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Historic

Historic places

55 posts

Bennettville Ghost Camp

Bennettville Ghost Camp

Bennettville (once called Tioga) was a small mine camp in the high Sierra with that typical ghost town story of boom and bust of a big strike that never panned out. History Part of the Tioga Mining District, Bennettville was built to support one mine, the Great Sierra, and its

Johnny Shoshone Spring

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

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

John’s Wash Arborglyphs

John’s Wash Arborglyphs

Most of the historical relics I find on my hikes are from the booming mining industries of the early 1900s, which dominated the Nevada landscape, but other activities were going on at the time. Ranching was just as important as mining to the early settlers, and sheepherding was a part

Lost Pick Prospector's Camp

Lost Pick Prospector's Camp

While hiking way out in the backcountry wilderness of Joshua Tree National Park, my friend JP and I stumbled upon an old prospector’s mining camp. Hardly anything is left at the camp: a few cans, wood debris, a rock-stacked wall, and a fireplace. Hidden nearby in a pile of

Box Flat and Prickly Pear Flat Cowboy Camps

Box Flat and Prickly Pear Flat Cowboy Camps

Three Bachelors Prospectors Camp

Three Bachelors Prospectors Camp

In 2018, we found a small prospector’s camp out in the wilderness of the Death Valley region. I named it because three cabin tent pads are scattered around the site.