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These are some pictures from a trip I did last spring to some of the still occupied 1800 mining towns near the Owens Valley. Talk about stepping back into history....some of the old cars, machinery and houses and people were quite interesting.
Keeler
The first stop was to the old town of Keeler. Keeler was founded back in the 1870's as a town where the silver and lead ore was milled and smelted from the Cerro Gordo mines.
Origanally Swansea did most of the processing, but due to an earthquake causing some major damage, the main processing was moved to a new location in what is now the town of Keeler.
There still remains the old rock smelter on the east side of the highway that was used in those times to pre-process the ore before shipping it to the Los Angeles area.
Once the ore was processed it was shipped by steamboat across Owens Lake (now dry) to be wagoned to Los Angeles and then San Pedro to be finalized before being sent to the San Francisco mint. Keeler also had the Carson & Colorado rail road going through the center of town. The railroad was closed in 1960 and the tracks were then pulled up. The RR station still remains in town.
All that's left today is a large collection of old cars and old houses and buildings as well as a functioning post office.
Slideshow - Photobucket is a little slow at loading up...
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...view=slideshow
Train Depot
49 cents a gallon.
One of the many old cars
Cerro Gordo - Spanish for "Fat Hill"
From Keeler I headed up the steep graded road to the town of Cerro Gordo. The graded road climbs 5000 ft in elevation in just 8 miles.
The Cerro Gordo mines produced somewhere around 13 million dollars in silver, making it one of the most prosperious mines in California. The population there was at one time around 1000 people.
I took the guided tour given by the caretaker and it was real interesting. The owners had both died and he is now the one keeping the town alive. The town dates back to the 1860's when silver was discovered. Hostile indians (Shoshone) made mining in those days slow and dangerous. Fort Indipendance was established to help keep the trouble to a minimum.
Some of the ore was smelted in CG and the rest was taken down the hill to Swansea, and Keeler and made into 100 to 300 LB bars and then shipped to San Pedro for the final processing. In the late 1800's, the towns of CG, Keeler and Darwin had a larger population than the Los Angeles area.
It's said that the amount of timber inside the CG mines is enough to build a tract of houses. I was denied my request to see it for myself.
Slideshow
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...view=slideshow
Inside of the hotel
From CG I headed east and down from the 9000ft level into Death Valley NP past the Talc City mines and on into Darwin.
Darwin
Darwin was named after a Dr. named Darwin French. He wanted to strike it rich, so when he heard there was silver in the Death Valley area he went in search of it. He aquired the Defiance mine - which is still being mined today. The mine produced over 1 1/2 million dollars in silver and lead.
Once word got out about the silver strike, the town of Darwin grew to around 4500 people, making it more populas than LA. The town consisted of a post office, school, stores, saloons and the other amenities that other mining towns had.
Today all that is left is the many miners shacks and houses, and remains of some of the old businesses - and of course lot of old cars. It still has a functioning post office. No services though.
Slideshow
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...view=slideshow
Talc City Mines
The silver mine and miners shacks
The old post office
Gas was 29 cents a gallon here.
TowMater
Keeler
The first stop was to the old town of Keeler. Keeler was founded back in the 1870's as a town where the silver and lead ore was milled and smelted from the Cerro Gordo mines.
Origanally Swansea did most of the processing, but due to an earthquake causing some major damage, the main processing was moved to a new location in what is now the town of Keeler.
There still remains the old rock smelter on the east side of the highway that was used in those times to pre-process the ore before shipping it to the Los Angeles area.
Once the ore was processed it was shipped by steamboat across Owens Lake (now dry) to be wagoned to Los Angeles and then San Pedro to be finalized before being sent to the San Francisco mint. Keeler also had the Carson & Colorado rail road going through the center of town. The railroad was closed in 1960 and the tracks were then pulled up. The RR station still remains in town.
All that's left today is a large collection of old cars and old houses and buildings as well as a functioning post office.
Slideshow - Photobucket is a little slow at loading up...
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...view=slideshow
Train Depot
49 cents a gallon.
One of the many old cars
Cerro Gordo - Spanish for "Fat Hill"
From Keeler I headed up the steep graded road to the town of Cerro Gordo. The graded road climbs 5000 ft in elevation in just 8 miles.
The Cerro Gordo mines produced somewhere around 13 million dollars in silver, making it one of the most prosperious mines in California. The population there was at one time around 1000 people.
I took the guided tour given by the caretaker and it was real interesting. The owners had both died and he is now the one keeping the town alive. The town dates back to the 1860's when silver was discovered. Hostile indians (Shoshone) made mining in those days slow and dangerous. Fort Indipendance was established to help keep the trouble to a minimum.
Some of the ore was smelted in CG and the rest was taken down the hill to Swansea, and Keeler and made into 100 to 300 LB bars and then shipped to San Pedro for the final processing. In the late 1800's, the towns of CG, Keeler and Darwin had a larger population than the Los Angeles area.
It's said that the amount of timber inside the CG mines is enough to build a tract of houses. I was denied my request to see it for myself.
Slideshow
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...view=slideshow
Inside of the hotel
From CG I headed east and down from the 9000ft level into Death Valley NP past the Talc City mines and on into Darwin.
Darwin
Darwin was named after a Dr. named Darwin French. He wanted to strike it rich, so when he heard there was silver in the Death Valley area he went in search of it. He aquired the Defiance mine - which is still being mined today. The mine produced over 1 1/2 million dollars in silver and lead.
Once word got out about the silver strike, the town of Darwin grew to around 4500 people, making it more populas than LA. The town consisted of a post office, school, stores, saloons and the other amenities that other mining towns had.
Today all that is left is the many miners shacks and houses, and remains of some of the old businesses - and of course lot of old cars. It still has a functioning post office. No services though.
Slideshow
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...view=slideshow
Talc City Mines
The silver mine and miners shacks
The old post office
Gas was 29 cents a gallon here.
TowMater
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