Death
valley ghost towns lee california annex
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RECONNOITERING
IN THE EASTERN SIERRA NEVADA & GREAT BASIN
BY
4-WHEEL-DRIVE
Hosted
and Powered by 4WDTrips.net
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The
Death Valley Journal:
Lee & Lee Annex, California
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WHAT
IS IT?
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A
ghost town situated at the eastern foot of the Funeral Range,
east of Death Valley and west of Amargosa Valley. There were
actually three towns with the name Lee – Lee, California;
Lee Annex, which straddled the state line a short distance east;
and Lee, Nevada, a few miles away in some hills.
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WHEN
DID IT COME ABOUT
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About
1905.
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HOW
LONG DID IT LAST?
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The
post office was closed in 1912.
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WHAT'S
LEFT?
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Countless
stone foundations and stone lined cellars; tin cans; mine dumps.
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HOW
DO YOU GET THERE?
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The
easiest way is from the Amargosa Valley side. You can also get to
Lee if you have a high clearance, modified 4WD vehicle, by
driving up Echo Canyon and over the crest of the Funeral Range,
then down onto Lee.
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The wild Bullfrog in
1904 rush caused much prospecting to occur throughout southern Nevada
and the Death Valley region of California. That year, brothers
Richard and Gus Lee decided to try prospecting, leaving their ranch
at Resting Spring. In November, with the help of Henry F. Finney,
they found two gold ledges, which they named the Hayseed and the
State Line, located at the eastern foot of the Funeral Range, 30
miles south of Rhyolite. These were located just inside the
California state line, west of Amargosa Valley. A stampede began, and
the Lee Mining District was formed in March 1905. The rush created
the townsites of Lee, California and Lee, Nevada, each within sight
of the other. In between, straddling the state line, was Lee Annex or
sometimes referred to as North Addition.
In May, 1905, the Lee
brothers optioned the Hayseed Mine to W.F. Patrick, a Goldfield
speculator, for the sum of $75,000, with $7,500 down. Patrick died
two months later, and the mine returned to the Lee brothers, and they
got to keep the cash. They decided that they could make some serious
cash by optioning and re-optioning the Hayseed, but they soon found
themselves and the mine wrapped up in litigation.
The Lee boom reached its
zenith in 1907, with a population of around 600 for the entire
district. By February of that year, the fracas over the Hayseed was
cleared and production began. Further zeal was added when the Tonopah
& Tidewater Railroad, then under construction, passed within a
few miles of the district and within sight on its way to Rhyolite. A
townsite rivalry began, Lee, California becoming the biggest
favorite. Of the 600 people in the district, Lee, California grabbed
more than half. 300 men plus 20 women populated the townsite. There
were many saloons and a red light district flourished in the location
dutifully delineated by the Lee Board of Trade. Lee also had a post
office (Lee, Nevada did not), which opened March 7, 1907 with John H.
Lawrence as the first postmaster. A large union hall was erected by
the Death Valley Miners Union, Local No. 258 of the Western
Federation of Miners. The Lee Herald began publication October 15,
1907 by Earl Clemens to compliment his Rhyolite Herald and Skidoo
News. A telephone line was run to the camp from Rhyolite.
At first, auto and
horse-drawn stages ran to the camp from Rhyolite, later to run six
miles to and from Leeland Station on the Tonopah and Tidewater
Railroad in the valley below. These stages connected with the two
trains each day. Inyo County recognized the swelling population and
appointed a justice of the peace, who also served as the tax
collector. None of the towns in the Lee region had their own water.
That had to be hauled in by Adolph Nevares from Rose Well at $5 a
barrel. That price prompted most to travel to Rhyolite for their
baths.
The financial panic of
1907 caused dull times in 1908, leading to the eventual death of all
the Lees. Lee, California hung on the longest. At the beginning of
the year, the Hayseed shipped its first load of paydirt, 18 tons
worth, brining in an income of $1,314. However, that load was also
its last. Nothing less than $50 per ton ore could pay costs, even
though the railroad was literally at the foot of Lee. Such ore was
found only in small pockets that already had been exhausted, and so
the superintendent closed down the Hayseed that summer. The Lee
Herald suspended publication in February. By summer, there was only
one saloon left. Not everyone left Lee. Enough miners and hangers on
stuck around for a few more years, and William H. Lillard kept a
store open until 1912. The post office kept its door open until April
1.
Today, at Lee one can
find an abundance of stone ruins scattered around a townsite about a
third of a mile square, along with a nearly solid ground covering of
cans and broken glass. There are countless stone cairns littering the
region on both sides of the state line, empty mine tunnels and shafts
are found on the floor of the canyon and on the hillsides. The
largest tailings pile belong to Hayseed. In the site of Lee Annex, on
the California side can be found a few stone foundations, the remains
of a stone corral, glass and cans. The state line is marked on the
main road to Lee and also the dim and seldom used road to Lee,
Nevada. Stone cairns are found seemingly everywhere on both sides of
the state line.
Lee
in the Press:
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Rhyolite
Herald, June 23, 1905
“HORRORS
OF THE DESERT AS REPORTED BY SHORTY HARRIS.”
Shorty
Harris, well known pioneer prospector, has returned from Death
valley and reports the finding of four dead men on the desert.
The skeleton of one man was found about twelve miles north of
Lone Willow.... At Furnace Creek ranch, Mr. Harris learned of the
finding of three partially decomposed bodies between Lee’s
camp in Echo canon and the Lida C. borax mine, at the foot of a
low hill on the north side of Funeral range..... Daylight
Springs, says Mr. Harris, is going dry and will be exhausted
within two weeks. Hole-in-the-Rock is now dry. There is a new
water hole called Salt Well, 12 miles north of Furnace Creek. The
water is somewhat salty but does very well for stock.
Beatty-Bullfrog
Miner, February 17, 1906
“BIG
MINING SUIT.”
An important suit has been commenced
in the Superior Court of Inyo County, Cal., by Chas. Del Bondio,
the prominent attorney against Richard and Gus Lee to enforce
specific performance of a contract in writing to sell and convey
the Hayseed and State Line mining claims in the Funeral Range,
near the State line of California and Nevada and about thirty
miles from the town of Beatty, and also to secure possession of
said claims. These claims are well known, and are the same
properties that were held under bond for a large sum by Mr.
Patrick at the time of his death. A very phenomenal showing of
high grade milling ore is made for the amount of development. The
samples taken from a quartz ledge give an average of over $150
for a width of seven feet. Out of 12 samples taken across this
vein the lowest ran $110 and the highest $270. The property is
only three miles from the surveyed line of the railroad and has
abundance of water accessible for milling purposes. Col. Huge
Wilkinson of Rhyolite is the plaintiff’s attorney.
Inyo
Independent, May 4, 1906
“LEE
DISTRICT.”
Victor Tamney and Paul Wright came in
from the Lee district last Saturday and in speaking of their
leases on the Lee Bonanza property they stated that everything
looked favorable for the development of a big body of rich ore
within a very short time says the Bullfrog Miner.
The shaft is
down about 20 feet, having been sunk to catch a dip of the ledge
at about 40 feet depth. It is the intention to sink the shaft to
a depth of 40 feet and crosscut the ledge at that point. Rich
stringers of ore are coming into the shaft from which assays as
$100 and better have been obtained.
A blacksmith shop has been
erected, and the company will proceed to put in a boarding house
and other fixtures at the mine.
Judge Lindsay made a trip to
the property last week and returned with glowing accounts of that
section of the country. In speaking of the property he said:
“I
have every reason to believe that we have a big mine on the Lee
Bonanza and that it will not be long before the leasers will be
shipping ore from that property.
“One beauty about the
property of the company is that it is very favorably located, and
when the railroads get in we will have no trouble in shipping
such ores as we have developed. If we had this property in the
Bullfrog district, it would sell for half a million dollars on
the surface showings alone. However we consider it worth just as
much down there, and it will be as close to the railroad as any
of the mines in this district.” – Tonopah Miner
Inyo
Independent, April 5, 1907
"INYO
COUNTY VERY ACTIVE"
Inyo County is the stage
whereupon the world is witnessing the greatest mining progress
ever known to history. The greatest of all the new desert camps,
gold silver and copper are in Inyo, and each new discovery is
furnishing a larger and more profitable field for the investment
of Nevada-built fortunes.
Greenwater is in Inyo and is a
district of unlimited possibilities. Copper mining men from all
over the world recognize the merits of Greenwater and predict
that it will be a second Butte, and back up their opinions with
the language that speaks louder than words -- the language of
dollars. They are building and developing. A copper smelter of
large capacity is assured and a railroad is promised. A pipeline
is to be built across Death Valley from the fountains on
Telescope Peak, and altogether Greenwater has a bright
future.
Lee and Echo are in Inyo and have marvelous gold
showings to justify the interest and attention now being turned
toward their mines. The Hayseed mine is reported to contain ore
which in places equals the Mohawk, and upon this property a
company has just been incorporated, backed by some of the
strongest financial men in Nevada, and within two hours after the
books were opened wires were received for subscribing $56,000 of
the capital stock. Other properties have equally as good showings
and Lee and Echo are sure to become good gold camps.
Inyo
Independent, April 26, 1907
“RICH
STRIKE AT LEE.”
A Rhyolite dispatch to the San
Francisco Call on April 22nd, says: “The rich strike that
has been made in the Funeral mountains since the opening of the
district has been reported from Lee, California, by S.J.
Hernstadt, who announces the finding of water at 120 feet. The
men of Lee and Rhyolite are more jubilant over the discovery of
water than they would be over a gold find, for this will be the
greatest possible aid to the entire district.
Lee is about
thirty miles west of Rhyolite, in Inyo county, and promises to be
one more of the rich mining sections lately discovered in this
county.
Inyo
Register, May 9, 1907
“COUNTY
SUPERVISORS: HIGH SCHOOL BOND ISSUE ALL RIGHT -- A FEW MORE TOWNS
ON THE MAP”
... New townsites, all in the desert
mining country, were officially recognized. Echo, in Echo canyon,
and Zabriskie, in the Borax Smith territory, were started. Maps
of an addition to Lee, within a few hundred feet of the Nevada
line, and of more area for Skidoo were filed.
Inyo
Independent, May 10, 1907
“SUPERVISORS
PROCEEDINGS.”
[Minutes to Board of Supervisors
Meeting, May 6, 1907 @ 7:00pm]
Mr. S.R. Phail appeared before
the Board with a map of the townsite of Lee Addition and upon
motion make by Mr. Cooley, seconded by Mr. Edwards, same was
approved.
Resolved that this map presented to this Board of
Supervisors on the sixth day of May, 1907, by S.R. Phail and
which is designated “townsite of Lee Addition”, Inyo
County, California, be and the same is hereby accepted on behalf
of the public and each and all the streets, avenues, alleys and
highways, designated and delineated upon said map be, and the
same are hereby accepted, except such are expressly reserved, and
the same shall be and become dedicated to public use; and it is
further resolved that said map be endorsed by this Board with its
approval, and that the same be recorded in the office of the
County Recorder of the County of Inyo, State of California.
Inyo
Independent, May 10, 1907
“SUPERVISORS
PROCEEDINGS.”
[Minutes to Board of Supervisors
Meeting, May 7, 1907 @ 9:00am]
The map of the townsite of
“Lee” was presented to the Board by Ben H. Yandell
and upon motion make by Mr. Cooley, seconded by Mr. Edwards, same
was approved.
Inyo
Independent, May 24, 1907
“LEE
DISTRICT.”
Deputy-Sheriff John Powers and E. Gardner
arrived from the new mining town of Lee, Inyo County, last
Tuesday night. The gentlemen inform us that the new town is
growing rapidly and that the mining interests of that section are
claiming the attention of mining men from all parts of the
country. Eighty men are employed in the mines in the town and
more than 500 more are prospecting in the near vicinity.
Water
from the town is at present secured from a well about four miles
distant, and $3.00 per barrel. The well which supplies the town
with water is 109 feet deep. The “Borax” Smith
railroad is graded to within four miles of the place and it is
expected that trains will be running into this thriving camp
within a few months. The town is less than a mile from the Nevada
line. It has five saloons, two lumber yards, three stores, feed
corrals, three lodging houses, two boarding houses, two
restaurants, miner’s union hall 28x50, several business
offices and a post office. These buildings are nearly built of
corrugated iron and are very substantial.
“Borax”
Smith is one of the principal owners of the mine in this
locality. The principal mines and those producing shipping ore
are as follows; Hayseed, State Line, Hidden Treasure, Burro, Gold
Grotto, Johnson Grass, Honey-Suckle and the Daddy-of-Them-All. A
gasoline hoist has lately been installed on the Hidden Treasure
and another is nearly completed on the Burro claim. The gentlemen
are very enthusiastic of the future outcome of the camp, and
claim that they will have a population of 3000 inside of a year.
They expressed themselves as highly gratified at the treatment
received at the hands of our people, and promise to return in a
few weeks to make us a longer visit and enjoy the recreation that
the higher Sierras afford for the hardworking prospectors of the
desert.
Inyo
Independent, May 24, 1907
Deputy Sheriff John Powers, of Lee,
brought into Independence last Tuesday a man by the name of J.E.
Jackson, charged with the assault with intent to commit highway
robbery. The examination of accused was continned [sic] by
consent until May 31st, 1907. Bail was fixed at $1000, in default
of which defendant was remanded to the custody of the Sheriff.
Inyo
Independent, August 2, 1907
“INYO
COUNTY.”
Nine miles south of Greenwater, on the
south rim of Willow Creek basin, a rich silver strike is reported
in ground owned by Frank Keith, Harry Ramsey and J.H. Witherell.
It is stated that five feet of ore will run about 300 ounces. A
shaft is being sunk.
LEE
The Hayseed shaft is 300 feet deep
and it is said that the richest ore yet found in the mine is
being sacked at the bottom. The shaft has been in ore from the
surface.
Ore has been struck at the 100-foot level of the
Lee-Bonanza.
C.J. Emnis, general agent of the Tonopah ann
[sic] Tidewater Railway, stated last week that his line will pass
will pass within three and one-half miles of Lee, and that if
conditions justify it as spur will be laid to the town. Rails are
now laid from 108 miles from Ludlow and it is expected that the
division to Rhyolite will be finished by October 1.
Inyo
Independent, December 27, 1907
“RAILROAD
WILL HELP MANY CAMPS.”
More than 30 passengers from
Rhyolite started for Los Angeles and other Coast points last
week, on the first train to run through from Tonopah to Los
Angeles via the Tonopah and Tidewater Railway, says the Rhyolite
Herald. This event marks the beginning of regular traffic over
this line, which is commonly called the “Borax Smith”
Road, because the project was conceived by F.M. Smith, of borax
fame, and it was through his efforts that the huge enterprise was
carried to a successful completion.
This road taps a field
entirely its own, and will be no small factor in the development
of a country known to be wonderfully rich in gold, silver,
copper, lead and other by-products, as well as borax, which was
the real primary cause of starting the road.
Mr. Smith had
borax mines in and adjoining Death Valley, but on account of lack
of railway facilities, long hauls had to be made with 20-mule
teams, one of the outfits gaining lots of advertising through a
visit to the Colombian Exposition at Chicago. Some of these
immense wagons may still be seen at the borax company’s
ranch at Furnace Creek, in the bottom of Death Valley.
One of
the nearby camps, which will benefit greatly by the opening of
this road, is Lee, as the line passes within five miles of the
town of Lee, Cal., and a station has been established at Leland
[sic], the nearest point. This will also be a great convenience
to the citizens of Rhyolite, many of whom are interested in that
excellent mining region.
The line also crosses not far from
Ash Meadows, where more of our citizens are interested in the Ash
Meadow Water Co.
While not running directly through
Greenwater, the road goes near enough to that camp to greatly aid
in getting machinery and supplies.
The near approach of the
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad to the old Tecopa lead-silver
property caused the owners of that great mine to enter into
negotiations resulting in the acquisition of the property, and
the opening of the workings in which the sound of hammer and
drill had long been stilled.
The former operators had skinned
off only the very richest of silver ore, which would pay to mine
and ship at the great disadvantages at which they were at that
time obliged to work, and leaving on the dumps and unbroken in
the mine, ore that can now be mined at a handsome profit. Nearly
150 tons are being shipped daily from this mine alone, and other
mines are being opened.
This road will also be of great
benefit to the Crackerjack and Ibex sections, in which local
people are becoming more and more interested. That particular
part of the Funeral Range promises to rival its better-known
neighbors during the coming year.
The Tonopah and Tidewater
Railroad will be welcomed in a substantial way from one end of
its line to the other, and as the years go by, will see many
sections of uninhabited desert, along its line, teeming with
activity, where now the jackrabbit and sidewinder hold full sway.
Rhyolite
Herald, April 29, 1908
“MINING
DIRECTORY”
Lee Bonanza Gold Mining Company,
incorporated under the laws of So. Dakota
Capitalization,
1,000,000 shares; par values $1.00 each; 400,000 shares in the
treasury.
President; L.O. Ray
Vice Pres., J.H.
Lester
Secretary and Treasurer, John Beckman
Additional
Directors: J.B. Lindsay and Zeb Kendal.
Owns five claims in
heart of Lee district
Rhyolite
Herald, April 29, 1908
“HAS
FAITH IN LEE”
“I have every reason to believe
that the Lee district will make good, if given the chance,”
said Jack Cox to a Herald reporter the other day. “I have
been operating there for several months, and I firmly believe
that when proper development work is done, Lee will make a good
camp. I do not know where one can find better showings for the
same amount of development.”
Inyo
Independent, May 1, 1908
“NOTICE
OF SHERIFF’S SALE”
IN THE JUSTICE’S
COURT, THIRD TOWNSHIP, County of Inyo, State of California.
G.H.
Wright, Plaintiff
vs
Lee State Line Gold mining Co., a
corporation, Defendant.
Under and by virtue of an execution
issued out of Justice A.V. Davidson’s Court, of Third
Township, County of Inyo, State of California, dated the 29th day
of April, 1908, in a certain action wherein G.H. Wright, as
plaintiff, recovered judgment against Lee State Gold mining Co.,
defendant, for the sum of Two Hundred and Seventy Dollars, lawful
money of the United States, and costs of suit, taken at
Seventy-two Dollars, on the 25 day of April, 1908.
I have
levied upon the following described property to-wit:
Those
certain mining claims situate, lying and being in Lee Mining
District, Inyo County, California, commonly known, designated and
recorded as the “Tulip,” “Storm Cloud,”
and “Florence Fraction,” notices of location of which
are recorded in the County Recorder’s office of said Inyo;
also being the same and identical mining claims conveyed by deed
from G.B. Keenan to Lee State Line Gold Mining Co., a
corporation, which deed is of record in Book 8 of Deeds at page
554, records of said Inyo County.
Notice is hereby given that
on Saturday, the 23rd day of May, 1908, at ten o’clock A.M.
of that day, in front of the Court-house, in the Town of
Independence, County of Inyo, State of California, I will sell
all the right, title, and interest of said Lee State Line Gold
Mining Company, a corporation, the defendant, in and the above
described property, at public auction, for lawful money of the
United States, to the highest and best bidder, to satisfy said
execution and all costs.
GEO. W. NAYLOR, Sheriff.
by A.R.
McDONALD, Deputy
Rhyolite
Herald, May 6, 1908
“THE
CLAIM HOG”
A good story is told on S.D. Pepin,
formerly a Lee booster and more recently established at the new
camp of Jamestown in Nye county. Mr. Pepin, it seems, has been
making a big talk about claim hogs and what ought to be done with
them.
“A few claims should be enough for any man, and
there should be a law against a man taking the whole earth, like
some of these fellows do,” he is credited with saying.
A
day or two later, Pepin came rushing into a neighbor’s
camp. He was all out of breath and apparently much excited.
“Well
what’s up?” asked one of the boys.
“Oh,
nothing much,” said Pepin, “only some son-of-a-gun
has staked twelve claims right in the center of my groups.”
Rhyolite
Herald, June 3, 1908
“LEE
GOLD GROTTO”
J.C. Funk has resumed operations on the
Gold Grotto, one of the promising properties of the Lee district.
Rhyolite
Herald, June 10, 1908
“1700
FEET OF DEVELOPMENT WORK IN THE HAYSEED: SUPT. NELSON GIVES
REPORT ON PROPERTY AT STOCKHOLDERS’ ANNUAL MEETING --
LINDSAY RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT”
The annual meeting of
the Hayseed Mining company took place Monday afternoon at the
office of the Rhyolite Mining and Brokerage company. The
following directors were elected for the ensuing year: S.F.
Lindsay, J.P. Nelson, S.J. Hernstadt, A.L. Lidwell, P.A. Busch,
Clay Tallman, and T.A. Fleming. S.F. Lindsay was elected
president; J.P. Nelson, vice president; F.P. Kerns, secretary,
and J.A. Small, treasurer.
The report of General Manager J.P.
Nelson was presented and read. The report showed that work had
been started a year ago, at the time the company was organized,
and that to date 1700 feet of development work had been
accomplished. An incline shaft has been sunk 325 feet. On the
100-foot level, 486 feet of drifting and 150 feet of crosscutting
has been done. Milling ore is present in two shoots on this
level, says the report, one of the shoots being about 200 feet n
length and the other about 40 feet in length. The crosscut east
from the 100 level cut two veins of mill ore which do not show on
the surface.
On the 300 level, 250 feet of lateral work has
been accomplished. The southerly drift is out 111 feet and the
east crosscut 108 feet. Commercial ore has not been developed on
this level, the management estimating that about 40 feet of
crosscutting will be required before tapping the ore.
The
property is equipped with a 25-horse gasoline hoist, ore house,
blacksmith shop, etc.
Future plans for the company were
deferred until another meeting is held.
Mr. Nelson, in
speaking to The Herald of the Lee district, stated that while the
camp is quiet, some good showings of mineral have been made
within the past winter and spring. On the Tenderfoot, which is
owned by himself and Mr. Hernstadt, 50 feet of sinking has been
accomplished, exposing milling ore from surface. The shaft on the
Pumpkin has been sunk to 50 feet, also exposing good mill ore
throughout. The Gold Grotto is again busy, with good reports,
although Mr. Nelson has not visited the property since J.C. Funk
has resumed work. News from the Livingstone property near the
Burro is of a very encouraging nature. Mr. Nelson says that Lee
has retained three stores, a saloon and a restaurant, and is
expecting better days when the universal hard time sare [sic -
times are] over.
Rhyolite
Herald, June 24, 1908
“WORKING
GOLD GROTTO”
J.C. Funk was in from Lee over Sunda.
[sic] He reports steady progress on the Gold Grotto, which he now
controls. The crosscut tunnel is being continued into the hill,
the face now being in quartz. No assays have been made of late,
but Mr. Funk says the outlook is encouraging.
Inyo
Independent, June 26, 1908
Dr.
I.J. Woodin reports assays from one of his mines in the Lee
district showing 13 per cent copper, 2900 ounces silver and 1½
gold.
Rhyolite
Herald, July 8, 1908
“GOLD
GROTTO”
J.C. Funk came up from Lee to spend the
Fourth and to remain a few days with his family. He reports that
the main tunnel on the Gold Grotto has been extended several feet
since his last report, and he hopes to reach the ore shoot before
closing down work for the season.
Inyo
Register, August 6, 1908
"MINING
SALE"
Dr. Woodin, Walter Moore and Archie Strong have
bonded their mining property at Lee, this county, for $15,000.
D.M. Shirley, who represents a syndicate of Denver capitalists,
consummated the deal. -- Independent
August
15, 1908 Inyo Magazine
“INYO
MINES ILLUSTRATED.”
Subheading “LEE’S
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.”
The camp of Lee, which lies in
the Funeral range, on the east side of Death Valley, but still in
Inyo county, is giving a good many signs of life, one of the most
marked being the organization of a Board of Trade for the purpose
of furthering the interests of that district. B.L. Wheeler has
been made president of this organization, and Claude Kincaid
secretary.
A strike has been reported from the Little Lee
group, owned by W.C. Rice, and located in this district. The find
was made at the 45-foot level on an incline shaft, and the values
were found to be high in lead, silver and copper. It is one of
the most important finds yet made in this section. Rice is also
interested in the California-Bullfrog property at Lee, which has
gold ore that is said to resemble very nearly the ore found in
the mother lode in this state. A tunnel over 500 deep has been
driven into their property.
Beatty-Bullfrog
Miner – Published in Beatty, Nevada.
Inyo
Independent – Published in Independence,
California.
Inyo
Magazine – Published in Bishop, California.
Inyo
Register – Published in Bishop, California.
Rhyolite
Herald – Published in Rhyolite, Nevada.
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Let's
go to Lee.
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Click
Thumb to Open Full Size
Map of Lee and
vicinity.
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LEE
ANNEX, CALIFORNIA
Coming
in from Amargosa Valley the traveler comes to Lee Annex first,
which straddled the state line. The majority of ruins are on the
California side. A small paddle marker next to the road indicates
that the traveler has reached California and Death Valley
National Park. This view is looking due north.
Most
of Lee Annex's ruins are faint.
Other
ruins in Lee Annex are more substantial.
This
view is northeast into Nevada. Lee, Nevada was situated against
the hills in the background.
Viewing
due east down the once main street of Lee Annex, which is about
250 yards north of the present byway. This perspective looks
right into Lee, Nevada.
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LEE,
CALIFORNIA
Lee
was shown as Lee's Camp on the 1913 U.S.G.S. Topo map.
CLICK
IMAGE TO OPEN FULL SIZE
Historical photo of Lee. Internet
photo.
Snuggled
against the foot of the Funeral Range is Lee.
As
with Lee Annex, the vast majority of ruins are of stone. Though
most of the dwellings in Lee were of wood, stone was used as the
material to build the foundations that they sat upon. Stone lined
depressions are common and indicate many of Lee's residences had
cellars.
Stair
steps to nowhere.
A
level area about midway through Lee makes a nice campsite. My
former truck sits where I had slept the night comfortably in the
bed with a grand view north and east. The elevation at Lee makes
it comfortable for much of the year, though it can get pretty hot
in summer and cold in winter.
Looking
at the dumps of the Hayseed Mine, the principal mine at Lee.
As
with most Death Valley ghost towns, especially those from the
first decade of the 20th century, tin is ever present
at Lee.
Stone
support walls indicate that homes or businesses extended out over
this gulch.
Viewing
slightly north of east over into Lee, Nevada country.
|
My
Transcribed Verbal Notes From Microcassette w/Footnotes
On
April 10, 1999, Alan Patera – author and publisher of the
WESTERN PLACES series of books; along with George Huxtable – at
the time president of the Death Valley Hiker's Association; and I
arrived at the Lee, California townsite. We came up from the Amargosa
Valley side, passing through Lee Annex and Lee ghost towns. We chose
first to hike to Echo ghost town, at the crest of the Funeral Range
first, then come back to Lee to set up camp. We toured Lee, Lee Annex
and Lee, Nevada the following morning.
On
all my trips I carry a microcassette recorder, on which I make
comments on my thoughts and observations. This trip was no different.
After my trips, I then transcribe verbatim my words from tape into a
Microsoft Word file for each year. Each verbal entry is transcribed
in a separate paragraph, automatically numbered as I transcribe.
Below
is that portion of my time spent at Lee and Lee Annex on the
California side only. I'll save Lee, Nevada for another page.
Explanatory footnotes will be added, clicking on the hyperlinked
footnote number will take you to the footnote; clicking on the number
next to the footnote will return you to the main text where you left
off.
95) Should enter
anytime now the Lee Annex section, that straddled the state line.
Original Lee is back another 1.3 miles.
96) Looking north I
can see the Bullfrog area now. And the hills that we were camped near
this morning.
They look like they’re only about 15 miles north of here, so
...
97) Starting to see
a few tin cans. Uh I see a foundation. Yeah, foundations. At uh ...
258.5
we’re stopping. It’s 11:57.
98) A large, square
footing ... foundation. I don’t know, it’s knee high. I
would say it’s uh ... at least 50’ x 50’. We’re
in what the book calls Lee Annex.
99) Down there at
that orchard, the road that I saw ... I noted it, I wondered if the
railroad passed through the area, but I didn’t realize that the
road was the railroad grade. That’s Leeland Station at the end
of that orchard. Just right where we turned off ... onto the road up
here.
100) Found the back
of a later model pickup. Probably 40s. Just the back wall with the
back window. It has some writing on it, but I can’t read what
it says. It was yellow at one time. Looks almost like it said
Y.P.H.A. .. then there’s a gap ... S.T.E.R.I.N.G. ... steering?
Huh.
101) Down in a wash,
eventually bisects the road we came in on, about a hundred feet west
... er south of the trucks. There’s a lot of cans down here in
this wash. There also appears to be part of a wall or a cornerstone.
Maybe the side of it. There’s quite a few cans in here that
washed down over the years.
102) There’s
quite a few rock cairns all around us here.
103) It makes me
wonder why they decided to build in this wash, though. What brought
them here. I’m sure this wash was here at the time of the
building of Lee. Of course, like anything of the era, there was a lot
of speculation and frenzy ...
104) It’s
12:16 and continuing on up the hill.
105) I noticed that
there was a prominent mine tailing up on the hill. I see no road
going to it. But it’s got a structure, or something on top.
106) There’s a
wall ... or large foundation to the north. I don’t think Alan
saw it.
107) Walking over to
that foundation. Looks like partial walls. About 250 feet north of
the road.
108) I can see what
looks like the remainder of an old road in here. I’m
approaching this ... there’s a number of uh ... foundations
along it. I see a cabin standing back up there, it looks like ... in
the hills.
109) Looks like two
foundations. Partial walls. Two separate and distinct.
110) Flattened and
intact one-gallon cans. Square cans everywhere in here.
111) It’s
quite pleasant out right now. But ... I think it was 62º. Just a
light breeze. Clear with a few high clouds. There’s more high
clouds to the north than there are to the south.
112) There’s a
number of cans in this area also.
113) Alan and George
must have gotten worried about me, they’re walking back down
the road.
114) I forgot to
mention that it was at 258.7 miles. That foundation.
115) Looks like a
sunburst that somebody’s made with white paint over off the
road. Ok, I think I see where that main road takes off at and goes on
down. It junctions up with the road and diagonals in at 259.0.
116) There’s a
junction here at uh 259.1 with the road diagonalling across.
117) Alan wants to
continue on up to Echo. It’s 12:35 now. I’m at that road
junction I spoke of before, so I’m going to drive up to the
mouth of the canyon. He says it’s about three miles to Echo ...
from there. I don’t know, we’ll see.
118) It’s like
traveling half the distance to Panamint City. That would take a
while. Those two could make it fine, but I doubt if I could handle
it.
119) Still
continuing to see quite a few walls up in here. At uh ... 259.2
there’s quite a few walls off each side. It’s narrowing
down. There’s some prominent tailings piles on up in there.
120) Junction with
that road heading south ... large set of foundation walls. At 259.3.
Heading off to a tailing pile to the south. I see some tailings way
up on the side of the hills, with some prominently cut out road going
to it. Large, square cans scattered in here.
121) Large,
prominent wall, rock wall, with what looks like a cellar. It’s
quite deep. It’s set into the bank.
204) I’m here
at the road going off over to the Hayseed area.
205) Sitting here at
the Lee townsite. Tailgate down and a cup of water. The crickets are
chirping. It’s quiet and peaceful.
206) Here comes
George already! He’s got a pretty good stride.
207) Tonight’s
cuisine includes chunk light tuna packed in water. Chunk chicken
packed in water ... that Alan ... he wanted some tuna, so he gave me
some chicken. Potato leek soup. Knorr ... brand. And some veggies
from Veg-all.
208) From here at
Lee, we can look over and see the lights of Barrick over there by
Rhyolite .
See the Beatty airport. See cars coming down US95 out of Beatty
Narrows. [Alan’s voice in background - indecipherable]
And uh ... [Alan: “Charley!! Get away!!” ]
That’s quite nice. Alan’s saying that people in Lee could
look and see the bright lights of Rhyolite. Since they didn’t
have electricity.
209) Lot of moths
here at Lee. They’re flying all over, looking at my light.
210) Getting cloud
cover now tonight. It’s almost dark. The western sky is still
light a little bit. The stars are out. Lights in the valley, Amargosa
Valley, are on. You don’t see too many lights from here,
because most of the uh ... most of the farms and stuff are a little
south out of this canyon that we’re looking down.
211) It’s five
after 9:00pm. I’ve had my supper. I’ve had my sponge
bath. And I’m ensconced in my camper. The moths were terrific
tonight. Moths everywhere around here. Even without the light they
must zero in on your body heat. Because they would follow me
everywhere. It looks like we might have some on the roof ... no. Even
without the light on, I would during my sponge bath try to go away
from the light of the cab of the truck, and they would uh ... follow
me. And I could feel them flitting up my back. Up my butt.
Everything. Even though I would have no light or flashlight. And I
would shut the door of the truck to make it dark. Standing out there
naked with tennis shoes on taking a sponge bath. To wash the road
grime off of me. And to do the ... like Alan would put it, the pits
and the gonads. The “P&G’s.” So anyway. After
dinner we all sat around in the dirt. I sat on my ice chest, leaning
up against the tailgate, drinking a glass of wine. We talked about
ghost towns, Joe Simpson, Skidoo, Greenwater, how names are recorded
in the county archives. Etcetera. Misspellings. I took my bath ...
George is now in his tent a short distance away. And uh ... Alan is
thinking about taking a nighttime stroll through Lee. I blew up my
air mattress. I couldn’t hear no leaks. But as soon as I got on
it just now, I’m hearing leaks, all over. At least two leaks I
think I hear. So, it will be another night sleeping on a flat floor.
But tonight, hopefully the cold won’t effect me. It’s not
near as cold tonight here at Lee. We’re probably about a
thousand feet lower than we were at the Capricorn. But that would
only amount to a five degree difference at the most. But uh ...
there’s no wind here at Lee. Clouds are moving in, so that
should help keep temperatures a little higher. Also too ... um ... I
put on fresh, clean clothes. Underwear and etcetera. I’ve also
got thermal tops and bottoms on. Plus my sweat clothes, and my hooded
sweatshirt this time. So hopefully I will at least sleep warmer, if
not comfortable. At least warmer. I hope I sleep tonight, because
last night was miserable. So ... without further ado, I’ll see
if this damn thing is working [note: the microcassette recorder].
I can’t tell. Yes, it’s turning. So I still got tape
left. I miss the shutoff feature of the Sony. It shuts itself off at
the end of the tape. This one just stops, you babble on and uh ... it
stopped. Anyway. My feet are throbbing. I’m stiff and sore. But
I’ll probably worse in the morning, but hey! I got to Echo! So
with that, unless I think of anything else, or I can’t sleep in
the middle of the night, Goodnight!
212) One thing I do
notice here that we didn’t have at the Capricorn, we got the
crickets serenading us tonight.
Field Trip
Transcript
FT04.11.99 (April
11, 1999)
Lee; Lee Annex;
Lee, Nevada; Longstreet Casino; Ash Meadows; Devil’s Hole; The
“Cherry Patch;” Johnnie; Pahrump; Potosi; Goodsprings;
Jean; Bad Hotel Day
1) It’s twenty
after six, Sunday, April 11. That’s the sound of frying bacon.
Standing here at the back of the truck. Tailgate open. Coleman on the
tailgate. Standing next to a rock wall here in Lee. Where we camped
last night. Cooking my breakfast and getting my coffee ready. George
is already up, Alan is just beginning to stir. I don’t see his
head in his uh Explorer, but the dog was just let out. Had a better
night sleep. Slept more. Although I woke up a lot because the
mattress went flat. But uh ... I did sleep better, slept much warmer.
Not near as cold here, but it is chilly this morning. There’s a
light breeze blowing. A light overcast. But uh ... it was warmer here
last night, and I was warmer because I wore thermal underwear. Plus a
turtleneck. And my hooded sweatshirt. And so I didn’t get cold
at all last night.
2) This morning we
got some heavier high clouds building in. As they were yesterday. But
it ... doesn’t appear any worse than yesterday. There is
supposed to be a front passing through. There is a light breeze
stirring up out of the south, but it is not a wind, yet. The sun has
just begun to brighten up the clouds, but the land is still somber
and gray right now.
3) It’s two
minutes until 8:00. We’re going to start out through Lee’s
camp, here.
4) Just up the hill.
A couple of hundred feet from where we’re parked and camped,
the uh ... both sides of this road has uh ... a large number of
foundations and some with cellars. Obvious building ... uh they were
quite large. Uh the pads that they are on are quite large, also. The
level spots. Some of these go back quite a ways from the main street,
by about a hundred feet. Back across the wash to the north I see some
other foundations on the opposite bank of the wash.
5) Can dumps abound
here in Lee townsite.
6) Alan and George
have gone up the canyon just a bit to some mines up above. Then they
were going to go over to the Hayseed, which is to the south of us.
Just out of sight from our camp.
7) Alan wanted to uh
... get over to Lee, Nevada also. He had mentioned uh ... yesterday
taking the meadow ... the road up along Meadow Valley Wash. Up to
Carp, Elgin and probably Caliente. Which I would love to do that
myself. So that is probably the way we will take instead of up US93
to access eastern Nevada.
8) Here’s a uh
... foundation here across the wash on the north side. It has a
prominent uh entry step stone. And uh other than that, it’s
pretty obliterated. Except for the front ... and the stepping stone
... and uh ... the small dugout and wall on the side of it.
9) It’s hard
to tell if there’s any other building sites up here. On this
north side of the wash, there’s another wash bisecting this uh
just immediately further north.
10) Plenty of glass
and cans up here though. But uh ... this area has been pretty hard
hit by flashflooding, so there may not be any signs.
11)
12)
13) The camcorder
seems to be operating all right this morning. I’m past the
place, I believe, where uh ... the tape refused to go any further on
me yesterday. I ran it forward, fast forwarding, it went right on
through into video I had taken in New York a couple of years ago. And
uh ... so I ran it back and started videotaping from the point I left
off yesterday when Alan and I were walking back down from Echo. I’m
here at a ... a location I saw yesterday and noted ... the cellar. It
looked like a cellar.
14) On the south
side of the main street, there’s a number of building sites
that are leveled. I’m approaching a deep hole, a squared hole.
There’s no perimeter of rock around it, but I presume it must
be a cellar. Yeah, it’s quite deep. It’s uh ... goodness!
It’s a good eight feet deep. Six to eight feet deep.
15) On the south
side of the main street, there’s a lot of uh ... leveled
building sites. Rocks are all scattered, but there’s a lot of
cans and glass in here. In some distinct patterns ... of rock. But
not built up. My uh theory is because of uh the other side, the
building sites drop down into the wash and they would need heavier
buttressing to build them up to be level. And therefore, those would
stay intact. Whereas, a few s ... uh ... stones placed in a s ... s
... square ... er rectangle on this side, would only needed to be
minimal height to take the floorboards up off the ground. And so
those would be easily scattered.
16) Another deep
hole. Not near as big as the other one. About six feet deep. Maybe
... twenty ... fifteen to twenty by ... eight feet square.
17) The sun has come
out from behind the clouds. It’s kind of uh ... not a bright,
bright sunshine, but it’s a ... it adds a soft ... colors to
the landscape. The sun is high enough in the sky now, it being uh ...
about twenty one minutes after 8:00, that the shadows are starting to
disappear. But there’s enough clouds now to cause contrast in
the land. It’s uh ... kind of a light wind. Not enough to be
annoying, just enough to require a sweatshirt. It’s not cold,
but it’s not warm, either. It’s dead quiet here. Alan and
George are off, I think, over at ... towards the Hayseed. And I’m
over here still by the vehicles, by myself, just looking at the main
part of town right now. The big dune down in the valley can be seen
over a low saddle and some low hills to the east. Alan said he’d
like to get over to Lee, Nevada this morning, also.
18) Lot of the heavy
... heavy broken glass is a heavy ... milk colored glass now. It
didn’t uh ... age purple. Sort of a creamy, milk color.
Probably ... some of them looked like they had some designs fluted
into them. Lots of cans and broken glass in here.
19) Lee is situated
... right where two canyons disgorge out of the mountains. Um ...
down just to the east of the townsite by a few hundred feet, and over
to the south of where we’re camped, I’m not sure if it’s
natural, but it almost looks like they diked it. There’s uh ...
what appears to be a dike that’s ... almost close to twenty
feet tall. But I can’t see them going to that kind of trouble
to build up a dike. But it doesn’t quite look natural, there’s
a very ... almost square depression inside here. We’re uh ...
parked at the upper end of it, the west end. I’m not sure if
it’s natural or not. It’s almost a square depression.
There is some signs of building within the depression.
20) I see one pretty
large can dump within this depression. It’s uh ... a little bit
to the east of us. Rock walls.
21) There seems to
be an old but well defined road I’m walking on. I’m on
the south side of the primary road that comes into Lee. It angles off
to the southwest. It’s definitely a road. I thought maybe it
was part of the wash, but it’s ... it’s up off the wash
bottom. It’s still within that square depression that I had
spoke of earlier.
22) On the banks of
uh ... the wash down here, I see uh ... numerous walls projecting out
from the banks of the wash, so ... they obviously built ... into the
banks. As well as the bottom of the wash.
23) The walls extend
to the top of the wash, so they might have built the primary
structure above. And then the building would project out over the
wash, with the walls that I’m seeing ... holding the back end
of the building up, as well as serving as a cellar.
24) There might be
another building site, also. There’s some walls ... parallel
and about one building width ... further west than the other one.
25) The Mavica is
doing pretty good.
I still have 31 minutes left on it.
I’ve taken one disk full of pictures so far this morning. It
was showing 20 minutes when I first turned it on this morning. And uh
... as it is so prone to do, it adds time to it as the battery kind
of gets up to snuff a little bit there.
26) The beavertail
cactus is getting ready to bloom. They’ve got their nice, rosy
buds on top the paddles.
27) Here’s one
foundation that has lumber still in it.
28) On the north
side of the road.
29) The lumber I
spoke of earlier goes all the way down through the wall.
30) A well ...
preserved set of stairs going down into one cellar here. There’s
still some bits of lumber. It’s all charred, though. So either
people camp fired ... in here or uh ... this place burned down. I
don’t see no evidence of soot or cinder ... or burn stains left
on the stones. If this place did burn down, I think it would show
that.
31) It’s
twelve after 9:00. I’m heading to the Hayseed now.
32) Quite a deep
shaft right here that’s cable netted. That the Park Service has
done. And uh ... yet the tailings pile is quite small.
33) Now the Mavica
battery has gone up to 44 minutes. [Chuckle]
34) There’s a
wooden ... probably cement underneath ... foundation for a headframe
here behind the ... middle shaft that’s just north of the
Hayseed main tailings pile. There’s three small mineshaft
tailings. Two are cable netted. One apparently has been filled in.
The uh ... headframe is behind the middle one. I’m heading over
to the main ... primary Hayseed now.
35) There’s a
lot of broken quartz around the Hayseed. Really creamy white. Quite
shiny. Some have a lot of black spackling in it.
36) Very nice view
here at the Hayseed encompassing the area that uh ... Lee sits in.
The view extends out from the Grapevine’s snowy summits. Out uh
... north of there. Bullfrog Hills. Up into Beatty country. Bare
Mountain. The sand dunes are quite prominent here below us. And over
into the hills to the east ...
[End of Tape 2,
Side B]
[Begin Tape 3,
Side A]
37) It’s ten
after 10:00 and I’m back down to the truck. I sat up on the
Hayseed Mine for quite a while. Got up and uh came on down that road.
Found a row of stone walls in the ... one of the washes running
northeast and into the main wash. Along with a corrugated metal tank.
We’re getting ready now ... getting ready to throw everything
back into the truck, and we’re going to head on over to Lee,
Nevada.
38) I don’t
know if I noted my mileage when I stopped to camp. It’s 260.6.
Total mileage on the truck is 49,499.0.
39) That large
foundation at Lee Annex we had first ... photographed, is a stone
corral on the map. We’re now taking the road off of that that’s
heading uh ... northeast into old ... old Lee there. Lee, Nevada. [To
George Huxtable]: -- Boy, I can barely see it
going across, the road there. -- [George Huxtable:
“Yeah.”] -- See in the valley? On up on the other
side? It’s going to be very faint.
40) Just passed into
Nevada at 261.6.
©2009,
2010 D.A. Wright
All Rights Reserved
Last Revision: 3/3/10
