William “Burro” H. Schmidt began gold mining in the area in 1906. Rather than haul his ore over the steep hill to the smelter in Mojave he decided to dig a 1/2 mile long tunnel. Only problem was he dug it by hand and it took him 38 years, he started in 1906.
Like many mines, the ownership is now in dispute…
The ruins of his camp and the tunnel itself are now a frequented desert destination for off roaders and four wheelers, with even a photo rich review on yelp. Like many mines, the ownership is now in dispute and it is unclear if the land is BLM or private. USGS Historic Topo shows a few more mines and ruins sprinkled sparsely throughout the area.
…it felt like something out of a dream…
We visited the tunnel and the camp in Nov 2014. We didnt make it all the way out the other end for the view. It was getting dark and very windy inside the tunnel. Half way though the tunnel it felt like something out of a dream, endless tunnel in both directions!
I’m not sure about the status of Burro Scmidt’s actual mines themselves, only his ore tunnel. If you know comment below!
1 Comment
You can actually make it through Burro’s mine without a flashlight, but keep your head low. There is a tunnel to the left that goes a short distance and when you exit the main shaft the walk back doesn’t take long.