https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/5713b92395a1db8541e8a972754e61f3.pdf 235c0d92d30f7cf2d1c5b68432baf38e PDF Text Text PART I S==- s CALIFORNIA �__ > AT?ALIPaFi'''IA Aq?A --------------- ■^'—■< - ggaao gorpo, OALiFJRxmiL^ Mortimer Belshaw was a shrewd man. wardly Shrewd! Ou^ Belshaw showed only mild interest in the sample of silver-bearlny quartz shown around by a iiexioan prospector. He inquired of other deposits in the area, and when told that tralena was found nearby He knew he immediately laid plans. that the lead found in yalena was necessary to subtract silver from its ore. controlled the lead could control The man the silver, and Belshaw figured to be that man. Belshaw arrived in Gerro Gordo in 1868. Prospectors were swarmlna about the rounded, almost fat hills for which the site was named. While the prospectors sought out and claimed the silver, Belshaw quietly sewed up most of the galena deposits. He hastened to spread the word that he planned to build a smelter, then promptly traded one-fifth of his imaginary smelter for one^ third of the Union Mine, the last hold-out containing highsqualitv calena. With a few ingots laboriously smelted from his best ore samples, Belshaw headed for San Francisco. Financier Abner B. Sider looked at the ingots, believed Belshaw*s claims, and promptly The Union Minlnsr Company was formed offered to back the enterprise. By ral(l*^ummer from Owen's Lake the partners had constructed a wagon road up the steep slopes to Gerro Gordo. climbed ^,800 feet in its eight serpentine miles. spot a tollTSite was Installed. plan to miss a trick. The road At one narrow Belshaw and partner didn't The fee was $1.00 per wagon, two bits -1- �per rider. The partners soaked everyone^ and took a double whaok at competitors, Belshaw was a talented engineer, designing and huild-f ing a smelter capable of turning outtons of lead-silver amalgam each day. Charged with coke and coal, and making use of a unique doubletboiler principle, it constituted a major breakthrough in contemporary smelting. One hundred and twenty bars of lead-silver amalgam were poured and hauled out each day. With rear wheels chained and skidding, and front wheel brakes frequently applied, the elyhtsmule teams slipped and slid down the road, traversing dozens of tight switchbacks. The bars were transferred to steamers at the east bank of Owens Lake, then again loaded on wagons at the west bank and hauled to San Francisco. The Union Mining Company built a second smelter in 189QAand nroduction doubled. Traffic increased on the toll road O' <— as other mines expanded production. A new smelter at Swansea, on the shore of Owens Lake, made lowersgrade ore a paying pronosltion in spite of Belshaw's tollroad rates. Belshaw tried to lure business away from the Swansea Smelter by letting the tollroad go bad. This limited the loads that could be carried in the wavons, and in effect raised the toll. Competing mines either raid Belshaw's high smelting fees or forked over a healthy toll. Belshaw's competitors attempted to build a new road in to Gerro Gordo, but efforts proved fruitless. -2- The canny �Belshaw had nlaced his toll road In the only usable spot! Some disgruntled folk established a tent town below Belshaw’s toll*^ate and hiked cross-country a mile or so to Oerro Gordo for supplies and entertainment. The fifty-six teams of mules that hauled freight to Cerro Gordo continued to pay Belshaw’s heavy toll. Later an aerial tramway was built, easing the stranglehold of the toll road. Mo engine was required to cower the tram>* way, since its problem was one of slowing the head Iona: dowi^ Elaborate braking mechanisms *t were utilized, and freight was put in the buckets on the "up" hill run of oretladen buckets. line when possible. seventies. The town prospered during the - with the popu­ lation riding between two and three thousand. houses were flourishinar. Several sporting The dance halls of Lola Travis and Maggie Moore were busy, and the American Hotel, opened in I87I, continued to do business in spite of spectacularly high rates. When a younsr doctor came to town intending to open a practice. he was confronted with drunks, fights, and even gunplay. The doc left town A same eveninv. Cerro Gordo enjoys a unique setting. Thirty miles away, to the northwest, 14,495:foot hiinih i4ount Everest towers over the dry flats of Owens Lake, besting Cerro Gordo and its adjacent peak by more than a mile. To the east, avain thirty miles away, is a "sink" fed Infrequently by Salt Creek and the -3- �Amargosa Hlver. Better known as Death Valley, its elevation is 282 feet BELOW sea level. Midway between the highest and lowest points in the continguous states, Cerro Gordo enjoys a climate that is the best of the two extremes. Days are warm and dry -- nights pleasantly cool. Barby and Jack Smith have owned the mine and town since 19^9. They charge a dollar to visit the place, and it's well worth it. Their protective presence has prevented the slow^certain destruction suffered by other ghost towns. They have made few changes, except that Jack now claims the town has running water — he runs and gets it twice a week. Most spectacular in town the old American Hotel, still replete with square nallft balcony, gazebo, and hugJi kitchen stove. The trestle of the Union Mine curves over the northern extreme of the business district. A threes crib sporting house still stands next to a string of buildings that once served as stores, warehouses^and machine shops. Occasional >11^ bottles diggers are permitted limited access. The old mine dump had been used as a garbage dump, with fresh rock tumbled over each day's refuse, creating a o gold mine of old bji^ttles inconveniently spread at the extreme bottom of the huge waote dump. Fred Kille, teacher and ghost town hunter, has poked and dug around the area extensively. He has located a number of little-known settlements and mines, particularly in the Panaraint Valley, next to and parallel to Death Valley �His bottle collection Is outstanding. We discussed the hazards Involved In digging for bottles and the additional thrills Involved In getting to some of the area’s ghost towns. He and his wife consider the road to Gerro Gordo enjoyable." "tame and My opinion differed greatly. The road is narrow and steep — so steep that my eight miles an hour, (admittedly tired) pickup could make no more than S—floor- boarded. It had not been an enjoyable trip up the hill. The sun was flat In my face on the steep grade a mile below town. The road, was but a narrow shelf, and^as I rounded out on top, the sun on the dusty windshield blocked all vision ahead. I locked the transmisslon^Jam^d on the brake, and got out to I did, for the road doubled back have a look. It was well to the right. Dead ahead was nothing but space. The only part of the road I enjoyed was the parking place at the end of It. Going down the hill the next day, I was thinking about the chainlocked wheels on the ore wagons that used to skid around the bends. turn I forgot about the blues sky hairpin and got the same damned unwanted thrill a seond time. MAP MOTfis Gerro Gordo and a number of small satellite towns and mining camps are shown on the Mew York Butte, California a 15 minute United States Geological Survey topographic map, �SWANSEA, CALIFOaVIA Trailing broad wakes and spouting dense clouds of smoke, the steamers Mollie Stevens and Bessie Brady often met in the middle of Owens Lake. Each in turn carried wood on. the ^^smile Journey eastward and silver-lead amalgam Sighty-flve feet long on the return, and shallow of draft to suit the meager depths of Owens (salt) Lake, the twin steamers plied between Cartasro at the southwest bay and Keeler and Swansea on the northeast shore. Swansea, named for its larger twin in Wales, was a smelting town. Silver ore from the Inyo Mountains near Cerro Gordo was processed here, with the aid of the local lead and salt deposits. Lead ore in the form of galena came from the Sunset, Union, Morning Star, and Cerro GordOy^nes. Unfortunately the salt of Owens Lake was of the carbonate variety, unusable for smelting. The proper chloride salt lay miles away, over the top of the Inyo Mountains hill north to Salt Lake, and down^ A tramway carried salt up the ^OOs foot climb through Daisy Canyon from Salt Lake to the mountain pass, then down to a port at the north end of Swansea. The huge furnaces at Swansea turned out I50 bars of silver every hours, each weighing a standard^^ pounds. It is difficult to Imagine the massive operations of smelting and freighting that took place on the shores of Owens Lake. It's especially difficult because Owensr Lake is no more. 8 �The same lonsrtterm change in climate that created extensive salt flats in the area small puddle. reduced Owens Lake to a Dried up and crusted over, the treacherous lake defies travel over its surface hy man or machine. Mollie S^tevens and the Bessie Brady are out there The buried beneath the salt, engines rusted and steam whistles silent. The smelter chimneys have fallen^and the houses are almost gone ~ moved or covered with the blowing sand dunes. Only the rock furnaces remain, along with a few buildings of town now owned by the Penn I41nes. Pour miles away the once: busy port of Keaier escapes complete desertion, thanks to the employment demands of a small soda evaporation plant. MAP MOTS: Swansea, Keeler, Salt Lake, and the tramway connect/ Ing the two can be located on the Mew York Butte, California^ 15' minute United States Geological Survey topographic map. �J DA5WIN, GALIFOaNIA rA The story is classic — the party of exhausted men were camped in the Aryus Hange of California. was short, and. their food was R-one. Water Their best rifle was found to be short one of its sights, and the chance of shoot^ Ing game seemed remote. An Indian guide saved, the day by re^ pairing the sight with a chunk of soft/iwhite metal. The memP v • bers of the party knew it was silver and assumed the Indian knew of a considerable deposit ~ but escape from the hostile area was deemed more important than a search for silver. Years later. Dr. 3. Darwin French led a party into the Argus Range to seek out the silver lode. Ft. Tejon rancher Dr. French, a and habitual prospector, had been in the area before^ and was likely a member of the starving party that had passed through earlier. whether It is not clear the Indian’s "Gunsight Lode" was ever found, but good signs were evident, and a number of claims were staked. 'Darwin The town that sprang up was officially named in i860, long after Dr. B. Darwin French had left to prospect elsewhere. The Darwin Hills, east of town, eventually yielded S5 million more than 3 iai^^an-dallars worth of silver. Three smelters operated from 1875 to 1880. The town declined, due to de­ eighties pleted ore bodies, in the late and was reduced to one operation by 1913. 8- �The business district is presently deserted. The pumps at the old gas station are broken -- even the glass disc at the top is fractured, making it difficult to read the label, "Green Streak Gasoline.” At the old school building a crude plywood sign leans on the front, pathetically offering an historic note. It^ confusing message Indicates it was built in I876 but not used until I9OO, then abandoned in 1917. To the north of Darwin's business district extensive remains of a large company town. are the The company town has twice as many homes as Darwin, plus a school and hospital. The huge complex has been closed for years. Row upon row of Identical bachelor's cubicles stand unoccupied, with doors open and windows broken. The wind blows clouds of yellow mill tailings over town, heaping obscurity on top of desertion. MAP NOTEi The Darwin, California,15 minute United States z Geological Survey topograph map shows Darwin and the deserted company town. �HART, GALIFOHNIA^ It Is the llttletknown site that attracts the The desert west of Weedies, dills^ent ,<yhost town hunter. California, Is full of old caTius and deserted towns an Ideal area to explore. Darwin Fetters of Wlpton, California, has poked about the ree-lon extensively. He has relied heavily on the available topographic maps but Is quick to state that he has visited a number of deserted settlements that are not shown on any of the existing topographic maps. I asked Mr. Fetters about the old towns of Vanderbilt, Hart, Barnwell, Ivanpah Sprlnars, Juan, and Crescent, He had been to all of the sites and recommended Hart and Vanderbilt. In ad.dltlon he suggested a visit to a llttleeknown mlnlnor camp called Sasramore and a mysterious place he called Mescal City. Thirty-nine miles east of Baker, California, Hls-hway 15-91 makes a broad bend to the north. blacktop road heads east south. At this spot a lesser and In four miles branches to the In three more miles It angles slightly, then heads In a precisely straight line for the deserted railroad town of Ivanpah. About four miles past Ivanpah the tar becomes gravel, and the Dakar Minerals Development sign can be seen -10- �on the left side of the road, near the site of the old town of Vanderbilt. I was disappointed to learn that the last building in Vanderbilt, an old saloon, had recently collapsed and been cleared away. The lone resident of Vanderbilt, Robert D'Anella, furnished some interesting information about most of the old towns in the area. Including a special note on ‘*^scal Clty,'****^ which he explained had recently been reclaimed. D'Anella sue’crested it would be best if I staved away from that old camp. "They sometimes shoot at strangers up there — trying to protect a contestfAclalm. " With a grin he added, '"course they just shoot to scare you, but then they don't shoot too awful straight either." I decided to look into the Mescal City situation on my way out of the area and to concentrate in the meantime on Hart, Barnwell and Sagamore Gamp. Pour miles south of Vanderbilt the water tower at the site of Barnwell is visible on the left. a gravel road exits to the east. At this point In nine miles the road ends at the foot of Castle MountainyJyvi smack in the middle of the old town of Hart, California. The flats adjacent to the /Mountains are strewn with old boards, barrel hoops, wagon wheel rims, broken bottles, and rusted tin cans of the early 190Q^. -11- The �chimney of the old Norton residence looms at the northwest edore of the townsite. Toward the slopes are remains of a seconds effort mining operation involving a white clay or some clay^ike compound of sodium or potassium. The mineral deposits still on the site are brilliant whiteand*under a noon sun, irritating to the unprotected eye. To the south are the remains of several old gold mines. One of the shafts is said to extend 835 feet down. I dropped a stone, and afterj^l^seconds I could still hear it faintly clattering. To the east is what appears at first glance to be an oil well. Noting the height of the storage tank, it becomes obvious that it was at one time the town's water supply. Robert D'Anella of Vanderbilt told me later that the wooden walking beam and accessory equipment were carted in from San Francisco on a set of ^^foot wheels. A small engine once turned an eccentric operating the walking beam so as to piston water up from the underground pool hundreds of feet below. Gold was discovered in the ledges along the slopes of the mountain in December of 190?. The ore was rich, and promoters and prospectors invaded the territory. Within a month, 300 people were camped on the site, and a newspaper, JShe Hart Enterprise, was selling copies of its first edition. In April a hotel was constructed, and residents of the town were rapidly replacing tent canvas with more substantial material. A post office was finished in May. In December �the bubble burst. year. The town had flourished for exactly one When the mines shut down continue the town's existence. there was little excuse to Hart, it seemed, had always been a long way from anywhere, and^wlthout the mines, the distance increased. The post office held out until 1915. Since that time only sporadic mining has been conducted. Most of the effort was aimed at extracting pockets of clay. The remains of the town are sparse. Rarely can one remnant be spotted from the site of another. The cemetery is located somewhere in the middle of the remains, but in two hours of searchins: I was unable to find it. was a small cemetery Most likely it after all, how many people could have died in a town that itself died one year after it was born? MAP MOTSj The Ivanpah and the Crescent Peak, California^ 15 minute United States Geological Survey topographic maps are both necessary for a proper exploration of the area. �SARW3LL, CALIFORNIA Barnwell now consists of two buildings mill, a water tower, and extensive foundations. a wind^ That’s quite a come^'d^wn for a town that once had a population measured in the thousands. Walking over the site, it is hard to believe such a thriving community could have eXfA Isted here. Little reliable information is available concerning the town. However, according to Robert D’Anella, owner of a number of claims in the vicinity, Barnwell was once the largest town in the recrion and served as the trade center for the entire raining district. Its three slaughter houses furnished meat for the dozens of mine camps in the area. Originally a stage station, the town boomed when the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Pe Railroad built its line on the old wagon route. The stage station grew from two rooms to a respectable hotel. Later the California and Eastern Railroad passed through Vanderbilt and apparently made connection with the Sante Fe within the town’s limits. From Barnwell another spur headed northeast to the mining camp of Juan. The March 31» 189^ issue of >rfie Mining and Scientific Press stated, "The Nevada Southern Railroad is in good order, and regular trips are made to Manvel, four miles from Vanderbilt." No mention is made of Barnwell. Since Barnwell is exactly V miles from Vanderbilt, and no other town site can be found on the map that fits the �description, one must assume that Manvel was another name given the town of Barnwell, There Is considerable confusion in the early literaT^ ture of the Vanderbilt Mining District. Promoters often exZ^ aggerated their holdings while carefully avoiding mention of competing enterprises, and occasionally small communities were misrepresented as bustling cities. Some of the claims made about Barnwell are probably examples of that practice. Barnwell was, however, a major Junction. At least three, and perhaps four, rail lines met there, and wagon roads emlnated from town in three directions. It was truly the "Hub of the Vanderbilt Mining District." Barnwell held that title until the turn of the century, when mines in the area began to fall. The shortahaul railroads shut down — only the Santa Pe remained in operation. Homes were moved from town, and fire destroyed much of the business district. The stage station, the oldest building in town, was spared. It served as a depot for the Santa Pe for a time. When the Santa Pe was relocated to pass through Ivanpah, several miles away, the old stage station was returned to its original pursuit — catering to road traffic. How, as in the beginning, it stands alone, a monument to mark the site of the town of Barnwell — once the "Hub of the Vanderbilt Mining District." �MAP WQT5.I The site of Barnwell is shown on the Crescent , California, Peak^lS minute United States Geolocjical Survey toposjraphic map. �3AGAMQRB MINB CAMP, CALIFORWI^/^ Darwin Petters of Nlpton had sald^"take a left a " aA strong mile south past Barnwell, then head to the right — I think — then — well — you’ll know you’re on the right road if you climb up over a saddle and dump into the middle of a canyon." The map showed no road to fit the description. There was a road turning off south of Barnwell, but it led to Live Oak Canyon, Sasramore Canyon was shown complete with a road along the stream bed, but there was no connection be<^ tween the two roads — no way to "dump" into the middle of the canyon. It would be appropriate/^to give detailed instructions hepe-afr-4^ how to locate Savamore Camp, but the network of littleiused roads makes that nearly impossible. It took me several hours to run half a dozen trails to their destinations in order to find the correct one. On the way out I simply headed east, eventually locating the Barnwell road, but again I found some unexpected dead ends. You w^l^ know you are on the right road when you drive through a gate^ a dry wash, and start a climb up a winding^rocky road with a steep drop-off into another dry wash to your right. to let a wheel spin occasionally The road is steep enough and rough enough to require dodging any unwanted meeting between boulder and differential. This is the road that "dumps" into the canyonTTfOnce in Sagamore Canyon mine shacks become visible on the left, and �an old railroad grade takes off straight ahead. With a ^^ep you can find your way down to the dry stream bed drive up the bed a couple of miles to "tin camp." then It’s another mile up the canyon to "rock camp^ and even with a ^eep it’s best to cover this section on foot. TIP ^mp is the result of Sagamore’s only major rework. Sight or ten men were employed mining the tungsten^ overlooked in the original extraction of silver. The largest of the several corrugated sheds is still liv(?able and occa­ sionally used. A paper plate tacked on the wall bears the following message: f^Thanks for leaving this cabin in such a k-* . oroddam mess. O.K. to use for shelter. Thanks for stealing the stove ” you can buy an antique exactly like it for 118 in town," The location of the camp, smack in the bottom of the canyon, is a tribute to the dry climate. In any valley but this one, rain pattering on a tin roof would most likely lull one to sleep. In Sagamore Canyon it is reason to start packing. On up the canyon, extensive rock structures line the dry creek bed. of mortar. A chimney on the right stands without benefit Above it, serpentine rockworks form the abutments for the old railroad line that stretched several miles from the mine to a point on the canyon rim. I hiked to the mine "by rail," and returned later by *drvwash road." �The old Sagamore Mine head frame stands astraddle feet above the canyon floor. the shaft on a shelf about A tunnel bores into the shelf from below, meeting the shaft at the first level. Nearby are the ruins of several rock: Built prior to I890, they walled, dirt-roofed structures. are very likely the first homes built in the canyon. down the canyon, via the dry:wash road^^ numerous rock walls feet high. stand in line, some more than On Hock forms the front and sides of the buildings, while the canyon wall makes the rear. Missing are the locr roofs and any indication of a wooden second story. Slther flood or fire, perhaps both, wegg responsible for the destruction. Back in Vanderbilt, D'Anella provided some additional information. He had read or heard somewhere that the original camp dated as far back as 186? or and that the camp employed silver men of lead and cooper. smaller amounts The community nrobably numbered more than one hundred souls. When the silver ran out, the mine and camp were abandoned. Many years later in the old mine. Sy then beyond use, requiring tungsten deposits were noted rock camp had deteriorated construction of the newer "tln*^ camp. I mentioned to D’Anella that there was no sign of a mill at Sagamore Gamp or at any of the other mines in the vicinity. -19- �"Most of them were blown up — blown up on purpose^" explained. "Every time Hollywood made a Western, it seems they had to have a big explosion, and old mills were big and real cheap. Blew a lot of them up myself, working for the film companies." Just the thought of it brought a smile to his face. "Used to put dynamite under the eaves and in the foundation corners. Then set off the bottoms and a bit later, on a mill*!?' second delay, blow the roof — spectacular as hell J" explained further. He "That's why you seldom find an intact mill, or even one that's leaned over or collapsed. [4ost of them are scattered in splinters all over the countryside." As I drove back along the road leading toward the interstate highway, I realized my route would take me past *^escal Cltyf^j^he place reportedly protected by trisrgsr-happy guards. I got out the maps, located the turn?^ off, and proceeded full of courage, with telephoto lenses Installed. After traveling several miles along the winding dirt road, my progress was blocked by a sturdy gate, stoutly chained and padlocked, happily precluding any possibility of a confrontation with those Intent upon protecting a contested claim. MAP WOTSj Sagamore Camp is shown southwest of Barnwell on the Crescent Peak, Californla^lS minute United States Geolo­ gical Survey topograuhic map. END CALIPOHNIA AREA -20- �1 CALIFORNIA AR.^A CARLOCK, CALIPORNI^ The Yellow Aster Mine was rich in gold in water. but poor The mine was awkwardly situated in a deep notoh on the northeast shoulder of Government Peak,pne of the few peaks that make up the Rand Mountains. The highest peaks are less than ^00 feet above the desert flats and are unable to steal moisture from the already dry air. Ore from the Yellow Aster was hauled to the nearest mlllj the mill, of necessity, was at the nearest water. Garlock was such a location. Water pumped and e. piped from a nearby spring was its reason for exlst/^nce the reason for its demise. and later Eugene Garlock, in I896, built a stamp mill here to replace the inadequate capacity of a steam-powered arrastra Ore was hauled a dozen miles to be crushed, separated by water and melted into bars. As the mines Increased their outputs, so the number of mills increased. With the increased demand, X*dL. - and^limlted flow from the snrlngs, water became scarce. Wells dug in the area Improved the supply, and more mills were built At its peak Garlock boasted six mills in the Immediate area. The town claimed two hotels, a grocery, two saloons, and several structures that served multiple purposes. Miller’s rock structure (still standing) was built in 1897 and served as stage depot, store, and bar. �Puellnc: the steam encrines that supplied power for the machinery at the mills proved to be a serious problem. When wood supplies fell short, brush was forked into the Huge quantities were required, and^as a result, T the surroundins- area became thorous^hly stripped of vegetation. furnaces. When the Yellow Aster Mine Company built own mill a few miles east of Carlock in Coler Gulch, part of Carlock moved to Coler Gulch. Later it proved more efficient to pump the water by means of Archimed^^i« Screw through pipes to the site of the mine proper, six miles to the southeast. In 1898 a spur of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Pe reached the mines on Rand Mountain, and most of the ore was Most of Johannes*^ the reraaininor residents of Carlock moved to Randsburg and A then shipped to Sarstow for more efficient extraction. burg, and by 1902 only two families remained in Carlock. In 1911 the Southern Pacific built its track^'^^rough Carlock, and the town was given another breath of life. salt mining was undertaken on nearby Koehn Dry Lake. Later, A few families moved in and the post office was reopened, but in 1926 Carlock re-expired when the post office closed for the last time MAP WOTS: Details of the area^showlne a great number of jeep tralls^can be found on the Carlock, California^7^ minute United States Geological topographic map. More of the older sites are named on the 19^3 Saltdale and Randsburg, California^lS minute mans. -22- �ATOLIA, CALIFORNI4/~^ Atkins and DeGolia, two officers of the Tungsten Mining Company, each offered a part of t^^^ name, and the combination came out "Atolia." Some claim that DeGolia only jUvocT donated the "lia" and.a third man, Pete Osdlck, furnished A the '% •' The town grew around a number of tungsten mines and reached its peak population in 191^ and 1915. Seside dences were wit^y scattered, the flat^rolling land providing an unusual roominess for a mining town. C, H. (ysiim^^aiffle, of Red Mountain, just to the north, spent most of his life in the mines of Atolia. There is a modern plant to the south of Atolia, and a few folk n live nearby. Slim draws an imaginary line ^ear the plant and calls the numerous deserted mines, houses^and ruins to the north "Old Atolia." Most of the buildings are ramshackle and the mines long deserted^ wood bleaching in the sun, ore cars rusting on the dumps. Many of the old mines utilized slanted shafts aboutdegrees off vertical, permitting the skip to skid up and down on wooden rails. "It’s always been the tungsten we were after," says Slim. lA "In fact, we used to use chunks of the ore — scheelite that was down at Tim O’Connor's/glaloon. * Just a ten^ really, but he Called it the Bucket of Blood ." for poker chlps^y^ Slim didn’t elaborate, but high-grading must have been a way of life. It was a simple matter to slip some of �the better samples In lunch pail or pocket. It wasn’t considered exactly les^al, but then the mine owners exoected it and ignored the loss as lony as it was minor. The prac*J3^ tice was an early type of frincre benefit. The Union No. 1 Mine west of the old town was the best hole and no doubt offered the best opportunity to pocket an evening’s supply of poker chips. Outside of the usual hotel, livery, poollhall* and I saloon, Atolla had a picture show and a dairy. The town hit its first boom in 1914 during World War I, and the population reached several thousand. Shortly after the war, Charlie Taylor and Charlie Churchill, owners of some of the best holdings, sensed an impending bust. They sold out, and within a few years the bottom fell out of the price of tuna:sten. The population of the town, already depleted, shrunk to a stubborn few. The area abounds in back roads and old ruins. Nearby Red Mountain, Johannesburg, and Randsburg, all old mining towns, are well worth a visit. A back road connecting Randsbure- and Atolia makes a circle tour possible. MAP NCTSi The 1911 Randsburg, California.15 minute United States Geological Survey topographic map shows some of the back roads and many of the old mines. -24- �gjOLGAHPIi; CAMP, gALIFoa^TIA 31a‘ht miles north of Barstow on the Gamp Irwin Highway, a graveled route called the Copper City Hoad exits six and. a half to the north. Sxactlv 4^^ miles along this road and Just over a low pass, a nondescript dirt road heads to the northwest. At this point a multiplicity of interlacing back roads and dunes buggy trails makes eyeball navigation a must. Goolgardie Gamp is exactly Qmiles northwest of the junction and in line with a prominent, but unnamed^knob that rises 800 feet above the flats of Goolgardie Gamp. The remains of the old placer camn are sparse, but the scenery is great. The Joshua^^^ees are magnificent, many of them growing taller and broader of trunk than the revered specimens in the Joshua ’'Tatlonal Forest. Space is plentiful, water is scarce. If you wish to pan out some sand, be sure to include extra supplies of water. There are several active claims in Goolgardie Gamp, suggesting that care be taken in the choice of panning sites lest one be guilty of accidental claim- Jumping. Dozens of old^deserted mines are to be found in the area, and a number of geologic features carry names that Invite insnectlon. There are Opal Mountain, Inscription Canyon, Superior Lake, xlalnbow Basin, and Fossil Canyon. of Goldstone to the northwest The old town has a wall or two still stand-***^^ ing, and to the southeast is the site of Bismark. fA JJear Bismark is the restored "ghost town" of Calico — possibly -25- �worth a visit — If you like crowds and enjoy a carnival atmosphere. MAP WOTEi The Opal Mountain, Lane Mountain, Barstow, and Daygett, Californla^lS minute United States Geoloylcal » Survey topographic maps are all required to tour the area. -26- �1 CALIFOaNIA AaSA 4 L 3^, = ' MASONIC GALIFJR^TIA^ Traces of gold were found in the narrow, unnamed gulch in I860. Although rich deposits were present just below the surface, it wasn't until 1900 that Joe Green scratched away the overburden to bring the yellow color to light. The vein revealed was rich, and Joe promptly laid out his claim. Appropriately, he registered the find as Jump Joe Mine.*^ Two years later Dorsey located a richer vein nearby - Phillips, Bryan^and which became known as the '’Pittsburg Liberty.**” By 1907 a sizable camo filled the ^ulch, separating naturally into three sections — upper, middle, and lower, where the @;stamp Liberty Mill was sited. Although the popu­ lation of all three added up to no more than 500, a great many of the 500 were Masons, and it wasn’t lonsr before a hall was built. Soon another was constructed and the town named Masonic. In 1910, after three good years and $600,000 in bullion extracted, the Pittsburg Liberty Company went broke. The body of Phillips, one of the owners, was found at the bottom of the Liberty^aft. Some claimed suicide, others murder, but the records called it an accident. A second attempt to mine the ^Ich was between 1933 and 1938, By that time the town had become nearly -27- �deserted, and the new mining did little to attract new citizens. Masonic has been vacant for more than twenty years. A few shacks and a log building mark the site of Middle Masonic. More shacks, mill ruins, and a rock;walled is left of Lower Town. all that Sven the overhead tramway cables have fallen. Upper town holds a pitiful remnant of collapsed * shacks and stubborn log corners. Mot a trace remains of the Masonic Halls, but^ according to the map, the name Masonic has survived. It is found on every geologic feature of note withinmiles of town. There is Masonic ©(ulch. Masonic Mountain, Masonic Spring, and Masonic Greek’^ but there is not a single Mason left in Masonic Town. MAP MOTS; The Bridgeport, California^l5 minute United States Geological Survey topographic map shows the three sites. �BODia, GALIFOHinA | History at best Is Inexact. Pour authorities give four different versions of the naming of Bodie Town, variously, the first man to find gold in the area was named William Bodey, William S. Body, Waterman 3. Body, and Water^ man S. Bodye. There seemdd to be a tie between William and *»*>* Waterman ^and complete confusion concerning the last name. Town fathers decided to name the place known to be wrong Bodie, a spelling but guaranteed to at least achieve proper pronunciation. The man with the questionable name discovered placer gold at the head of Cottonwood Canyon in 1859. He took his small poke to Monovllle and traded it for a winter’s worth cc of food. He andy^friend, 3. 3. Taylor, set out for Bodie, but a blizzard caught them on the way, Bodie in blankets and went for help. find his friend. Taylor wrapped the exhausted On return he could not In fact, Bodie's body was not found until the following soring. Weather in Bodie was not just a topic of conversation, it was a matter of survival. Many citizens died in the winter of I878 when twenty:foot drifts were common and wood was in short supply. The 8,600tfoot altitude, although it promised m114 summer^^euaranteed severe winters. A Death by man-made violence was also common ~ more common than the church-going faction would desire -29- or the �Chamber of Commerce would admit. shot to death. In one week men were Cj The "Bodie 601" vifrilance ^roup attempted to control the violence by adding lynching as an alternate to murder. The big boom came to Bodie in I878 when the Standard Mine (formerly the Bunker Hill) hit a heavy gold vein. An earlier discovery of gold in a collapsed working was eclipsed by the richness of the new find, which ran to ^^,000 per ton. The rush was on^and the population zoomed from several hundred to 10,000 or more. There were @ newspapers, and0of them were published dailyl A 32smlle railroad was built in 1881, connecting the forested area of Mono Lake with the wood-poor mining town. Quickly Bodie changed from a tent: and: shack community to a wood; and*, brick city. quickly, the boom subsided. And just as As the veins thinned, so did the population, and by 1882 there were fewer than 500 folk rattling about a town built for times their number. But in its short heyday Bodie was a genuine heller. Stages were robbed of bullion so often that the Wells|^argo Company called in their brest shots to ride guard on the money runs. Sixty-five saloon^ gin mills, and ale stoops were in operation — all of them,.making money. The Parole Saloon and the Sawdust Corner sought out the ordinary customer, while the Senate and Cabinet lured the carriage trade. Three breweries supplied the draft, and a handful —--------------------------------------- -30- ' �of churches valiantly fought the flow. It was a loosing battle, and the cry "Goodby^God, I‘m going to Bodie'”’’ be came c o mmon. Polite folk referred to the sinful part of toivn as the "redslight district," but. for the customers. Maiden Lane and Virgin Alley held more than red lights. I^ellle Monroe, Hosa May, "Beautiful Doll(^ and Eleanor Dumont, otherwise called "Madam, Mustache^^ ran houses as respect/-^ able as any establishments in the state. When a hydroelectric power plant of sent electricity on a ^^rmile Journey to Bodie, the lines were laid out straight for fear the mysterious juice could not navigate sharp corners. It worked I When the switch was closed, a motor in Bodie delivered power, satisfactorily operating the hoist of the Standard Mine. The engineers of the system were quickly sought out to build similar install^ whether tions throughout the world. It is not knom they ever ve: tured to curve their lines. The James S. Caln Company owned the Midnight Mine adjacent to the Standard Mine. In 1915 the Standard Mining Company was found guilty of tapping the Midnight's vein. As settlement, the Caln Company was given title to the Standard It was a hollow victory, for there was little gold left in either mine. The railroad gave up service the next year, and only the die-hards remained in town. �In 1962 the State of California designated Bodie in a state of "arrested decay." rebuilding is allowed. The result is Tiarvelous. Looting Is prevented. as It was when deserted. The town remains There are no shops^and there Is no carnival atmosphere. Occasionally a wedding is held, at the old Methodist Church. Sven then the spirit of Bodie is honored, as the participants wear costumes of Bodie's *ooora townera. MAP MOTS: ’Jo The Bodie, California^15.minute United States Geological Survey topographic map shows the area In detail. -32- �GALIPOHWIA ARaA COLUMBIA. GALIFORNIA^^ After a visit to Bodie it is most appropriate to have a look at Columbia^ a living, operating, faithfully re^ stored city of the late 1800^ In 19^5 the Mate /retrislature voted to preserve Columbia as an historic Mate Z^rk. Careful restoration has been carried out continuously since that time. Here, Instead of peeking ij^the window you can walk in the stores, study the fixtures^ the stock, and sometimes purchase period items from appropriately attired clerks. Columbia, "The Gem of the Southern MinesfjJ has had a colohful history, and. the reporting of its history has been * just as colorful, with exaggerations and embellishments causing and great variation in "fact." a multiplicity of figures Gold was discovered here by Mexicans in the 1840|^J^ or by Doctor Hildreth’s party in 1850. Believing sudden riches might be difficult for foreigners to handle, the Hildreth Party chased off the Mexicans (some deny the Mexicans were there first) and took over the dlggincs. The place was called ^Hildreth’s later, since only "men of the dominant Diggings, nationality were allowed, it was called American Gamp, Within a month 5,000 (some claim up to 8,000) pros^X^ pectors were panning in the area. suggested a name to match. became a town. The magnitude of the camp Columbia was selected, and the ©amp �To alleviate the short supply of water, extensive flumes and reservoirs were constructed. The price of sluice Tuolumne water, as charged by the County Water Company, was so high that within a few years the miners formed their own company and began construction of a sixty*mile aqueduct. 3y 1852 city streets had been laid out^ and. 150 (or was it 180?) businesses were in operation. 3y I853 Columbia was the third largest city In California, with a population of 10,000 (or 15,000). That year a petition was circulated asking the governor to designate Columbia as the Xtate ;?^pitol. The petition, with 10,000 signatures, was stored In the bank, but Senator Goffroth, who was representing a convicted murd.erer awaiting execution, stole the petition and rewrote the first page to read like a pardon for his client. The man was pardoned, and talk of a X^ate yCapitol waned. The city grew, and in 185^ there were 30 (4o) saloons, 1 brewery, 1 (2) churches, 143 (I60) gambling joints, 17 (23) stores, 4 (8) hotels, 7 bakeries, 4 (8) banks, and 2 (3) theat^s. Fire destroyed much of the business district In 1854, and it was rebuilt with brick. partly The miners’ aqueduct was and Columbia’s future looked bright. Throughout Columbia’s history incidents transpired. wildest. Here again a number of bizarre The Barclay lijnching was perhaps the the variations are many. The best second version will again be included in parenthesis. -34- �A fellow named Smith, well under the influence, became annoyed with barmaid Martha Barclay’s foul language and her demands that Smith vacate the premises. Smith re^^ portedly pushed (slapped) barmaid Barclay just as her husband, John, entered. John shot Smith dead on the spot. A friend of Smith's proceeded to lobby against John's logeVtty 'and managed to work up a drunken lynching committee. Once decided, even the /f^riff couldn't stop the gang. Barclay was strung up. using a sluice as gallows. The drunken mob had forgotten to tie Bai^^ay's hands, and Barclay was hanclng on"~^ the rope for dear life. The miners climbed up on the sluice and jerked the rope (hung oiT^o Barclay's legs)kbut Barclay's ccrip was *** t They dropped him repeatedly solid. pr they hoisted a miner atop the sluice to beat Barclay's fists with a pistol butt) until he lost both his grip and his life. Fire ravaszed the central part of town for the second time in 1857. As a result, streets were widened and brick buildings were equipped with fires^ and burglar**^ proof steel shutters. The rebuilding took place in spite of the thinning gold deposits. The hards.rock and placer mines were subject to X great promotions and repeated sales. Salting was a way of life and was carried out in a number of devious ways. Early crude attempts ^ike shotgunning a load of gold into the tunnel walB yielded gold on the surface and none beneath. Only a �heglnner would buy thatand many did. Salting had been a sophisticated art In the Columbia area since 1851. The art may have reached Its zenith when two knowledsreable Chinese, wise to every saltT* Inor method, looked Into the purchase of a placer claim owned by a couple of unprincipled men. The Chln^ ese were on the lookout for pipe smokers, knowing that gold was often put In with the tobacco and the pipes knocked They knew about gold-laden out Innocently In the sluice. sweat bands wiped out while held over the gold pan. In fact, they were ready to resist any distraction that might permit the sly addition of gold and the consequent raise In the asking price of the claim. The Chinese selected the spot to dig their own shovel. and used The sellers were kept at a distance. ’■(Then the sluice was half filled, a rattlesnake fell off a nearby hummock, right on to the spot where the Chinese were digging. Quickly one of the sellers fired his shotgun, klll>- Ing the snake and saving the Ilves of one or more Chinamen. After profuse thanks were given, the Chinese continued digging, filled the slulcey.and washed It through. A surT' prlslnv amount of dust was found In the riffles, and the claim sold for a fancy price. worked again. The old shotgun trick had The "live" snake had been dead, but the -36- �gun shot was real — gold dust I J the lead had been exchanged for 3ret Harte put it well when he wrotej "The ways of a man with a maid may be strange, yet simple and tame To the ways of a man with a mine when buying or selling the same." The gold just plain ran out in the late fifties. Mo amount of salting or promoting could save the town. Columbia declined rapidly in i860. Host of the population reduction occurred that one year as thousands deserted the town. A number of buildings were razed and the ground beA neath hydraullcked for gold, right down to bedrock. The great imajorlty of the old buildings of Columbia have survived. 5very year another building is restored to permit full operation. Slowly the "Gem of the Southern Hines." Columbia is again becoming �MAP MOTS: The Columbia, Californl^7^ minute United States Geolos:ical Survey topocrraphic map shows the area in great detail. tail The 15 minute map of the same area shows less de­ but more of the surrounding area. -X- �fourth ch0531 NG, CALIPORN^ A Three accounts place Fourth Crossing in three different places. :2ven the plaque at the site mentions a location other than the one occupied. Apparently the original Fourth Crossing was on the South Pork of the Calaveras River, miles west of the present site. It was probably moved shortly after its establishment to an easier crossing of San Antonio Creek. In spite of the relocation, it remained the fourth crossing on the Stockton-Murphys Stage Road. Grace Bonte has lived in the old stage depot, now a sheep ranch headquarters, since 1926. She states that the toKjn once boasted nearly two hundred inhabitants, centered about a hotel-saloon-stage station combination, and an expan­ sive livery. A s-eneral store, schooly^and residences probably made up the balance of the community. Originally both placer and Fourth Crossing was a mining town, 'hard®rook . were the best producers. The Later Thorp and North Shaft the town became an Important stage and freight depot, serving the southern mines of California’s mother lode. The narrow, one-way bridge handled traffic adequately until the turn of the century, by which time the mining effort had declined. Now the old hotel-stage station is overgrown with trees and the bridge, lined on both sides with woven-wlre fencing, is reserved exclusively for sheep and foot traffic. -39- Across �the creek, and on the opposite side of the road, are a few deserted buildings of the postsI9OO era. One, an old-style gas station, would indicate that the onecway bridge was used for auto traffic before being replaced with a wider bridge a short distance upstream. I4AP MOTS I Fourth Grossing is centrally located on the San Andrea^ Galifornla^l5 minute United States Geological Survey toposeraphic map. �The cannon was loaded, primed^and aimed level The Confederate sympa4 down the main street of Volcano. thizers suddenly halted their march on the Union Forces. A flanking move was tried, but the Blues quickly swunc? the muzzle of *^ld Abe-^to bear on the Grey leader. assault died. The Volcano remained a Union town. It is well that Ajld Abewas not used, for the "cannoneer" had overloaded the weanon, and if fire^ it would have blown up, doiny more damage to its handlers than to the target MQuW hftvo infon the target It all began when Confederate sympathizers s^^ cretly organized a branch of the "Knights of the Golden Circle." e Discovery of the existence of the protsouthern group led to the formation of the "Volcano Blues." The Blues, forty-one strong, were equipped with uniforms and small arms. An undercover agent was planted in ‘^he Knights^ and it was learned an attempt would be made to take over the town and divert the gold to the southern cause. To gain the needed edge in fire power, an old ship's cannon was purchased by the *^lues*^and hauled in secretly from San Francisco. The cannon was hidden in a remote shop while a carriage was built for it. in place of ball and grape shot. -w- Rounded rocks were used It was fired only once. �and that time for effect only — just to keep the *Knights in line. Volcano is one of California’s oldest mining towns. Its boom population of 5>000 time. dwindled into a handful at one Mow it numbers almost a hundred. old town has been maintained. The flavor of the There are no neon signs or gas stations in, or even near^the town. 7 more than 120 years old. Many of the buildings are Gold was found in this crater^like but non^volcanic area in the summer of 1^48^ I’lembers of the Mew York^t Regiment Mexican War Volunteers ^hose presence in the area has never been satisfactorily explained) find placer gold in the streams. severe, and in the spring The winter of ’45^was two Mexicans happened upon the diggings and found the bodies of two soldiers. Word of the strike spread, and soon the valley. Inevitably called Gulch, Soldiers’ was swarming with prospectors. The town grew quickly, as ordinary placer techni|>- ques were replaced with larcres.scale hydraulic operations. $90 million 2ventually, d silage worth of gold was to be ex^ tracted. By 1858 the town had five churches, a school, various social clubs, three butcher shops, a theat^^, three breweries, and a dozen times that number of saloons. town had the first library and the first astronomical observatory in California. The �After the Civil War and in 1868 production of gold slacked, a number of very well: insured buildings burned to the ground. The old Sibley Brewery, built in 1858, is the only brewery surviving. The jail stands unused at the two-by-twelves north end of town, its double-walled 13»c sandwichinv sheets of boiler plate. It is claimed that the two men built it got drunk on their pay ij.ail's first occupants. 60 and ended up as the Across the street, the old Chinese store is in operation as the *^radlng Post.*** Beside it, locked securely in its tailor-made enclosure, "^Old Abe*^ points its muzzle down main street, re-enacting the day it won the war in Volcano, WOTS: t The Mokelumne Hill, California^ 15 minute United States Geological Survey tonographlc map shows Volcano and many other historic sites. -43- ^2- �PaaNCH CORRAL, CilLIFORNIA Elton 0. Smith, born in 1901, has lived in French Corral all his life. His grandparents are buried in the He attended grammar school and hip-hZ cemetery west of town. school in the old school-community center, remodeled from one of French Corral’s boomstime hotels of the 1850^. There were 0 youngsters in his graduating class. We stood in front of the old school enjoying the late afternoonsun, visiting about the town as Slton knew It. "That screened-ln building in front of the school? 1^ feet — ’course It goes way on down. © There are benches in there — screens keep out the bugs— ’course it's leaning now. into it with their car." Someone ran Elton was the janitor at the school for a time, receiving $27.00 per year for his morning flre-building and evening sweejT^p. "We had a fancy bell up in that tower at one time, he pointed to the vacant tower. "had three hundred dollars kA * worth of silver in it — before they poured, they melted silver dollars right in it! Someone stole it. The bell broke loose^and they dropped it on the roof -- knocked a big hole in it. Sheriff got it back. Supposed to be locked up in the old Well^^argo building now. " �Concerning the boom years in French Corral, Elton Smith related some stories passed on to him by his parents, fifties. "There were ^00 people here in the Lots of hydraulic work going on. It was a wild place. then went wild on Sundays. ^days Men worked Lots of drinking ~ some men crawled home on their hands and knees." Elton pivoted to look toward the center of town.—"On the Fourth of July one year they dug a cannon in, set it right in the center of town, and a man named Bradford loaded it up. Everyone moved He had overloaded it, and it back, and Bradford set it off. blew his head off — rolled(4^ feet away, the head that isl He’s burled in the cemetery, head and all." I was tempted to ask if Bradford had moved in from Volcano. The town started in 18^9/^when a French settler built a corral to hold his mules. When placer gold was found in the San Juan Hidge, a town grew around the corral. Giant hydraulic guns tore the gold out of the surrounding hillsides. The Haker Act of 1888, one of this country's first environmental laws, brought hydraulic operations to a halt. French Corral faded rapidly. Now less than^^ people reside in the area. The map of Area 5 does not extend north far enough to Include French Corral. In lieu of a map, one can drive west of Grass Valley, through Rough and Ready to Casey Corner. Two miles west of Casey Corner, the Bridg^ port road exits to the right. About seven miles to the north �the road crosses the South Fork of the Yuba River at the site of the old town of Bridgeport, where an astounding wooden covered bridge still spans the river. French Corral is three miles beyond the bridge to the northeast. The present Bridgeport road was originally called the Virginia Turnpike, a toll'^^ad servicing the northern extreme of the mother lode. The bridge across the Yuba was an important part of that toll*^oad and remains as an ex*^ ample of the excellent workmanship of the era. Built entirely of wood, except for nails and bolts, the bridge clears the river in one cleany^unsupportedy^.2306foot span. It is the longest singletspan wooden bridge in the world, and it is a covered bridge to boot. Built by David Isaac Johnwood in 1862, with wood cut in his own sawmill, the bridge served for^^ years as a toll crossing, then for another (7^years as a public convenience. In 1971 it was closed to heavy traffic. A new highway bridge was built a short distance upstream. Recently the massive wooden bridge was declared a California Historical Landmark, and the Arae rij^ can Society of Civil Engineering declared it a National Historic Civil Snsrineering landmark. It is truly an amazing structure, A dozen miles to the northeast, near Camptonville, another wooden bridge spans the lesser width of Oregon Creek. This bridge, built in i860, has developed a mild swayback but �is still rated safe for 17,000tpound loads. The -bridtre was floated off its foundations when English Dara broke in 1883. It was pulled back in place, wrong end to, by ox teams. California has much to offer in the way of historic sijrhts. It abounds in ghost towns of all varieties. Its covered bridges are an unexpected bonus. MAP MOTS, y 15 minute The Grass Valley and Nevada City, Californla/»^ topographic maps show the area in excellent d e tail. SND CALIFORNIA ARCA 5 END CALIFORNIA y � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Norman Weis Manuscripts Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1971-1987 Description An account of the resource A collection of manuscripts by Casper College professor Norman Weis. <br /><br />This collection includes manuscripts of:<br /><em>Ghost Towns of the Northwest: Known and Unknown<br />The Starduster<br />Two-Story Outhouse<br />Helldorados<br /></em><br />Each manuscript contains written in edits by Norman Weis Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norman Weis Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Norm Weiss Manuscripts and Photographs, CCA 10.2003.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 10.2003.01_Weis_Manuscripts Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Manuscript Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>Helldorados</em> Part I: California Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <p><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a></p> </div> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1975 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norman Weis Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Norm Weiss Manuscripts and Photographs, CCA 10.2003.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 10.2003.01_Weis_Helldorados_Calif Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF