This short trail heads out to the site of the Elton Mine (originally called the Lucky Boy and the Elltun) and the fantastic Lucky Boy Vista. The trail follows the old mine road out to the mine and then returns via a wash.
There isn't anything left of the Elton Mine. The NPS has reclaimed the site; the buildings have been removed, mine shafts gated, and even the mine dumps have been flattened out. Still, this is an interesting and scenic hike to do along with the Desert Queen. It has a great view and a bit of mining history.
Thomas Munro and John Robinson located the Lucky Boy mining claim on July 7, 1922, in what would later become Joshua Tree National Park. Over the years, the claim changed hands several times. On July 22, 1940, Wilfred Tunstall acquired ownership.
Tunstall shipped about twenty tons of rock from the mine to the Stuebner Mill in Barstow. Unfortunately, assays revealed the ore was of too low a grade to be economically viable. With milling costs at $20 per ton, exceeding the value of the extracted gold, no money was made from these milling attempts.
Historical photos of the Lucky Boy (Elton) Mine. July 1967. Courtesy of the NPS
A 1973 NPS survey found little remaining at the site. The buildings were gone, save for a wooden structure and the remnants of a stone and concrete house. The mine itself consisted of four vertical shafts, each around 50 feet deep, with some lateral drifts.
