Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-08
ANACONDA MAY
BELOST PEG LEG
MINE AT TWENTY-NlNE PALMS
HAS MYSTERY
REGION SCENE OF REMAINS OF
ANCIENT MINES
History Replete with Romance and
Future Promising from MINI
eraI Point of View High
Values

Gold mining company, is located ABOUT
1870 miles east of Los Angeles, in
San Bernardino county. Its southern
boundary is the north boundary line of
Riverside county. The Virginia Dale
mining district lies to the east, the
Pinyon on the south and the Morongo
on the west II is surrounded by the
Bullion and Sheephold mountains,
northeast and east; the Cottonwood
mountains on the south and the San
Bernardino mountains on the west 1t
is a very large district territorially,
containing much desert land diversified
by hills and buttes. Its outer bounds
in many places are steep, precipitous
and considerably elevated. 1t was sur
veyed by the United States govern
ment in 1854, although there seems to
be no record of thi- survey in the
county archives.
History of the Palms
The central point in this district and
that from which 1t takes its name is
the Twenty-Five Palms. This spot is
located in section 33, T. n. and range
10 e., San Bernardino meridian. The
old government road or trail from Los
Angeles to Kansas City passes through
the Palms. Here there is plenty of
water, and numerous wells of greater
or less depth mark the place. Some
Of them are flowing artesians. For ages
past gigantic palm trees have been
growing there-some of them estimated
to be over 300 years of age. A few of
them yet remain.
About one mile west of the Palms
a remnant of the Chemhuevi Indians
have a reservation. This tribe, with
the Piutes and some others. Aare Off
shoots of the once powerful Shoshones.
At the request of the Indian commits
sioner application was made to the
government to create reservation.
The request was made September 16.
1891 and the order was granted Decem-
ber 29, 1891. The Indians are known as
mission Indians" and Capt. Jim Pine
is chief. These Indians have been in
the country for more than a century
and at one time were almost wiped out
of existence by the Piutes.
There is considerable evidence that
goes to show that at one time pop
ulous Spanish mission existed at the
Palms. The dim remains of buildings
can be outlined in places. The broken
remains of utensils common in those
bygone times are frequently found.
Also ancient Indian relics are quite
often unearthed.
Many Old Arrastras
AS a mining country the Palms IS
hoary with age. There are seven old
arrastras at the Palms. One of
them is in a fair state of preservation;
SOIIle Ol lHell call OILY De ldllllly Oul-
lined. Probably they were built and
used by the padres of the old mission.
An arraStra once existed a t what is
now the Indian village. 1t is very old
and must have antedated the others by
several years. Most of the mines of
the Palms district exist in the noun
tains and the foothills to the south
ward. Here are located the now
famous Italie the Gold Park Consoli-
dated, the Mohawk-Herald, w. ]. Bar
bers property and several others. The
Gold Park has ffty-two claims and is
the biggest bunch in the field. This
concern has taken out ore in large
quantities running as high Is $1,000
ton. Some of the Italics ore is said to
have run as high as 100000 ton The
Italie and Gold Park are new PROPOSE
tions although there is some evidence
of old work in places on the Gold Park
property.
For many years it has been known
that a 'lost mine" designated as the
"Peg Leg" has existed in the district
near the Palms. AS the district is
rather a hard one to reach, hunters for
the Peg Leg have not been very numer-
Gus until recently. The oldest work.
ings by far in the district are on the
Anaconda of the Mohawk Herald
group. This property has an old stair
shaped shaft in it about eighty-hVe
feet deep, besides one or two tunnels.
NNH'tNy
values, 1t is claimed, running all the
way from $50 to 100000 a ton.
An Ancient Shaft
There is evidence also on the Ana
conda of an old shaft that has been
filled up. Rocks as big as a mans
body have been rolled into it in order
to oblterate and hide it. 1t seems that
this was successfully accomplished, as
its location has been unknown until re-
ic 4-ls,,.g, HI han.
work on the Anaconda that must have
been, from appearances, done there
thirty or forty years ago. No other
mine anywhere in the vicinity shows
such old workings This leads to the
belief and claim that the Anaconda
(once known also Is the Queen of the
DESERT and the lost Peg Leg are
identical. The trails that lead to it
seem to be more worn by travel than
in any other place. Many years ago a
man with a wooden leg worked a rich
claim at the Palms and his mine was
called the Peg Leg" He was married
to a squaw. Frequently this man used
to take gold to san BernardinO and
sell it. Since the Southern Pacific rail-
road has been in operation his squaw
wife left the Palms for Indio through
the White Tanks pass. She was over
come by thirst and was found at OF
near the Southern Pacific tracks She
had quantity of gold with her which
she said came from the Peg Leg mine
She was on her way at the time either
to San Diego OF San Bernardino TO dis
pose of 1t, as her husband was sick.
She never reached there, but died from
the exposure What became Of her
husband no one seems 10 know. One
account says that he died in a hospital
at San Bernardino. Another account
says that he was taken i'll at his camp
and not being able to reach water
perished.
Gold ore from the Anaconda has been
in times past taken TO the Palms and
the metal extracted by the arrastra
process. This fact is we'll known.
Many Hidden Mines
There may be other hidden mines in
the district from which gold has been
taken. The ancient arlastras Indicate
this.
There are two main trails into the