Pinto Wye Arrastra

/ Pinto Wye/
Pinto Wye Arrastra

Why is it called the Pinto Wye Arrastra? I've wondered about that and had a theory, so I decided to see if I could find any facts to back it up. And as things turned out, my suspicions were correct. As it wasn't the only arrastra in the park, it couldn't just be called "the arrastra." That would cause uncertainty and vague feelings of unrest. But as it was located about three-quarters of a mile northwest of a "Y" in the main park road (the spot where Pinto Basin Road meets Park Blvd.), someone somewhere sometime called it the Pinto Wye Arrastra and the name stuck.

Read More

Goldfields of America

/ Pinto Basin/
Goldfields of America

Driving south along Pinto Basin Road, the mountains squeeze in on both sides of the road as you drive through Wilson Canyon, a couple miles northwest of the Cholla Garden. The Hexies are on the south and the Pintos are on the north. Just as Wilson Canyon begins to open up and become Pinto Basin, there are a number of mining prospects, shafts, tunnels and drifts on the southern slopes of the Pinto Mountains.

Read More

Wall Street Mill

/ Wall Street Mill/
Wall Street Mill

Set aside a half day the next time you're in Joshua Tree National Park and hike the Wall Street Mill trail. The round-trip distance is less than two miles, but there is a lot of history and desert gold along the way. It's an easy hike, but could end up taking you the entire day if you like to roam and explore as much as I do. I generally make sure I have plenty of water and some trail munchies, and then I don't worry about the time. I just go and wander and generally find something I haven't seen before.

Read More

Worth Bagley

/ Wall Street Mill/
Worth Bagley

By all accounts, Bill Keys got along pretty well with most people but was not a man to let anybody run over him. He once said, "if the law won't uphold me, I'll uphold myself." And it appears that is just what he did on May 11th of 1943.

Read More

Desert Queen Well

/ Desert Queen Well/
Desert Queen Well

The Desert Queen Well is located along the same trail that will take you past the Wonderland Ranch, Worth Bagley's stone marker, and finally to the Wall Street Mill. The well sits on land that was located and developed by William Morgan sometime between 1905 and 1908. Morgan had hopes of erecting a mill on the site, but those plans never came to be.

Read More