"Bury me in the soft desert sand,
for I'll be there evermore..."
At a distance, it looks like someone is having a major yard sale. This thought struck me as we followed trail EP 15 into the outskirts of Last Chance Canyon. As we turned North West, the camp came into view, only a few hundred feet away. Walt's cabin- his only home for nearly half a century-is virtually surrounded by the machinery that he used to operate his mine.
As we exited our vehicles, we were greeted by the current caretaker who invited us to look around the site.
The story of Bickel Camp is the story of one man's ability to flourish in an environment that would have been (and has been) the ruin of many.
Walt Bickel started poking around the Mojave Desert during the 1930's. The Los Angeles machine shop that he'd owned had succumbed to the Great Depression, and Bickel worked odd jobs while spending his weekends in Last Chance Canyon.
When World War Two came along, Walt Bickel joined the Army; while in the service, he was awarded a medal for designing a tool that enabled gunners to change over-heated machine gun barrels in a hurry.
After his discharge in 1946, Bickel moved into Last Chance Canyon full time, where he remained for the next forty years.
Besides working his gold mine, Bickel grew herbs that he incorporated into his meals and spent many of his evenings looking at the stars through his telescope.
Much of the machinery used by Walt in the operation of his mine, he built using components from vehicles and by adapting small gasoline engines to suit his purposes.
On top of all this, Walt found time to assist the occasional stranded motorist, and he would regale visitors with tales of desert lore.
After suffering a stroke in 1987, Bickel was forced to leave his camp. It was around this time that the Bureau of Land Management was trying to force "squatters" to leave public lands. Bickel camp narrowly escaped the Government bulldozer, after a dedicated group of volunteers lobbied the Government, which agreed to allow a caretaker to live on premises. Thankfully Bickel, who died in 1996, lived to see his camp preserved.
Walt Bickel's cabin.
Walt had a knack for adapting machinery to suit his purposes.
This is an air compressor that is mounted on the chassis of an old car.
This is an auxiliary power unit from a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, according to the site's current
caretaker.
Visitors to Walt's cabin are encouraged to sign the guestbook!
A little cramped perhaps, but comfortable.
Bickel's work shed. It appears to have been fully stocked with
the tools and spare parts that Bickel needed in order
to keep his machines running. After all, he couldn't just run
to the nearest store!
Fordson (yes, Fordson was part of Ford Motor Company) bulldozer.
Fordson tractor. It appears that this machine rode on metal wheels alone; maybe a knowledgeable reader
can confirm this.
