North East of Barstow is an interesting old mine- the Alvord Mine...

Thirty miles North East of Barstow lies the abandoned Alvord Mine.  Well, it looks abandoned, anyway.  There are supposed to be several registered mining claims nearby, but I saw no evidence of recent activity, when I was there.

All that remains is a gutted building that was made of stone, a couple of rusting metal tanks, and, of course, what appears to be the entrance to the mine itself.

The mine's origins can be traced back to 1885, when a prospector (whose name is lost to history) found gold in the Alvord Mountains.  This came as a shock to many, because it was thought that the igneous and sedimentary rock in the area contained no valuable minerals.

A mining concern called the Carter Gold Mining Company began operations in the area during that same year.  Six years later, the company ceased operations.  The fact that the nearest water source was ten miles away at the Mojave River, meant that the ore had to be shipped via wagon to the stamp mill near the river, and the total production over the six years netted around $50,000.

The mine was re-opened in 1906.  This time, a stamp mill was placed right near the mine, and five tons of ore were processed every day.  Still, the mine closed down again, in 1910.

From then on, operations stopped and started several more times throughout the early twentieth century, with the last mining activity taking place between 1950 and 1952.  Now, only ruins remain.

All photos by Scott Schwartz.