Lost Horse Mine

Lost Horse Mine was the most successful gold mining operation in this part of the Mojave. More than 9,000 ounces of gold were processed from ore dug here in the late 1890s. The mine’s 10-stamp mill still stands, along with a couple of large cyanide settling tanks and a huge winch used on the main shaft. The trail to the mine offers a close-up look back into a colorful era and some fine views into the heart of the national park.

Many are the legends that swirl like the desert winds around the Lost Horse Mine. As the story goes, Johnny Lang in 1893 was camping in Pleasant Valley when his horse got loose. He tracked it out to the ranch belonging to Jim McHaney, who told Lang his horse was “no longer lost” and threatened Lang’s health and future.

Lang wandered over to the camp of fellow prospector Dutch Diebold, who told him that he, too, had been threatened by McHaney and his cowboys. A pity too because he, Diebold, had discovered a promising gold prospect nearby. After sneaking in to inspect the claim, Lang purchased all rights from Diebold for $1,000, then partnered in the mine with the Ryan brothers, Thomas and Jep.

Peak production years for the mine were 1896 through 1899. Gold ingots were hidden in a freight wagon and transported to Indio. The ruse fooled any would-be highwaymen.

But thievery of another sort plagued the Lost Horse Mine. The theft was of amalgam, lumps of quicksilver from which gold could later be separated. Seems in this matter of amalgam, the mill’s day shift, supervised by Jep Ryan, far out-produced the night shift, supervised by Lang. One of Ryan’s men espied Lang helping himself to some of the amalgam. When Ryan gave Lang a choice – sell his share of the mine for $12,000 or go to the penitentiary – Lang sold out.

For hikers trudging toward the Lost Horse today, your jackpot is the sight of rusted machinery, a leaning chimney, or maybe just the satisfaction of reaching the end of a trail Lang once walked in far heavier boots.