> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.starbuck.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # December 2023 News - URL: https://www.starbuck.org/december-2023-news/ - Published: 2023-12-28T15:00:24.000Z - Updated: 2024-02-08T22:35:39.000Z - Author: Guy Starbuck - Tags: News It's the end of another interesting year. I've been going out on shorter trips for the last two months since the last newsletter in [October](https://www.starbuck.org/october-2023-news/). I've been posting backcountry cabins lately for some reason. As usual, I've tried to post all my trips from this year, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. More to come. --- ## New Trips [Riley’s CampPossibly one of the most well-known backcountry cabins in the Mojave National Preserve is Riley’s Camp. John Riley Bembry was born on February 5, 1899, in Arapaho, Oklahoma. He preferred to be called Riley instead of John because he found it more distinctive. After serving in World War I as![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2023/12/IMG_4228.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/rileys-camp/) [Geer CampGeer Camp is one of my favorite places in the Mojave National Preserve. It is a small and cozy cabin with a great view and makes for an ideal place to camp if you are in the area. Robert R. Geer built the small, one-room cabin in 1940 as a![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2023/12/IMG_4258.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/geer-camp/) [Roger’s CampA restored mining cabin known as Roger’s Camp sits a little ways inside the Mojave National Preserve, with minor abandoned mine workings located just uphill. Maurice Mulcahy of Dagget first stumbled upon traces of silver, lead, and tungsten deposits in the early 1900s. Later, three shafts were sunk…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2023/11/IMG_4220.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/rogers-camp/) [Wilbanks CabinThe Wilbanks cabin in Arizona’s remote Kofa Mountains was homesteaded in the early 1930s by a young cowboy named Jack Wilbanks. He dreamed of having his own cattle ranch. In 1931, the abundant grass, perfect for grazing cattle, attracted him to the area. He acquired some existing equipment from anot…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/2023/11/IMG_3163.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/wilbanks-cabin/) [Kofa CabinThe Kofa Cabin is a rustic stone cabin located close to the northern border of Arizona’s Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. It was built in the 1930s to serve as a camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crews, who were tasked with building and improving roads, trails, and water guzzlers![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/2023/11/IMG_3146.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/kofa-cabin/) [Sacramento Wash PetroglyphsNestled in the far eastern reaches of the Mojave National Preserve and near the Mojave Road lies a hidden gem: the Sacramento Wash Petroglyphs. It is an easy sandy hike that leads to two large rocky outcrops where a hundred ancient rock carvings await. The petroglyphs are primarily abstract symbols![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/2023/11/IMG_4873-1.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/sacramento-wash-petroglyphs/) --- ## Updated Trips [Freightwagon PetroglyphsIt is a long and lonely walk into the wilderness of the Mojave Desert to get to this isolated petroglyph site. Most of the petroglyphs here are of abstract design, but a few are of figures and war shields. In a couple of places, you can see what appears to![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2023/12/IMG_6654.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/freightwagon-petroglyphs/) A subscriber sent me some updated photos of the [Golden Gate Mill](https://www.starbuck.org/golden-gate-stamp-mill/) that burned down. [Golden Gate Stamp MillThe Golden Gate Mill is a neat site and relatively easy to reach. The ten-stamp mill got its ore from a 2,300 ft tramway that ran up to the mine. The gold mine was discovered in 1898 but wasn’t worked until around 1902 and probably peaked in 1913.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/2021/07/PICT0006-1.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/golden-gate-stamp-mill/) --- ## Top 10 trips of 2023 It's always intriguing to see what interests people the most on this site, so here are the most clicked-on posts of 2023: [Sagamore Mine Camp RuinThe 2023 York Fire burned the camp. See below. The Sagamore Mine, also known as the New York Mine, was a silver, lead, copper, zinc, and gold mine. It was first discovered in the 1870s by Mormons who found rich silver veins in the foothills of the New York Mountains.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2023/01/IMG_2596.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/sagamore-mine-camp/) [Surprise Tank PetroglyphsWe first visited the Surprise Tank Petroglyphs out in the Mojave Desert in 1998\. We’ve stopped by a few times since then but didn’t really photograph the site again until 2009\. We re-visited the site in 2013, 2018, and 2020\. I wanted to get a few more photos![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2021/06/20090111-IMG_4070.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/surprise-tank-petroglyphs/) [Tungstar Mine TramThis very adventurous hike follows an old mining trail which led to the Tungstar Mine, a 1940s tungsten mine high on the western slope of Mt. Tom, the prominent 13,658-foot peak just west of Bishop. The trail was used in the early days of the mine to build a![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringHugh M. Smith![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2023/01/Feature-Photo-1.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/tungstar-mine-tram/) [Tramway MineThis gold mine lives up to its name. The inclined wooden tramway is the most interesting thing here and makes this old mine worth visiting. Don’t be confused, though; it is not an aerial tramway but a railed inclined tram used to lower ore down from the mine to the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2023/03/IMG_2815.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/tramway-mine/) [Morning Glory Mine (Death Valley)The Morning Glory Mine is a neat little mine high up in the pinyon pines of Trail Canyon. It’s not easy to reach, so it doesn’t get as much visitation as other places in Death Valley. You really have to want to go there. And despite the long hike and![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2022/03/scan0286.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/morning-glory-mine-death-valley/) [Hanging Valley and Tungstar MinesIn the late 1930s and early 1940s, surging worldwide demand for tungsten led to the opening of several tungsten mines in the High Sierra above Bishop. Two small but relatively high-grade ore bodies were discovered on the west side of Mt. Tom, which would become the Hanging Valley Mine and![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringHugh M. Smith![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2022/04/Feature-Photo-2.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/hanging-valley-and-tungstar-mines/) [John’s Camp and the Boulder CabinIn 1929, the Gold Hill Mine, comprising five claims about a mile west of the Pinto Wye Arrastra in Joshua Tree National Park, was owned by C.H. Wiser and Anvil B. Johns of Rialto, California, and J.A. Johns of San Bernardino. They set up John’s Camp nearby to![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2021/07/IMG_8251.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/johns-camp-and-the-boulder-cabin/) [1932 Slot Canyon PetroglyphsA good friend of mine gave me a couple of tips on where a set of petroglyphs was hidden in the heart of Joshua Tree National Park. I hadn’t heard anything about these petroglyphs, and I was definitely interested. He asked me to keep it’s location a secret though. After![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2023/03/IMG_0436.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/1932-slot-canyon-petroglyphs/) [Wall Street MillThe Wall Street Mill is Joshua Tree National Park’s most intact remaining historic gold stamp mill. Finding a stamp mill like this is rare these days. I’m thankful the NPS has preserved it. Once owned and operated by renowned prospector and rancher Bill Keys, this two-stamp mill was![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2021/06/20060205-PICT0027.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/wall-street-mill/) [Hensen Well and the Pinyon MineThis hike is an adventurous cross-country ramble exploring a few historic mining ruins of the seldomly-visited Pinyon Mesa country down the dirt Geology Tour Road in Joshua Tree. Few people venture out here, which is a shame as it is a neat area. The mines below were at the heart![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/guy-logo3-small.png)Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/3d/ab3dddda-7a06-4b47-b9e2-e2787a08191a/content/images/size/w1200/2022/11/IMG_1379.jpg)](https://www.starbuck.org/hensen-well-and-pinyon-mine/)