Virginia Dale Mining District

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Located 15 miles southeast of 29 Palms, miners were drawn to the area as early as 1881 by reports of gold in the Pinto Mountains. By its peak production period in 1898 there were as many as 3,000 miners within the district. During its heyday lode and placer gold mining took place and saw the birth and death of two mining camps. Dale City sprang up around a well that was dug in 1884 and continued to grow until water began to be pumped to the mines in 1899.

Since the mine owners no longer had to bring the gold ore to Dale City to be milled, the town moved to a new site 6 miles south known as New Dale. It was situated near the two largest producing mines--Supply and OK. When the Supply and OK mines closed down in 1917 New Dale was also abandoned. Small-scale mining continued through the depression until all mines were closed by executive order at the outbreak of World War II. The Virginia Dale Mining District is a popular area for present day recreational mining.

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