Just north of the well-known Keane Wonder Mine site lies Cyty's Mill, a smaller, seldom-visited mill site and cabin. A short hike along the base of the Funeral Mountains will lead you past scenic Keane Wonder Springs to John Cyty's 1910 cabin and mill, which processed ore from his Big Bell Extension Mine. More ambitious hikers can continue up to the mine, high in the canyon above.
History
The story began in 1904, when the discovery of gold in the Funeral Mountains brought hundreds of prospectors to the Keane Wonder Mine area. While the Keane Wonder became one of the most successful mines in Death Valley's history, numerous other small mines sprung up in the vicinity. That summer, Cyty and his partner Mike Sullivan found gold above the Keane Wonder, filing ten claims which became the Big Bell Mine. They also filed claims for some promising prospects in a nearby canyon, which they named the Big Bell Extension.
Although not as well-known today as such legendary Death Valley characters as Death Valley Scotty, Shorty Harris, or Pete Augerberry, John Cyty was certainly a character, right out of a Hollywood western. Initially more interested in prospecting and promoting mines than actually running them, he optioned the Big Bell Mine to a series of operators who worked the mine for the next few years. (For more on this fascinating mine, see the Big Bell Mine.) His first brush with the law came in 1906, when he bought a dance hall in Rhyolite, gave up his ownership stake after a business dispute, then was arrested for subsequently breaking into the building. The quick-tempered and usually-armed Cyty was to become known locally by the nickname "Johnnie-behind-the-Gun". His fortunes took an even darker turn in 1908, when he lost his 250,000 shares in the Big Bell Mine in a 12-hour roulette marathon in Rhyolite.
