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Burro
Schmidt's
Tunnel
Update |
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Burro
Schmidt's "Famous Tunnel" now has a group of
"friends" trying to preserve and protect the
site. Click
the photo to visit their Website. |
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Click on
the photo below to read more about Cerro Gordo.
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The
Panamint Breeze
is a new publication highlighting the history and legends
California and Nevada.
Click
on the logo to
request subscription information. |
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New
Volunteer Fire Department
Retimbers
Union Mine's Hoist House
by
Observer
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CERRO
GORDO, INYO CO.--August 20--Members of the newly organized Cerro Gordo Volunteer Fire Department mustered to repair and
retimber the Union Consolidated Mine hoist house. The present structure was built after the disastrous
inferno that engulfed the hoist works and shaft down to 200 feet in
August, 1877. It's wooden
frame was constructed using mortise joints and wooden pegs.
A continuous onslaught by the
relentless wind and winter snows peeled away much of the building's tin
roof, exposing the Union shaft, hoisting equipment and compressor to the
elements.
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| Angle iron
brackets bolt together a supporting beam. Original wooden pegs
can be seen at the top of the bracket. |
Buckey
custom modifies a bracket. |
Members of the brigade spent two days toiling in Cerro Gordo's thin air to realign the aging
timbers. The original wood fasteners were enhanced with the latest hardware consisting of metal bolts and brackets custom forged and welded
to specifications.
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| Town Boss
Mike Patterson coaxes an upright support into alignment. |
Members of the Women's Auxiliary spent the afternoon working in the
American Hotel kitchen preparing a feast for the boys and
town guests that evening. Served in the Hotel's elegant main dining
room, the feast consisted of roasted meat, fresh
salads, potatoes, vegetables of the season and breads and deserts.
Plentiful liquid libations were also on hand.
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| Three of
Lola's girls at the American Hotel bar (on another night off). |
Owing the the presence of the women folk, Lola's and Maggie's girls were
given the night off.
The following morning, work commenced at 5 a.m., accompanied by the
expected complaints from some of the brigade members.
Meanwhile, breakfast was being rustled up at the Hotel. Morning eats
included cooked eggs, bacon, sausages, sourdough pancakes and gallons of
coffee. Maria, the Hungarian tart and one of Lola's girls, aroused
herself from her bed early enough to add freshly made crepes to the
breakfast menu.
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| The Union Mine
hoist house before members of the Volunteer Fire Department
started restoration work. |
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| Members of
the Cerro Gordo Volunteer Fire Department surrender at day's end
to Observer's camera. The partially retimbered hoist
house is in the background. |
Several more visits from the boys of the Volunteer Fire Department will
be required before the hoist house can be buttoned up with tin. Until
then, town visitors are asked to steer clear of the hoist works for
their own safety.
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What
We Saw This Summer |
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Our insurance crisis, which is now over, prevented us from
offering commercial tours the last several months. However, we
didn't cloister ourselves away. We used our off time to explore new
locations that may become future tour destinations, and reacquaint
ourselves with familiar territory.
In June we traveled to California's gold country and spent several
days in the Grass Valley and Nevada City areas. Besides exploring
these historic towns, we visited the Empire Mine. Now a California
State Park, the Empire-Star Mines were major producers of gold for
more than a century. The mine's deepest working level was nearly a
vertical mile underground.
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| Visitors
peer down the main shaft of the Empire Mine in Grass Valley.
Click
on the photo to view a gallery of our summer travels. |
We
also explored several old cemeteries in the Grass Valley-Nevada City
area, including a Chinese cemetery where most of the bodies had been
removed for reburial in their homeland.
Next, we headed over the "hill", in this case the Sierras,
to Bridgeport and joined the Mono Basin Historical Society for their
"Ghosts of the Sagebrush" tour.
The month of July led us to declare our independence from the city
and head to Cerro Gordo to spend a few days with owner Mike
Patterson.
We again returned to the Owens Valley area in August for a living
history event sponsored by the Friends of Bodie.
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| Not
all Bodie women were ladies. A reenactor (L) portrays Rosa
May, one the town's better known female companions. Click
on the photo to view a gallery of our summer travels. |
We have been to this most famous of California ghost towns many times, but
had never encountered a living history day where volunteers dressed
in period costumes and reenacted events from Bodie's sordid past.
Click on any of the photos to view a photo gallery of our summer
travels.
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2005
Tour Information |
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We're back on the road again!
Our next tour is the Fathill
Fandango, October 15-17, 2005 and we've reduced the price!
The
tour begins near Mojave and ends in Lone Pine, Calif. Click
on the photo for details.
We also expect to offer a
Mojave Expedition (day trip) in early November.
Please contact us at info@explorehistoricalif.com
additional information or reservations.
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Explore Historic California! |
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Not too many years ago, the family station wagon was the
magic carpet to adventure. Today, that family station wagon is likely to
be a four wheel drive sport utility vehicle or pick up truck. SUV's and
other 4x4's are one of the best selling classes of vehicles. Ironically,
industry statistics show that once purchased, few owners will dare to
drive their vehicles off the paved highway. Click your mouse through our
website and enjoy our armchair adventures and the histories behind them.
If you are interested in taking one of our guided tours with your
vehicle, please contact us at: info@explorehistoricalif.com.
Several years ago, we bought our first SUV. We went to a one-night class
at a local community college entitled "How to 4-Wheel Drive" by Harry Lewellyn.
The following weekend we attended the hands-on day tour. We liked what we were
doing so much that we began going out nearly every weekend and learned how to
negotiate a variety of dirt roads. Our spare time was spent doing research on
the history and ecology of our favorite areas. A one-day outing turned into 16
years of leading others on mini-vacations throughout Southern California and the
Owens Valley.
Our 4WD outings involve driving on easy to moderate dirt roads and are
ideally suited to novice and intermediate level drivers. All tours are suitable
for stock vehicles in good condition, although some tours do have vehicle size
restrictions.
Our tours are
operated under permits issued by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S.
Forest Service, and other authorities.
We share our knowledge of the backcountry over the CB radio with our
guests. We frequently stop to explore mining areas, old and new, and ponder the
rocks, plants and animals we may encounter. We'll occasionally visit an old
cabin or deserted mountain lookout.
California has a fascinating history, from geologic unrest and
prehistoric petroglyph scribes to the "Radium Queen of the Mojave" and the
"Human Mole of Black Mountain." Load up your 4X, fasten your seatbelts and get
ready to explore historic California.
Roger, Cecile and Marty |
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