businessman, mining magnate, rancher, and politician who built one of the great Gilded Age fortunes through shrewd investments in gold, silver, and copper mines across the American West. He was the patriarch of the Hearst family dynasty and the father of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst.
Early Life and Entry into Mining
Hearst was born near present-day Sullivan in Franklin County, Missouri, to William G. Hearst and Elizabeth Collins, of Scots-Irish ancestry. He grew up on a modest family farm (his father operated several small mortgaged farms and a store) with limited formal schooling. From a young age he showed a strong interest in minerals and mining, reading about the subject and gaining practical experience with local lead deposits that had been worked in the region since the 18th century. Local lore later claimed Native Americans called him “the boy the earth talks to” because of his instinct for locating ore.
When his father died in 1846, leaving substantial debts, the 26-year-old George took responsibility for supporting his mother, sister, and disabled brother. He operated a store, leased lead and copper mines, and within a couple of years paid off the family’s obligations. By 1850, with his brother deceased and the family situation stabilized, he joined the California Gold Rush, traveling west with cousins and a small party.
Mining Interests in California
Hearst’s early California years were difficult. Placer mining near Sutter’s Mill and elsewhere yielded little, and a stint running a general store (with an unsuccessful Sacramento branch) left him short of funds. He shifted to quartz mining in the Nevada County area around Grass Valley and Nevada City. He developed the Merrimac Hill mine (named after a Missouri river) and the Potosi, selling them profitably, and in 1857 located the rich LeCompton (or Lecompton) Mine near Nevada City. These successes, combined with practical improvements in extraction methods drawn from his Missouri lead-mining experience, earned him the nickname “Quartz George” and a solid local reputation.
He continued to prospect, deal in claims, raise livestock, and farm in Nevada County while building capital. California remained a base for him throughout his life; he later acquired extensive ranch lands, including the large Piedras Blancas (or Piedra Blanca) Ranch at San Simeon in 1865 and adjoining properties (Santa Rosa and San Simeon ranches), which served as family retreats.
Mining Interests in Nevada (Comstock Lode)
In the summer of 1859, Hearst learned of promising silver assays of “blue stuff” from the Washoe district in what was then western Utah Territory (soon to become Nevada). He hurried across the Sierra, sold his California interests (including the LeCompton), and bought a one-sixth share in the Ophir Mine near present-day Virginia City for roughly $3,000 (accounts vary slightly on the exact figure and partners). He also acquired interests in other Comstock properties, including the Gould and Curry.
That winter he and partners mined high-grade ore, packed it over the mountains by mule, and had it smelted in San Francisco, realizing a large profit (reported around $91,000 after costs on the first major shipment). The Ophir success helped touch off the Washoe/Comstock rush. Hearst’s ability to judge ore and solve separation problems with gold-silver ore made him a millionaire relatively quickly. He constructed a superintendent’s house in Virginia City and expanded holdings on the Comstock Lode, one of the richest silver strikes in U.S. history.
These Nevada successes formed the foundation of his fortune and his later partnership with James Ben Ali Haggin and Lloyd Tevis. The firm of Hearst, Haggin, Tevis & Co. became one of the largest private mining companies in the United States, with interests spanning multiple states and beyond.
Mining Interests in Arizona
Hearst’s Arizona involvement was smaller in scale than his California, Nevada, Utah, South Dakota, or Montana holdings but still notable. He invested in properties in the Tombstone area (including a deal involving the Morning Star Mine around 1880 that reportedly cost him a substantial sum through sharp dealing by a local promoter) and had interests connected to the Tough Nut Lode outside Tombstone.
He also served as a trustee of the North Peer Gold and Silver Mining Company, organized in the mid-1880s to work claims in the Quijotoa District (Pima County, west of Tucson). That short-lived silver boom (peaking 1883–1885 after discoveries on Quijotoa/Ben Nevis Mountain) saw rapid development of camps and companies, though overall returns for many investors, including those in the Peer/Peerless area, proved limited relative to the capital poured in. Hearst’s Arizona activities reflected his pattern of evaluating and buying into promising western districts even as his major capital was deployed elsewhere.
Later Career, Other Mines, Politics, and Family
After the Comstock, Hearst expanded aggressively. Key later successes included the Ontario silver mine in Park City, Utah (backed with Marcus Daly in the early 1870s; it produced millions and helped him weather the Panic of 1873), the Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota (purchased with partners from the Manuel brothers around 1877 for about $70,000 and developed into one of the largest and longest-producing gold mines in U.S. history), and a major interest in the Anaconda copper mine near Butte, Montana (financed with Daly; it became one of the world’s great copper producers). He also held interests in New Mexico (Pacific Mine at Pinos Altos), Mexico, Peru (Cerro de Pasco), and elsewhere.
In 1862, at age 41, he married 19-year-old Phoebe Apperson (against her parents’ initial wishes); they eloped and settled in San Francisco. Their only child, William Randolph Hearst, was born in 1863. Phoebe later became a major philanthropist and managed family interests after George’s death.
Hearst entered politics as a Democrat. He served in the California State Assembly (mid-1860s) and was appointed and then elected U.S. Senator from California, serving from 1887 until his death. He acquired the San Francisco Examiner (reportedly in settlement of a debt) and used it politically; his son later took control and built a vast publishing empire from it.
George Hearst died of stomach cancer in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 1891. Contemporary estimates of his wealth ranged into the hundreds of millions (in period dollars). He left a legacy as one of the most successful practical miners and judges of mining property in the American West, whose instincts and capital helped develop some of the era’s greatest mineral deposits in California, Nevada, Arizona, and far beyond.
Castle Dome Landing – Yuma County
Castle Dome Landing was a historic steamboat landing and short-lived boomtown on the banks of the Colorado River in what is now Yuma County, Arizona (then Arizona Territory). It served as the primary river port and logistical hub for the Castle Dome Mountains mining district, located roughly 15–20 miles (about 17 miles / 27 km) to the east.
Founding and Early Development
Prospectors discovered mineral deposits (initially sought as silver but largely argentiferous galena—lead ore with silver content) in the Castle Dome Mountains in the early 1860s. Evidence of earlier Native American mining activity existed in the area. In 1863, the Castle Dome Mining Company, associated with Conner and Jacob Snively (a Texas prospector linked to Sam Houston), acquired claims and planned a riverside shipping point. Snively, along with associates including A. Bowman and R.F. Mastin, established the landing on roughly 640 acres along the Colorado River in June 1863. It was positioned at a natural bend approximately 17–20 miles (by land) or about 35 miles (by river) north of Yuma (then Arizona City), with the mines lying roughly 17 miles (27 km) east of the river. The site served as a depot for shipping ore downstream toward California for smelting and for receiving supplies, equipment, and passengers.
Serious mining operations were delayed until about 1869 by hostilities with Native American groups. The inland mining camp that developed was initially known as Pitoti (after a local plant) and later renamed Castle Dome; a post office under that name operated briefly from December 17, 1875, to December 4, 1876. As the riverside facilities grew more important, the settlement became known as Castle Dome Landing. Its post office reopened under the new name on August 6, 1878, and operated until June 16, 1884.
At its height in the late 1870s and early 1880s, the landing featured a general store, hotel, saloon, stage agency, smelting furnace (or works), and a justice of the peace. Population estimates vary widely: some contemporary or later accounts claimed peaks exceeding 3,000 (briefly rivaling Yuma and nearly influencing the county name), while others described only a few dozen permanent residents amid transient activity. It also drew visitors from Yuma for celebrations, notably Mexican Independence Day on September 16.
Role in the Colorado River Steamship Industry
Before reliable railroads, shallow-draft steamboats were the primary commercial link along the lower Colorado River, connecting the Gulf of California (and ocean shipping) with interior forts, mines, and settlements as far as El Dorado Canyon in present-day Nevada. George A. Johnson & Company (later reorganized as the Colorado Steam Navigation Company, or C.S.N.Co., around 1869) dominated the trade after early experiments beginning with the side-wheeler Uncle Sam in 1852 and the more successful General Jesup. The company operated a fleet of sternwheelers and barges suited to the river’s shifting sandbars, seasonal low water, and snags. Freight rates dropped dramatically compared with overland wagon transport from San Diego, enabling mining of lower-grade ores near the river.
Castle Dome Landing was the first regular upstream stop for steamboats leaving Yuma. It served as the supply and shipping depot for the Castle Dome mining district, handling outbound lead, silver, and other ores (and some processed products from local adobe furnaces or smelters) as well as inbound mining equipment, food, merchandise, mail, and passengers. Steamers typically made the run several times weekly during peak periods when water conditions allowed. The landing’s location at a convenient river bend facilitated docking and loading.
Ships known to stop there included vessels of the Colorado Steam Navigation Company fleet:
- The sternwheeler Gila (launched 1873; ~149 feet long, shallow draft) was a workhorse of the lower river and is specifically documented at Castle Dome Landing (including a historical photograph of the vessel there). It regularly handled freight and passengers on this route.
- The Mohave (and later Mohave II, a larger vessel of 1876) also called regularly. Captain Lorenzo Blackmar, an experienced navigator who arrived on the Colorado around 1865, is associated with operations involving the Mohave in the landing’s early development.
Other fleet vessels such as the Cocopah operated on the broader lower Colorado route that included stops at Castle Dome Landing among many other landings (e.g., Ehrenberg/La Paz area, Fort Mojave, Hardyville). Passenger fares reflected the short distance from Yuma (historically noted as about $5 cabin fare to Castle Dome). The arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad at Yuma in 1877 reduced the overall importance of river transport for many commodities, though steamers continued for some time on remaining segments.
Decline and Aftermath
Mining activity slowed as higher-grade ore diminished, and the post office closed in 1884. The landing’s commercial role faded with the broader decline of Colorado River steamboating (effectively ending as a major commercial system after the construction of Laguna Dam around 1909 and other dams). The inland Castle Dome district saw intermittent revivals, including significant lead production during World War I and especially World War II (when the Arizona Lead Company and others reopened operations). Mining in the broader district continued sporadically into the 1970s before final closure.
The original riverside site of Castle Dome Landing was submerged beneath the Imperial Dam reservoir (Martinez Lake) after the dam’s completion in the late 1930s. The inland mining camp site, however, was acquired in 1994 by Allen and Stephanie Armstrong and developed into the Castle Dome Mines Museum, an open-air historic site with dozens of restored and reconstructed period buildings and artifacts illustrating the mining and frontier era.
Castle Dome Landing exemplifies the brief but transformative era of Colorado River steamboating, which linked isolated desert mining districts to national and international markets and helped open the Arizona Territory to commercial development before railroads and dams fundamentally altered the river and the landscape.
Badwater Road
Badwater Road is the primary paved route running south through the heart of Death Valley National Park. It begins near Furnace Creek at its junction with California Highway 190 and continues south past many of the park’s most famous valley-floor attractions before reaching its southern terminus near the Ashford Mill ruins. At that point the road meets Harry Wade Road and transitions eastward into Jubilee Pass Road (California Highway 178), which climbs out of the valley over Jubilee and Salsberry Passes to reach California Highway 127 near Shoshone.
The segment most relevant to the user’s request—the southern end of Badwater Road at the Harry Wade Road junction and the continuing paved link toward Highway 127—forms the southern gateway into and out of the main valley floor.
Road Overview and Length
- From the CA-190 / Badwater Road junction near Furnace Creek to the Harry Wade Road / Jubilee Pass Road junction is approximately 45.6 miles.
- At the junction (near elevation 22–25 feet), Harry Wade Road continues straight southeast as a dirt road, while the main paved route turns left (east) and becomes Jubilee Pass Road.
- Jubilee Pass Road then covers roughly 25 miles east over the passes to its junction with CA-127 (about 1.7 miles north of Shoshone).
The entire paved corridor from Furnace Creek south and then east to CA-127 is often referred to collectively in park contexts as the southern Badwater / Jubilee Pass system. South Badwater Road (the portion south of Badwater Basin) has experienced repeated flood damage and closures; it was reopened in late January 2026 after months of debris removal and repairs, though visitors may still encounter missing pavement, loose gravel, soft or eroded shoulders, and short drop-offs.
Road Conditions
Badwater Road is fully paved and suitable for all standard passenger vehicles under normal conditions. It is one of the lowest roads in the park, remaining near or below sea level for long stretches. The southern section can be affected by flash flooding from the Black Mountains, leading to temporary closures or rough patches after storms. High temperatures in summer make travel potentially dangerous; the best seasons are October through May. No services exist along the southern stretch—fuel, water, and supplies must be obtained at Furnace Creek, Shoshone, or Baker.
Key Points of Interest Along the Southern Approach and Junction Area
Ashford Mill Ruins
Located a short distance north of the Harry Wade Road junction (access via a short gravel spur off Badwater Road). These are the remains of a historic borax mill. A small parking area and vault toilet are available. The site offers a quiet stop with views of the southern valley and is a common landmark for those turning onto Harry Wade Road.
Harry Wade Road Junction
Approximately 2 miles south of the Ashford Mill ruins, where Badwater Road bends east toward the passes. Harry Wade Road (dirt, high-clearance recommended) continues southeast across the valley floor toward Saratoga Spring Road and ultimately CA-127. This junction marks the practical southern end of the main Badwater Road alignment and the starting point for the historic Harry Wade Exit Route.
Jubilee Pass Road (Continuation to Highway 127)
From the junction the paved road climbs eastward, crossing Jubilee Pass and Salsberry Pass before descending to CA-127. The drive offers expansive views of the southern Black Mountains, Greenwater Valley, and surrounding desert ranges. It is the main paved connection between the southern valley floor and the communities of Shoshone and Tecopa.
Other Nearby Features on the Broader Badwater Road Corridor
While farther north, the full Badwater Road provides access to:
- Badwater Basin (lowest point in North America at –282 feet)
- Devil’s Golf Course
- Natural Bridge
- Artist’s Drive / Artist’s Palette
- Golden Canyon
- West Side Road (dirt alternative along the west side of the salt flats)
These northern attractions are the primary reasons most visitors drive Badwater Road; the southern section is quieter and primarily used for through travel or access to Harry Wade Road and the remote southern park.
Practical Information
- The southern section is remote. Carry ample water, check fuel levels, and verify current road conditions via the official NPS Death Valley alerts page, as flood damage and repairs can change access with little notice.
- No cell service is reliable in much of this area.
- Dispersed camping is restricted on the valley floor; follow park backcountry rules.
- Harry Wade Road itself requires high-clearance (and often 4WD in sandy sections) and is subject to deep sand and possible Amargosa River flooding.
In summary, the southern end of Badwater Road at the Harry Wade Road junction serves as the transition point between the classic paved valley-floor drive and the remote dirt backcountry of the historic Harry Wade Exit Route, while the continuing Jubilee Pass Road provides the paved link eastward to Highway 127. Together they form an important southern access corridor into Death Valley National Park. Always confirm current conditions before travel, especially after storms.
Cave Rock Spring Road
Cave Rock Spring Road is a remote, roughly 12-mile one-way dirt 4WD spur in the Nevada Triangle portion of Death Valley National Park (and adjacent public lands), near Rhyolite and the Bullfrog Hills.
Trail / Road Description
Access begins near the Bullfrog turnoff on Rhyolite Road (between Nevada Highway 374 and the Rhyolite ghost town). The route winds through the western Bullfrog Hills into a large wash, where it splits. The south fork is Cave Rock Spring Road; it continues past the Hooligan (Happy Hooligan) Mine area and ends about 0.25 mile below the spring itself.
- Distance: Approximately 12 miles one-way to the end of the road near the spring (the final short stretch into the spring area is closed to vehicles).
- Conditions: Unmaintained dirt road with sandy sections in the wash. High-clearance 4WD is strongly recommended. Road conditions change with weather and flash floods; check with Death Valley National Park or the BLM before travel.
- Terrain & scenery: High-desert hills and washes with sparse Great Basin vegetation (sagebrush, rabbitbrush, golden cholla). The road offers solitude, views of the Bullfrog Hills and Grapevine Mountains, and a tangible sense of the remote mining landscape that surrounded Rhyolite. Elevation near the spring is roughly 5,100–5,200 feet.
- Key stops: The Hooligan/Happy Hooligan Mine (about 10.9–11 miles in) has mine dumps, sparse wood ruins, and debris. Beyond it, stone foundations appear before the road ends short of the spring.
- The spring: Cave Rock Spring is a small seep surrounded by a dense thicket of desert broom. It is not a reliable potable water source today and is often affected by wild burros. The name likely refers to the rocky setting of the seep.
This is remote backcountry. Carry ample water, be self-reliant, respect historic artifacts (leave them in place), and be prepared for changing conditions. It does not connect through to other major routes.
History of Cave Rock Spring and Its Connection to Rhyolite
Cave Rock Spring sits in the broader Bullfrog Mining District on the east slope of the Grapevine Mountains / Bullfrog Hills area, roughly 10–12 miles west of the Rhyolite / Bullfrog vicinity.
Rhyolite exploded into existence after prospectors Shorty Harris and E. L. Cross discovered gold in 1904, launching the Bullfrog rush. By 1907–1908 the town briefly supported several thousand people (estimates range up to ~5,000–10,000 in the district) with banks, a stock exchange, railroads, electricity, and other amenities. Water was the critical limiting resource in this arid country. Early on it was hauled by wagon at high cost ($2–5 per barrel). Multiple companies later piped water from various local springs into town.
Cave Rock Spring itself was a minor seep rather than a primary long-distance piped source for the main Rhyolite townsite (those came from springs such as Indian Springs and others). It formed part of the network of small springs and seeps that supported mining, wood camps (including nearby Mexican Camp), travel, and livestock across the Bullfrog Hills during the boom. Nearby, the Happy Hooligan (Hooligan) Mine was discovered in May 1905. By early 1906 it had its own camp with a boardinghouse, blacksmith shop, and store-saloon; a road was built and the property was heavily promoted. The high-grade surface ore was quickly worked out, and the mine was abandoned by the end of 1907. Only dumps, sparse ruins, and debris remain.
After the Rhyolite boom collapsed (Montgomery-Shoshone Mine closed in 1911; power cut by 1916; the town essentially abandoned by the early 1920s), remote springs like Cave Rock continued intermittent use and later became watering points for wild burros. The road and spring today preserve a quiet link to the water-scarce realities of the short-lived Rhyolite-era camps and minor mines that surrounded the famous ghost town.
Note: Rhyolite itself lies just outside the national park boundary on mixed federal and private land and is managed primarily by the BLM. The Nevada Triangle (including this road) is within Death Valley National Park. Always verify current access and conditions, as flash floods and other factors can affect remote dirt roads.
Old Railroad Grade Road
Old Railroad Grade Road (and the related historic LV&T grades near Rhyolite) follows remnants of early-1900s railroad beds in the Nevada Triangle portion of Death Valley National Park and adjacent public land near the Rhyolite ghost town and Beatty, Nevada.
Trail Description
The named Old Railroad Grade Road is a short, relatively easy ~4.1-mile full-width dirt/two-track route near Beatty. The western section is well-graded and wide; farther along it transitions to rockier two-track with some washout transitions (one a bit more pronounced). It passes near the local airport and an old Nevada gun club range area. Technical rating is low (around 2/easy on common off-road scales). High-clearance vehicles, SUVs, side-by-sides, ATVs, and dirt bikes handle it well in dry conditions; standard passenger cars may struggle on the rougher sections. Best seasons are fall, winter, and spring. Expect typical desert conditions: sharp rocks that can puncture tires, potential rattlesnakes, and limited cell service (often just a bar of LTE). Beatty provides nearby fuel, food, and supplies.
More historically significant (and scenic for railroad enthusiasts) are the visible remnants of the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad “high line” grade. This runs from the Rhyolite area northward through the Bullfrog Hills, with cuts, fills, and the old roadbed still evident for roughly 12 miles through what is now Death Valley National Park lands in the Nevada Triangle. Sections are driveable or walkable in places (from near Rhyolite toward the Original Bullfrog Mine area, Mud Summit, and farther north toward Currie’s Wells in good conditions), though flash flooding and erosion can change accessibility. The grade is often clearly visible against the desert floor. It offers quiet high-desert scenery, solitude, and a strong sense of the boom-era landscape with minimal modern development.
Rhyolite itself (just outside the park boundary, on mixed federal/private land managed in part by BLM) is the natural starting point. The well-preserved Mission Revival-style Las Vegas & Tonopah depot still stands at the north end of town, along with other ruins (Cook Bank, Bottle House, etc.). The Goldwell Open Air Museum is nearby. Always check current conditions with the National Park Service or local sources, as desert roads can wash out, and respect private property and ARPA protections (leave artifacts in place).
History of Railroads in the Area
The early 1900s gold strikes at Tonopah (1900), Goldfield (1902–03), and especially the Bullfrog District (Rhyolite area, 1904) triggered a short but intense railroad-building boom. Between roughly 1904 and 1907, several companies raced to lay hundreds of miles of track to serve the mining camps, haul ore and supplies, and capture passenger traffic. Beatty became a key junction (sometimes called the “Chicago of the West” for its rail activity), with three lines converging on the district.
Key railroads:
- Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad (LV&T): Built by Senator William A. Clark (1905–07). It ran northwest from Las Vegas ~198 miles to Goldfield, with service through Beatty and directly into Rhyolite (first train arrived December 1906). The challenging “high line” section climbed from Beatty through Rhyolite and the Bullfrog Hills (including steep grades requiring helper engines). A handsome Mission Revival depot was completed in Rhyolite in 1908. The line suffered from high operating costs, lighter-than-expected traffic after the mines underperformed, and the Panic of 1907. Northern sections (including the high line west/north of Rhyolite) were largely abandoned around 1914 after consolidation; overall LV&T operations ended by 1918, and much of the Las Vegas–Beatty alignment was later used for U.S. Highway 95.
- Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad (BG or BGRR): Incorporated 1905, built 1906–07 southward from Goldfield to Beatty and Rhyolite (~82 miles originally). It competed directly for Bullfrog District traffic and later shared or leased trackage. Operations continued in reduced form into the late 1920s (ended ~1928).
- Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad (T&T): Built by “Borax” Smith northward from Ludlow, California (reaching the Beatty/Gold Center area in 1907). It connected via the Bullfrog Goldfield tracks and outlasted the pure gold-boom lines thanks in part to borax traffic, operating until 1940 (rails later removed for WWII scrap).
Rhyolite itself exploded after the 1904 discovery by Shorty Harris and E.L. Cross, peaking around 1907–08 with thousands of residents, banks, an opera house, electricity, and multiple rail connections. The Montgomery-Shoshone and other mines never sustained the boom; the town collapsed rapidly (last train roughly 1918 or earlier on some lines; population near zero by the early 1920s). Rails were progressively abandoned and pulled up (many for wartime scrap in the 1940s). Today the grades, the Rhyolite depot, scattered ties/artifacts, and the surrounding desert landscape preserve the story of this brief, competitive railroad era that briefly linked remote Nevada mining camps to the outside world.
These remnants offer an evocative way to experience the landscape much as it appeared over a century ago—quiet, open desert with the subtle engineering scars of cuts and fills still readable on the ground. Always travel prepared, stay on existing routes, and verify road status, as conditions in this remote area change with weather.