Tag: Ghost town

A ghost town, once a thriving settlement bustling with activity, now stands eerily silent and abandoned. Its streets, once filled with the sounds of daily life, are now overgrown with weeds and lined with crumbling buildings. Windows are shattered, doors hang askew on rusty hinges, and the once-vibrant facades are faded and weather-beaten. The air is thick with a haunting stillness, broken only by the occasional whisper of wind through the desolate alleys. Remnants of its former inhabitants’ lives are scattered throughout—rusted vehicles, tattered curtains, and forgotten toys, all hinting at a sudden, unplanned departure. Nature slowly reclaims the area, with ivy crawling up walls and trees sprouting from cracked pavements, adding an eerie, yet strangely beautiful, touch to the decaying landscape.

Panamint City California – Inyo County Ghost Town

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Destination4x4

Panamint City California - 1875 — Panamint City California – 1875

Panamint City California is a ghost town and silver mine site located in Inyo County. The town site was built in Surprise canyon in the Panamint Mountain Range which is now located within Death Valley National Monument. Currently, the town is only accessible to hikers. Previously, it was possible to drive into the ghost town, however a series of flash floods washed the roads completely out.

Interest is the area was initidated in 1872, when silver was discovered by three bandits who were hiding out in Surprise Canyon. These bandits were William L. Kennedy, Robert L Stewart and Richard C. Jacobs where in Surprise Canyon doing some prospecting and looking for the Lost Gunsite Mine. The men were wanted for robing the Wells Fargo Stages. The men entered into an arrangement, and sold their claim to Nevada Senator John P Jones. Silver samples assayed as high as $3,000 per ton, with the probable average value of metal-bearing ore being at least $125 a ton. The Honorable Mr. Jones arranged for amnesty for the bandits and they agreed repay the stolen $12,000 from their profits.

Nevada Senator John P Jones and fellow Nevada Senator William M Stewart created the Panamint Mining Company and bought up the larger mines in the canyon. The location started to boom with the involvement of the two senators.

William M. Stewart. Photo by Matthew Brady

Panamint City was founded in 1873 – 1974 and soon the town contained all of the services and stores required to support a town of 2000 people. Mines, Saloons, stores, post office, cemetery and a red light district were all built in the upper end of the canyon and arranged along a single road about one mile long. In general, most of these mining booms towns earned a reputation for lawlessness and Panamint City was no different.

Due to the towns reputation, Wells Fargo refused to open an office in Panamint City. To transport the silver from the town, the bullion was caste into 450 round balls, which were then transported in wagon to Los Angeles, CA

Flash floods are a constant danger, and on July 24, 1786, Panamint City experience just such a flood. This flood washed out most of the young town. Inyo county maintained a road into Surprise Canyon until 1983 when a flash flood again scoured the canyon. Currently, there is no vehicle access. Much of the Panamint City Stamp Mill is gone, however the tall brick smoke stake still stands as a sentinel in time to mark the location of the town.

Panamint Town Summary

Name	Panamint
Location	Inyo County
Latitude, Longitude	36.1182827, -117.0953327
GNIS	1661185
Elevation	6,300 Feet
Newspaper	Panamint News ( 1874-1875 )

Panamint Map

References

Marietta Nevada – Mineral County Ghost Town

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Destination4x4

Located at 4947 feet above sea level, Marietta was formally established in 1877 near Teel’s Marsh and is now a ghost town in Mineral County, Nevada. F.M. “Borax” Smith, a silver and gold prospector, found his place in the world, when he established a borax works in Teel’s Marsh in 1872.

Francis “Borax” Marion Smith prospected the Marietta Nevada Area

Soon after the town was founded, the populations swelled to several hundred people, however exact figures are unknown due to inaccurate record keeping among the Chinese populations who worked in the borax plant. The town soon boasted 13 saloons, a post office and several stores.

The town had a rowdy image and due to its remote location made it an easy target for robbers, and for criminals to run free. At one point in the 1880 the stage was reported robbed 30 times.

In the 1880’s due to increased demand for borax, Borax Smith relocate is Marietta location down south to larger deposits found in Death Valley. This moved singled the end of Marietta due to the loss of its biggest industry and by the early 1900s the town was virtually dead. The was a period resurgence when other mining concerns prospected the area.

Marietta is currently located on BLM land.

Marietta Trail Map

Marietta Personalities

Francis Marion Smith – “Borax Smith”

Francis Marion "Borax" Smith Francis Marion Smith, also known as "Borax" Smith was a miner and business man who made a fortune in the hostile…

References

Ghosttowns.com

Nelson Nevada and Eldorado Canyon – Clark County Ghost Town

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Destination4x4

Rock spires carved by erosion located in Eldorado Canyon, Nelson, Nevada.

The ghost town of Nelson, Nevada, which is located in Eldorado Canyon along Lake Mojave, is a quaint destination which offers the visitor a brief glimpse into the past.

History

The Southwest Mining Company Quartz mill located just off the Colorado River.

El Dorado Canyon has a long and storied mining history which includes 150 years of mining activities by Native Americans, Spanish Explorers and Mormons prior to 1861. In 1863, miners from nearby Potosi flooded the area and established four town sites in the narrow canyon, the establishment of which caused some excitement on the western coast.

Many structures are still standing, Nelson, Nevada.

In 1864, near the mouth of Eldorado canyon a ten-stamp stamp mile is built. This despite a six month lead time for supplied to arrive in the remote location. At the time, Eldorado canyon was part of the Arizona territory and the Eldorado mill was the first in the Arizona territory.

The steamboat Mohave departing the landing in El Dorado Canyon.

As the town grew, in 1865 the town added a post office. However the area was a rough camp with the nearest law about 300 miles away. Vigilantes dispensed justice to those who crossed the line.

Founded in 1905 Nelson, Nevada is located some seven miles west at the head of Eldorado Canyon. The town of Nelson slumped for two decades beginning in 1909, but the 1930’s found a resurgence in gold production. By 1941, the three cyanide mills processed 220 tons of ore daily. The population reached 600 persons, however increased costs caused the gold production to slow and eventually cease. The Techatticip mine produced over half of the total gold produced in the area. The gold produced by the region has an estimated valued at $10,000,000.00.

In 1951, Davis Damn is completed. The original town site in Eldorado canyon was buried and drowned by the rising waters of Lake Mojave.

A visitors center and store are open to those who travel here. Nelson, Nevada

Today

Today, the town of Nelson hosts some 37 people in the 2010 census. The older section of town hosts many old buildings, ruins, cars, mining equipment and all in all is an eclectic collection of mining and western history. The current occupants have a wonderful collection of old mining gear and western history, mixed with an eclectic collection of art.

The town was recently used as a movie set, and the a tour of the town is available to those interested.

Nelson, Nevada is a quiet destination worthy of a few hours if you are in the area.

Nelson and El Dorado trail map

Goffs California – San Bernardino County Ghost Town

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Destination4x4

Originally known as Blake, Goffs, California is a small unincorporated community located off of Route 66 in the Mojave desert near the Piute Mountains. Originally named for Isaac Blake, builder of the Nevada Southern Railway, the town was named Goffs in 1902, when it served as a railway stop, and housing for the Santa Fe Railroad.

In 1914, Goffs built a schoolhouse which served 1000 square miles of the surrounding desert. The students were primarily children of railroad employees, miners and Mexican immigrant families. The school continued to function as a educational facility until it’s closure in 1937 when the Goffs School District was merged with the nearby Needles school district. During World War II, the “Mission Revival” building served as a canteen for the Desert Training Center, which trained US servicemen for the hardships of desert life in preparation for the African Campaign.

Today, the Goffs school house is used by the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Associations and a museum and cultural center. The schoolhouse was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places on Aug 7th, 2001. ( #01001102 )

Goffs California found it’s way onto my list of cool places by accident on a family vacation along the Old Mojave Road. The first day in, we camped in the New York Mountains. We scheduled a rest day where we could drive the jeeps with a non burden suspension and explore the Mojave Dessert. Almost as an after-thought, we headed towards Goffs not knowing what to expect or who we would find.

As we pulled into the area, we could see a windmill and a couple of buildings which are located behind a locked gate. We decided to get out to stretch a bit, and after a few minutes I noticed a man driving up in a golf cart. At first I was concerned that some old desert hermit was investigating trespassers on his land, and was immediately surprised when this man opened the gate and invited us onto his property. It turned our that this man was Dennis Casebier, the man who wrote the book and rediscovered the Old Mojave Road.

Hitchin a ride with the fascinating Dennis Casebier

That afternoon, we spent a good portion of the day with the fascinating Mr. Casebier. He told us how he retired to Goffs in the 1990’s and worked to protect the history of the area. He relived the days of searching and marking off the Old Mojave Road by building rock cairns, hundreds of them. He told the stories of the military activity in the area during World War II. He offered us a complete tour of his land and collection of mining equipment, stamp mills, train equipment, etc…

Preserving the Old Mojave Road and the history of the area is Mr. Casebier’s work. At the time, he showed us a 2 stamp stampmill that he restored into working condition and share his plans to assemble a 10 stamp mill which he recently acquired. I understand that he now has this mill working as well, so I need to schedule another trip down to Goffs.

As we were leaving, we thanked him for his hospitality and for opening up for us. He replied that he could not ignore a couple of dirty jeeps driving down the road.

That night, around the campfire I reflected on how fortunate I was to meet Dennis Casebier. I felt privileged, and yet, I suspect that I really was not that lucky. I imagine this that I am one of many, who drove down the road into Goffs and talk with Dennis Casebier.

Bodie and Aurora rivalry continues to this day

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Destination4x4

Two towns located in the hills above Mono Lake maintain, the Bodie and Aurora rivalry continues even now, long past their demise. Bodie, CA and Aurora, NV boomed with the gold rush of the 1870s and busted just years later when the gold ran out and faded into history. Miners, merchants, and people would undoubtedly moved either direction between the two cities and with good fortune would undoubtedly talk down the previous city. Such is human nature, but why would this rivalry continue long past the demise of both towns?

The Standard Mill, Bodie, CA. Photograph by James L Rathbun

Bodie, CA is the crown jewel of ghost towns. Maintained in a state of arrested decay and located just 13 miles off the 395 highway outside of Bridgeport, CA, Bodie hosts over 100,000 visitors each year. The current site has some 100 structures, flush toilets, museum, guided tours, on-site staff, a website, Facebook presence and a gift shop. (I own two coffee mugs and three shirts) During a visit two Bodie, I over heard two fellow visitors joking about a StarBucks coffee located near the fire station. Bodie, justifiably is a popular place to visit, there are many people there when you visit.

Aurora, NV Photograph by James L Rathbun

By contrast, Aurora is a forgotten intersection of two roads. The town was raised long ago for its brick, and only two structures are not lost two the bush and those are unrecognizable monuments to the towns past. Few visitors will reach the town site of Aurora and those who do might be disappointed in what they find. By almost any measure there is no comparison in the quality of a visit to the two towns in modern times. So, why would there be an active effort on the part of those affiliated with Bodie to discourage visitor from driving to Aurora? Does the Bodie and Aurora rivalry continue to this day?

On a visit in June, 2016 I walked into the museum and spoke with one of the park staff / ranger to inquire about Aurora. I told the ranger I was planning to drive to Aurora and asked “How many miles is it to Aurora?”

The Ranger replied, “I think it is about 30 miles?”

I answered, “Well, I thought it was about 9 miles, but I don’t remember the source so I could be wrong.” I thanked him and moved on.

Perplexed a bit, I walked around the museum and studied a few exhibits. Once of the exhibits I saw was a hand written note / map, which noted that it was 6 miles to the Nevada border and Aurora was 10 miles past that point. I returned to the Ranger at the front desk and told him, “Apparently, we are both wrong you have a document which states it is 16 miles to Aurora.”

He replied, “Well, it can be a rough road and I heard the bridge is out.”

Again, I thanked him and walked off towards the jeep. Rough roads do not cause much concern, and a bridge being out is a binary concern. We can either pass or not pass and will not know until we get there. I loaded my family into the jeep, reset the trip odometer and sent off east towards Aurora. We followed the road and Bodie Creek North from Bodie and soon we reached a small bridge. As we drove over the bridge, I thought to myself, “Well so much from that bridge being out…”

As we continued down Bodie Creek there was another bridge, which was indeed out but immediately the obstacle was passable via the road to the right. The bypass simple dropped down a few feet, crossed Bodie Creek and up the other side. Not any issue with our Jeep JK. We continued down the road and made a right turn to climb the hill into Aurora. We soon reach an valley covered in sage brush with a wooden structure which appeared to be a head frame. A moment later we reached and intersection and another concrete structure which was the remains of a building. Surely, this must the Aurora.

Everything about the small valley was screaming Aurora. The map told me we found Aurora. Memories from my last visit 30 years prior told me it was Aurora. The structural remains told me we found Aurora. Everything told me that we found Aurora, except my trip odometer. Since my cell phone GPS is worthless with no Internet connection, the one piece of measuring equipment told me I was 5 miles off of my destination. After lunch we headed out again and soon found ourselves in the highlands above Mono Lake in extremely rough terrain. We finally reached mile 16 and knew that the distance measurement found in the Bodie Museum was flat out wrong and wrong in a big way!

Remains of Aurora bricks found deep in the undergrowth. Photograph by James L Rathbun

We turned around and returned to the site we believed to be Aurora. Again we checked the maps, and everything appeared to match. We had an intersection with another road. We had a few limited structures. One further investigation, we began to see flattened buildings in the over growth of sage brush. Two structures became several. As I walked through the thigh high sage brush, I looked down and saw bricks! Bricks are the sure sign that we found Aurora!

Photographic landscape comparison between our trip and a historical photograph. The angles are slightly different but clearly the hillside line up.

So, how do we explain the differences in the distances. My memory, which is fallible, was 9 miles. The Ranger told me about 30, which I believed was way off. The map in the museum told me 16 miles, and my odometer measured 11.5. I reset my odometer and drove back to Bodie and duplicated my initial measurement of 11.5 miles and made a mental note of the dilemma. Why is the distance so wrong? I am willing the accept a slight variation in the mileage measurement of the jeep. I have 35″ tires on the 4×4 and the gears are changed to 5.13:1. The computer was changed to reflect these modifications. This could explain a slight variation but not 4 miles over 16 if the program parameters are not exact or correct.

When we returned to camp that night I checked the “Bodie State Historic Park” guide purchased when I arrived at Bodie and published and revised in 2010. On page one there is a town map with a reference to Aurora at a distance of 18 miles away!!! Great, another number for the distance between the two towns.

When I arrived home I opened up Google Earth and check my measurement for the Bodie to Aurora Trail. This measurement from Google Earth is 12.1 miles are more or less corroborates my measurement. So, why would California State Parks publish an erroneous value and lengthen the distance of the Road from Bodie to Aurora? Could the fact that California “lost” Aurora to and its revenue to Nevada when the area was surveyed in 1863 explain this behavior? Does the Bodie and Aurora rivalry between the two towns continue? Could it be that the mile distances site actually describe a longer route around the mountain to the north west of Aurora. Perhaps no one from California State Parks has checked?

I prefer to think of this is the last argument in the rivalry between two lost mining towns. An underhanded slight to history. The Bodie and Aurora rivalry continues…

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Panamint Town Summary

Panamint Map

References

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Marietta Trail Map

Marietta Personalities

Francis Marion Smith – “Borax Smith”

References

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History

Today

Nelson and El Dorado trail map

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Further Reading

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