Where is the Death Valley Mine you ask? Well, its not in Death Valley, it is smack dab in Mojave National Preserve. Mining the rich lead/silver/gold ore began in 1906 and by 1907 there was 75 employees at the site. Operations slowed from litigation in 1908 until new ownership in 1915. A six bedroom bunkhouse and ball mill from the 1930’s is still on site. The unique metal head frame is from a 1950s reactivation. An underground survey in the 70s revealed hundreds of bird and squirrel skeletons in the main shaft. Drawn underground by cool temperatures and drank the sulfate laden water.
…hundreds of bird and squirrel skeletons…
Access was no chore and the road to the mine was in decent high clearance condition. Several structures remain making for a worthy visit and a decent example of unaltered miners existence. We had read that the Death Valley Mine had a caretaker on site but we saw no signs of recent occupation. The rat infested 6 bedroom bunkhouse was intact but completely empty. I hope this cabin gets cleaned up and adopted by off-roaders.
Near to the open main shaft was a bat gate waiting for its installer. Comment below if you make it to the Death Valley Mine and see the bat gate installed.
