The Cajon Pass: A little history...

The wagons carrying the boiler departed Los Angeles July 17, 1861, and they arrived in Holcomb Valley on August 13, of that same year. 

Despite the fact that he constructed the road with the help of his financial backers, it is Brown who is linked with the Cajon Pass toll road in the annals of history.  And, it was Brown who would be faced with heart-ache, beginning during December of 1861 when torrential rains flooded San Bernardino County.  The storms lasted through mid-January of 1862, and they destroyed the toll road.  One witness, who had been hiking in the area noted that new lakes had appeared throughout the area, and that the road was gone.

The seemingly untouched wilderness in the Cajon Pass.
Cleghorn Range.
Photo by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved. 

The Cajon Pass: A little history...

The first freight item to be transported along the new road was an eight-thousand pound boiler, which had to be brought from Los Angeles to Holcomb Valley.  The boiler was needed for the ore-crusher at the quartz-mill. 

 

The Brown toll road, today.
Photo by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved. 

The Cajon Pass: A little history...

Despite the difficulties, the toll road was completed by the middle of the summer.  High (for the time)  toll rates were established.  For example; the charge for a man with his horse was twenty-five cents.  “Loose” cattle or horses cost five cents per head to herd along the road.  A wagon pulled by several horses cost one dollar.

Some of the strange "clearings" appear in the photo of the Cleghorn Range, in the Cajon Pass.  One wonders if humans have ever set foot in these areas.

Photo by Scott Schwartz.  All rights reserved. 

Rugged country in the Cajon Pass...

Nonetheless, the road, which started near present-day Devore, passed through Cajon Canyon, and would take travelers through present-day Crowder Canyon (once known as Coyote Canyon), up into the high desert

Given the unforgiving terrain, the workers building this new toll road had a tough job ahead of them.  The road was to wind its way through Cajon Canyon.  There are spots in which huge boulders are scattered about, and the Canyon is very narrow in places.   Plus, the terrain is very hilly, with steep inclines and loose rocks strewn all over.  Indeed, even today’s established off-road trails in the area pose challenges for drivers, for the same reasons.

The Cleghorn Mountains, in the Cajon Pass.
Image by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved. 

The Cajon Pass: A little history...

Interestingly, the State of California had already passed an act which authorized John Brown, Henry M. Willis, and George Tucker to build a toll toad, back on April 17^th.

The author's vehicle in the Cajon Pass.  Although the trail pictured is a gas-line access road(which still requires the use of four-wheel drive to negotiate), the ruggedness of the surrounding country can be seen in this image.                                 

Drone-image by Scott Schwartz
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The Cajon Pass: A little history...

It was thought that construction of the Holcomb Valley Road would cost $2000.  However, committee member Mellus, investigate alternate routes for the road, and his findings indicated that the cost would be less than $2000.  What’s more is that the money had already been raised!

Today, various power-line and gas-line access roads snake through the Cajon Pass.
At one time, however, traversing the Pass was a major undertaking.
Image by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved. 

The Cajon Pass: A little history...

By the end of April, 1861, potential “subscribers” to the Holcomb Valley Road had formed a committee, on which sat the “movers and shakers” of the time:  John Rains, W.T.B. Sanford, and a Los Angeles merchant by the name of Francis Mellus. 

The Cleghorn Range, in the Cajon Pass.
Image by Scott Schwartz
All rights reserved.

The Cajon Pass: A little history...

The other planned road would connect the high desert with the valley below.  This road would be constructed as a privately-operated toll road.

This photograph shows a trail that parallels the 15 Freeway.  It may once have been part of one of the old Cajon Pass "turnpikes," although I am not sure.  

Image by Scott Schwartz.  All rights reserved.

The Cajon Pass: A little history...

In reality, the improvement and construction of two roads was being considered.  One of these roads was intended to link the Holcomb Valley mines with the Cajon Pass, and would be built with funds collected through "subscriptions” – money collected from those who would eventually use the road.

This video ("Cajon Pass-rugged country") gives us an idea of the difficulties involved with crossing this terrain- especially with fully-loaded wagons!

The Cajon Pass: A little history...

This situation was becoming critical, because heavy equipment and supplies were needed in burgeoning mining settlements such as Holcomb Valley; indeed, the teamsters hauling this equipment were so desperate, according to an April 6, 1861 Los Angeles Star article, that they were offering $5 per load to anyone who would build a “turnpike road.”

The author's vehicle is dwarfed by the vastness of the area.
This image was taken near what was once a toll road, which ran through the Pass.
Photo by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved.

The Cajon Pass: A little history.

One of these rough wagon trails was improved in 1850 by freighting -company owners Phineas Banning and W.T.B. Sanford.  This trail, known as “The Sanford Trail”, meandered through the western side of the Pass. Although the Sanford Trail was slightly more passable than the pack trail it replaced, the Sanford Trail was still narrow and treacherous in places, and the steep grade was very difficult for large wagons.

The treacherous Cajon Pass.
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The Cajon Pass: A little history...

With the deployment of the Mormon Battalion in the area, people felt safer while coming through the Cajon Pass, and traffic volume increased. Most travelers used the Old Spanish Trail, but the route was so difficult that at least one party of gold-hunting travelers-led by a Captain Jefferson Hunt-actually had to disassemble their wagons, and carry them in pieces through the Pass.  It is believed that the Mormon Battalion did the same thing when it came through the pass.

This image of the Cleghorn range indicates the ruggedness of the country that early travelers had to contend with.
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The Cajon Pass: A little history...

Indeed, the first wheeled vehicles would not gouge ruts into the Cajon Pass until 1847-48, when members of the Mormon Battalion passed through here.  The only official religion-centered battalion in U.S. Army history, the Mormon Battalion was composed of volunteers who agreed to enlist in the Army in order to aid the United States in the war against Mexico.  At one point, detachment of the Battalion built a fort near Cajon Canyon (the spot is now known as “Mormon Battalion Mountain”, and it’s located within the boundaries of Glen Helen Regional Park) in order to protect travelers through the Pass from Indian attacks.

Cleghorn Mountains, east side of the Cajon Pass.
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The Cajon Pass: A Little History....

All of these men had one thing in common; none of them made use of one of mankind’s most useful inventions, during their journeys through the Cajon Pass:  the wheel.  Or, more specifically, wheeled vehicles.

Scott Schwartz

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The Cajon Pass: A little history...

The famous Mexican explorer/merchant, Antonio Armijo- who led the first commercial caravan from New Mexico to the San Gabriel Mission - likely came through the Cajon Pass during 1829-1830, with his load of blankets and other merchandise for trade in Alta California.

Pictured at left, is the rugged country in the Cleghorn Mountains, on the east side of the Cajon Pass.

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The Cajon Pass- a little history...

Military Governor Pedro Fages may have been the first white man to travel through the Cajon Pass, during his pursuit of Spanish Army deserters in 1772. The famous frontiersman, Jedediah Strong Smith was the first American to travel through the Cajon Pass, as he worked his way West from Salt Lake City, during 1826.    He traversed the desert and came into the San Bernardino Valley through the Cajon Pass.

The concrete ribbon of the I-15 snakes through the Cajon Pass.
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The Cajon Pass...

In Spanish, “cajon” means “box.”   “Cajon” formed part of the name that was officially given to the area that is now known as the Cajon Pass, by Padre Joaquin Pascual Nuez, in his 1819 diaries.  He actually referred to the area as “ex-Caxon de San Gabriel de Amuscopiabit”, which was the name of the Native American settlement that was then located in the area.

Cajon Pass, looking toward Crowder Canyon
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Alvord Mine...

Another view of the Alvord Mine site.

The rugged country in the Alvord Mountains.

Alvord Mine, Part XII.

The lone blogger, at the Alvord Mine ruins.  

Was Alvord's "striped butte" somewhere nearby?  

As I listened to the wind whip around the rocks, I wondered if Alvord and his party did indeed pass through here.

We may never know.

Alvord Mine, Part XI.

As I came closer to the Alvord Mine, I entered a canyon.  Here, the trail ascends and becomes rough and rocky, necessitating the use of four-wheel drive low range.  The loose dirt adds to the challenge.

But, I made it, after driving slowly and carefully.

Below, is a photograph of a ruined building at the site.

To be continued.

Alvord Mine, Part XI.

Most of the route, after leaving the pavement, is a graded dirt road, but there are patches of sand that scattered throughout.  Still, I was able to negotiate this part of the trip with my old Jeep Cherokee (an "XJ" series, for those who are Jeep aficionados) in two-wheel drive. 

However, as I approached the mine, things changed.

To be continued.

Alvord Mine, Part X.

Well,let's get back to my Alvord Mine visit. It was a perfect day to be in the desert, with clear skies and temperatures in the 80's.

Finding the correct route to the mine proved to be difficult, because I tried to find the site from memory. The problem is that it had been several years since I'd last been to the Alvord Mine. Consequently, I took the wrong exit from I-15. I wasn't too far off, though. Still, one of the "check points" along the route to the mine is a bullet riddled tank, located seven miles off I-15, which marks the location of Alvord Well. Despite missing this landmark, I was able to get back on course, using a paper map and the Back Country Navigator app. that is installed on my telephone. The reader will notice that I am not providing details about the route itself. This is because I don't want to be responsible for anyone getting lost!

To be continued.

Alvord Mine Part VIIII: Video re-posted via YouTube. It should now be watchable.

Alvord Mine Part VII correction: The video can now be played.

The Alvord Mine, Pt,. VIIII

Operations at the Alvord Mine ceased in 1952.   The idle mill was on site until 1955.

Today,  all that remains at the site are the ruins of a couple of buildings.

To be continued.

Alvord Mine, Pt. VIII.

By the time that the mill had burned, the Alvord Mine had produced roughly $50,000 in gold.

After the fire, the mine sat idle for the next four years.  In 1895, after more prospecting took place, the Alvord ore was tested.  Another mill had to be built in order to test the ore, and the Alvord Mining Company of Pasadena did so, most likely near the spot where the old mill had burned.

Evidently, the test results indicated that mining was still at least somewhat worthwhile, because mining operations resumed, with the  ownership of the mine changing hands numerous times until mining operations stopped altogether in 1952.

To be continued.

Alvord Mine, Part VII...

The area near Mule Canyon.  This spot is in the Calico Mountains.  Alvord and his party may

have camped here, or at an area in the Alvord Mountains known as "Spanish Canyon."  "Spanish Canyon" may once have been known as "Mule Canyon."   So, I'm not sure which "Mule Canyon" is the right spot.

To be continued.

The Alvord Mine, Pt. VI...

Throughout the early 1880's, the Alvord Mine was bought, sold, and worked by several different individuals and/or companies. 

Between 1884 and 1887, the mine was being operated by a J.B. Osborn, of Daggett.

By May of 1885, Osborn was hauling ore to processing sites at Camp Cady, where a mill had been built near the Mojave River.  That month, $36,973 was earned by the mine. 

The Alvord mine kept producing steadily, until September of 1891, when a fire destroyed the mill that had been built at Alvord Well. 

To be continued.

Alvord Mine Pt. V.

Though no one was ever able to locate Charles Alvord's lost mine, gold WAS discovered in the Alvord Mountains by others, just before the year 1881.  A mining operation- which was named in honor of Charles Alvord, was set up, and it is thought that an arrastre was used to process the gold, early on. 

Nonetheless, an outfit that was called the Alvord Consolidated Quartz Mining Company sold 75,000 shares of its stock, in order to finance the mining operation.  This was in February of 1881.

To be continued.

Alvord Mine, Pt. IV.

So, the question is whether the site of the Alvord Mine ruins that still sit, baking in the desert sun, are located at the site of Charles Alvord's lost mine.  Modern lost-mine "scholars" insist Charles Alvord's first-find did NOT occur at the spot where the ruins are located.  They cite the fact that the gold produced at the developed Alvord mine was valued at only $12.75 per ton, whereas Alvord claimed that HIS mine could pay the national debt - in 1860 dollars, of course.

To be continued.

The Alvord Mine, Part III...

Alvord's one-time partner, Joe Clews searched Alvord's "striped butte" for another eighteen years.  Clews believed that the site was located at a spot called "Mule Spring", which, itself, is located in Mule Canyon.  Mule Canyon, in turn, is located in the Alvord Mountains (as the range is known today.)  The problem with most desert springs, is that they only run after heavy rain. 

Consequently, Clews never found Alvord's "striped butte", and the site became yet another Lost Mine.

To be continued. 

The Alvord Mine...Part II.

Three times, Charles Alvord tried to find the spot where he'd found his gold streak.  His remaining partner, Joe Clews (the only one who hadn't ridiculed Alvord) accompanied Alvord on Alvord's third and final attempt to locate the spot. 

Telling Clews that the spot was in the vicinity of a "striped butte", near the group's campsite during the first expedition, the two men searched in vain.

After this, Charles Alvord appears to have been swallowed up by the mists of time.  One legend has it that he was murdered.  Whether this is true or not, his former partner, Joe Clews continued the search.

To be continued.

A Visit To The Alvord Mine Ruins...

It was a temperature inversion of sorts; over 100 degrees Fahrenheit at my home in the Rancho Cucamonga area, and only 90 degrees in the desert!  Indeed, this was a great day to pay another visit to the Alvord Mine!

Like many old mines, the Alvord Mine was named for a person.  In this case, one Charles Alvord, a prospector in the area, who, in 1860, came across manganese ore in which gold was embedded.  His partners, laughing at him, ignored his discovery, because he was inexperienced (i.e. a "tenderfoot"), and because they were looking for the fabled "Lost Gunsight" silver mine, anyway..  Well, that's one version of events.  Another version has him finding the gold by himself and then keeping the find from his partners.  Either way, Alvord's sample was assayed, and it did, in fact contain gold.  What's more, is that Alvord's sample was more valuable than any of the other samples obtained during the expedition. 

From here, things get a little murky.  For, as with many mine stories, the discoverer was unable to re- locate the site.

More to come...