Honeycomb Stamp Mill
We stopped by to check out this three-stamp mill made by Merralls Mill Co. in the western Sierra Nevada. It is a neat find. You don’t see many three-stamp mills around.
Johnny Shoshone Spring
Back in 2012, we visited little-known Johnny Shoshone Spring inside Death Valley National Park. It is a place I’ve been curious about for some time. The spring is not much more than a seep, but what is interesting is that this was a summer camp for Johnny Shoshone, one
Bighorn Boulder Camp
Back in 2012, one of my mine exploring trips got canceled at the last minute, so I suddenly had some free time on my hands. I decided to try to find a supposed arrastra and petroglyph site out in the Mojave desert. Arrastras are always fun to find because they
Wonder Mine
Back in February of 2012, Dan and I did some exploring to see what was left of this old mine. We had known about it for years but finally got around to actually getting up there. The hike was actually farther than we expected, but it was well worth the
Squaw Spring Petroglyphs
We visited this Kawaiisu village and petroglyph site on a clear and cold January day. There are not many petroglyphs here, but it is an interesting site nonetheless.
There are a few petroglyphs and grinding rocks to be found on the flat plateaus, but the majority of the petroglyphs are
Pinto Wye Arrastra
An arrastra is a simple and primitive gold milling device. Heavy stones are dragged over gold ore to crush it. Mercury and water are added to the floor of the arrastra to create an amalgam and capture the gold.
There is some mystery about who built and used this arrastra.
Pictograph Boulder at Queen Mountain
Back in 2012, I decided to go out to Joshua Tree National Park and see if I could find a small pictograph site hidden in a boulder field in the backcountry. I had a good idea of where it was, but you never know for sure, and I would still