Imperial Valley press., 1936-01-19

buIIl VI IIlc Cc1lluIy. lIQe, III
brought water to Imperial valley
laid the foundation fer the cul-
tural and economic advance which
is reflected in the many modern
cities, towns and homes now spread
over this formerly desolate waste
Their glory cannot be tarnished
nCr can their heroic efforts be
ninimized as we go still further
back to another group of pioneers
who preceded them into the then
forbidding Colorado desert.
Early Day City
Our failure t0 gain true per-
spective of the early history of
what is now Imperial county Of
ten comes fom the mistake of
carelessly assuming that the boun-
daries of Imperial valley and In
perial county roughly coincide.
This is not the case and when one
is told that long before any of the
present cities of Imperial valley
We're even dreamed of the area
embraced within the present coul
ty limits contained a modern hus-
Ting city with several Thousand
inhabitants and with all the then
modern improvements consistent
with city of that size, the first
thought is often one of amaze
ment.
Many former residents and bus
inessmen of this forgotten desert
metropolis are still living and the
list of people who still give the
city of Hedges as their birthplace,
or who took part in the romantic
history fabricated among its gold
en- ledges is lengthy.
Hedges is new ghost town and
even in those epochal days when
the pioneers of the valley were
turning the desolate waste-lands
into productive fields, from which
was to spring a new agricultural
domain, the ghosts of former pio-
neerS, merchants, dance-hall girls,
gamblers and hard bitten miners
were marching in nocturnal par
AIDES through the camps deserted
streets.
From its two extensive ceme-
terieS which were, at once, a place
of halloWed ground and local
"boCt-hills', one can imagine the
spirits of former Hedges citizens
maintaining lonely vigil through
out the solitude of the desert
nights, as they ponder on the
strange plays of Fate which build
ed city and then, in time, gave
it back to the desert wilderness.
And yet, Hedges, under a new
name may live again. AS the
mining camp of Tumco, it is try
ing to stage a comeback. Rooted
deep in the Cargo Muchacho
mountains, in the eastern end of
Imperial county, are the veins
of geld bearing quartz, which for
more than three decades supplied
a wealth of bullion that did much
to add to the total gold wealth Of
the nation.
Discovered by Early Pioneers
To properly record the history
of this romantic old metropolis of
CALIFORNIA; portion of the Colora-
do desert we must go back until
We reach those years Immediately
following the civil war.
In fact, it is safe to assume that
the history of the Cargo Mucha-
cho mining district reached back
to the days of the pioneers of 40.
Located within sight, and also
within easy striking distance of
the Overland trail travelled by
those California bound emigrants
who followed the southern route
westward down the Gila river
along what was, priCr to 1853, the
Mexican border, the district was
no doubt visited by many pioneer
proSpectors. 1t is a matter of rec
ord that the nearby Picacho prop
critics, located near the Colorado
river were being worked in 1864.
However, we have no actual
record of development work in
any of the Cargo Muchacho hills
until along in the early '70's when
we find group of hardy adven-
turers engaged in hauling ore from
the forerunner of the present Tum-
co properties near Ogilby.
The claims from which the gold
bearing rock was being extracted
were then known as the Gold Rock
mines and the several men, who
owned them, among whom were
the two Hamlin brothers, had
erected a stamp mill and ANAL
gamating plant near the Colorado
river at point a few miles west
of the present town of Winter
haven.
The heavy foundations of this
old mill are still in evidence i'm
mediately south of Highway 80 and
a few hundred feet west of the old
adobe ruin which has been erron-
eously posted, by the State High