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About

For most of my life, I've been documenting the forgotten corners of Western backcountry before they vanish forever. Historical mines are deteriorating and rock art sites are falling victim to weather and vandalism. These irreplaceable pieces of our past are disappearing. That's why this site exists, to document these hidden places and share them with those who appreciate their significance.

Who I am

Hello, I'm Guy Starbuck. I've spent most of my life exploring the remote backcountry of the Western United States, mainly California and Nevada. My passion is seeking out historical mines, Native American rock art sites, and other little-known places with historical significance; the more remote the site, the better.

I originally started hiking to lesser-known peaks, but along the way, I discovered countless historical sites. What began as peak-bagging adventures evolved into a mission to document vanishing history.

Some peaks. L: White Mountain. C: Langley. R: San Gorgonio.

What you'll find here

Starbuck.org is an archive of fieldwork and historical research drawn from over thirty years of exploration, ranging from quick site visits to deeply researched write-ups. It's grown to include more than 550 detailed posts on remote historical sites, alongside 18,000+ photographs. Of those posts, 240+ include GPS coordinates only, and 110+ include step-by-step directions. There's always more to add.

Research Library

Good fieldwork starts long before you leave the trailhead. Over the years I've built up a research library of more than 68,000 books, reports, surveys, and academic papers, all in searchable digital form, covering mining history, archaeology and rock art, regional history, geology and natural history, and travel and exploration.

When I visit a site, I want to know its story before I get there. That means digging through old mining claim records, reading regional history books, and tracking a petroglyph panel through academic literature. The library makes that possible.

I like to go out and find things

I share what I can to help preserve the memory of these places and inspire responsible exploration. Some locations remain undisclosed at the request of land managers, or to protect sensitive sites.

See the Sample Trips page for examples of full-access posts.

Supporting This Work

Since 2021, this site has been reader-supported, allowing me to keep it ad-free and sustainable. Your subscription helps ensure these historical sites are documented before they're lost to time.

Free subscribers have access to:

  • Newsletters

Paid subscribers gain complete access to:

  • Historical background and descriptions
  • Everything free subscribers receive
  • Detailed directions (when available)
  • GPS waypoints and maps (when available)
  • Complete photo galleries
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Site History

Starbuck.org has been online since 1997. It is an on-going project that evolved from hand-coded HTML pages to PHP to WordPress. Today it runs on Ghost.org.

Preservation Ethics

Please Tread Lightly and Leave No Trace. Take only photos and leave only footprints. Respect what you find. Give others the joy of discovery.

If you use my website to find places, please credit Guy Starbuck at Starbuck.org and include a link to this site. Don't use my text, photos, or videos without permission.

Guest Authors

These excellent contributors also document forgotten corners of the West:

Hugh M. Smith - Starbuck’s Exploring
I have been hiking and photographing the Southwest deserts, mountains, and canyons since 1978. My main focus has been on little-known locations, with an emphasis on historical mines and mining camps.
Starbuck's ExploringStarbuck’s Exploring
GC - Starbuck’s Exploring
Field notes from exploring backcountry locations of the Western US.
Starbuck's ExploringStarbuck’s Exploring
Matthew Venn - Starbuck’s Exploring
Matthew is an itinerant adventurer & photographer who is currently living in his 80-Series Land Cruiser & traveling around the Southwest. He has a borderline unhealthy obsession with Death Valley & with the traces left behind by forgotten cultures.
Starbuck's ExploringStarbuck’s Exploring
Jonathan Pusey - Starbuck’s Exploring
JP gets harebrained ideas about what he might find in the desert if he’s clever enough. Most of the time, he finds only photos. Sometimes they make for good stories, which he posts here…
Starbuck's ExploringStarbuck’s Exploring

Interested in being a guest author? You can contribute, too!

Published Works

Books

Articles

  • "Searching for Petroglyphs in the Cottonwoods" in the Panamint Breeze. June 2011.

Photos published in

  • Abandoned Mines of Eastern Idaho - Howard Frisk. 2025.
  • Abandoned Mines of Western Idaho - Howard Frisk. 2025.
  • Pahranagat Mines, and the Settlement of Lincoln County, Nevada - Jeanne Sharp Howerton. 2024.
  • Skidoo, The True Story of a Mail-Order Bride in the Mining Camp of Reveille, Nevada - Jeanne Sharp Howerton. 2021.
  • The Cosmological Connections to Rock Art in the Great Basin and California Western Carolina University Research Poster - Samantha Clark, Clara Ennis, Brittany Hormel, Kaley Kelly. 2019.
  • TRACCE Rock Art Bulletin - Maarten van Hoek. 2015 & 2018.
  • Tybo, Nevada - Robert McCracken, Jeanne Sharp Howerton. 2016.
  • Historical Sites in Joshua Tree Closed Due to Theft of Artifacts in The Survivor - David Halligan. Fall 2016.
  • A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - The Friends of the Public Land Cabins. 2015.
  • Ancient Universal Language of Man - Chris Hegg. 2015.
  • Religious Symbolism in Eastern California Ghost Dance Rock Paintings - Alan Gold. 2014.
  • Applying Trait-Based Models to Achieve Functional Targets for Theory-Driven Ecological Restoration - Ecology Letters - Daniel Laughlin. 2014.
  • Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History. Promotional flyer. 2013.

Some links are Amazon affiliate links. Purchases through these links support this site at no extra cost to you.