Coso, CA (site)

The story of the Lost Gunsight Mine had its origins with a group, traveling through the Death Valley country in 1849, discovered a "mountain of silver." Upon reaching the coastal settlements one of the party had a gunsight of pure silver made for his rifle. Efforts made to relocate the "mountain of silver" were to no avail, hence the "Lost Gunsight." In 1859, with the discovery of the Comstock Lode, interest in the Lost Gunsight was renewed.

By 1860, Californians were flocking to the Comstock. Erasmus Darwin French, a physician and miner in northern California, had made a desultory but unsuccessful search for the Lost Gunsight several years earlier. But now, fired up again, he organized a party of several men in March, 1860, proceeded south to Visalia (avoiding the rush to the Comstock), reprovisioned, continued south and east over Walker Pass, then north into the Coso Mountains. There they found silver ore-bearing ledges. The Lost Gunsight? Hmm, who knows; but there was silver and there were mountains. Ore samples were taken and sent up to San Francisco. The results were promising. In the meantime the group had filed many claims in the area and established the Coso Mining District in May, 1860. Their explorations also discovered a canyon and water falls which they named after their leader: Darwin Canyon and Darwin Falls.

With the attendant publicity by the newspapers of San Francisco and Visalia, miners by the hundreds filed into Coso. Additional nearby mining districts were formed: the Argus District and the Slate District. The area was booming, with both real silver, but with hyped-up stock promotions as well. Activities in the Cosos continued for several years, but by the mid-1860s the deposits were diminishing. The American miners were moving out, being replaced by Mexicans from Sonora. By 1867, the area was referred to as "the Spanish Mines." A passage in the book THE STORY OF INYO reads as follows:
"A record book of Coso District, now in the county museum, contains the minutes of a reorganization meeting held March 23, 1868. It is written in Spanish and signed by eighteen Mexican names, no other nationality represented."

Apparently Mexicans continued to work there on a small scale for several years. There are indications that other miners may have returned there in more recent decades.

The center of the Coso District lies within the boundary of what is now the China Lake naval reservation, up in the northwest quarter. During the heyday of the district a small settlement was built there consisting of a number of habitations, some of stone, others of wood. A quartz mill was brought in and old arrastras existed. In the early days it was called "Old Coso." In more recent times, it is more commonly referred to as "Coso Village." The USGS topographical map "COSO PEAK QUADRANGLE, 15 minute series" shows the area quite clearly and labels the settlement as "Coso."

A number of years ago, this writer was on an inspection trip in the Coles Flat area of the China Lake North Ranges. It was in late December. We stopped briefly in Coso Village. A winter storm had set in. Wind was blowing with sleet and freezing temperatures. The wooden structures were gone. Several stone houses in various stages of decay remained. All had chimneys at this 6,000 feet above sea level. But as I stood in the driving sleet I thought: "What good is a fireplace when 90% of the heat goes up the chimney and the stone walls leak? What drove these people to stay month after month under these conditions? Was the gold and silver worth it?" Must have been!

www.maturango.org/Mar04.html