Bit Of History's LOST MINES

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There are few things that can fire the imagination of a desert explorer better than the tale of a lost mine. This is by no means a phenomenon peculiar to modern people for it was the search for lost mines that brought many to the remote regions of the West and the reason that many of the mines that were developed were ever found in the first place. It was the location of these sources of metal and minerals that greatly assured the foundations of the states of the West. To look at the waybills usually written in haste, by a person that for a variety of reasons, could not stay and develop their new found resource can stump even the best equipped detective.

The late Erle Stanley Gardner who wrote the original Perry Mason detective series, spent years wandering the deserts of the Southwest and Baja and talking to the people who had found their little part of paradise there. More than once, he found himself searching for some of the lost mines he had heard about, even going so far as to use airplanes and a helicopter to search with. It was while using some of these modern day tools that he believed that he found one of the lost Spanish mines so often talked about. That mine was originally located by a railroad worker while working near what is now known as Essex, CA. He had wandered into some mountains and stumbled upon a small camp that had tools that appeared to be Spanish in design. He tripped over a cast iron cook pot and found gold nuggets inside. Taking a few with him, he returned to his work. When he again went to locate the mine, he could not find it and spent years searching in vain for it. Gardner, while searching for the Lost Arch Mine believed to be in the Turtle Mountains to the south, found what he believed was the lost Spanish gold mine in the Clipper Mountains northwest of Essex. He stated that he did not find any gold, but did find what resembled the Spanish tools. I have flown over the Clipper Mountains along both sides and believe the mine was located near the top, on the North side of the mountain.

Take a look at the map below. It shows the area to search for a lost gold mine possibly located in the Sheephole mountains east of Twentynine Palms, CA.

I have walked through a significant portion of this end of the Sheephole mountains and have not found any trace of this mine. I have found a couple of prospect holes one of which was, at one time, marked by an old milk can (I fondly named it the lost milk can mine). The point is, that circle on the map represents a whole lot of territory. The descriptions by the old timers were vague at best. Think about it, who would tell strangers where a treasure was located...no one!

Today, searching for lost mines is harder. Environmentalists have persuaded the government to close many areas of the deserts with no public input. During the 1990's many areas were closed with no input from citizens. These areas have had little impact from people and were closed in my opinion, arbitrarily. In other places, large mining concerns have taken over and no access can be found. The search can still be made but a little imagination on the part of the searcher will be required. Naturally, if gold is found in a National Park, you would leave it on the ground because it is against the law to take it. You might even have a sign put up that stated HERE IS THE LOST SO AND SO MINE - Please leave the gold where you find it! I'm sure this would work.

In the mean time, I will list as many of the Lost Mines that I know of and will write up search information for those that I find interesting or that seem to have the most information as to the location. They are listed by the state that they are reported in but remember, if they are near a state border, they may actually be located in the next state. Good luck and happy hunting!

Visit our new Prospecting Book Store for more books on Lost mines and Prospecting or visit the Book Store for books on mines and ghost towns of the Southwest.

A very useful guide to finding Gold in the Desert by Klein.