Alvord Mine

The Alvord Consolidated Quartz Mining Company, in February, 1881, agreed to issue 75,000 shares of stock to raise money to develop their newly found mine, located about 20 miles east of Calico. Alex Del Mar, writing for the San Bernardino Valley Index in March, 1881, cynically remarked:

“Here the gold is found in a quarry of very hard chocolate colored slaty looking rock, called ‘quartz agate' by the miners. This is said to go from $100 to $120 a ton; but if so I think the owners ought to be willing to take back something about the reported amplitude of the deposit. No excavation.” 270

However, by April, 1885 work had begun. Ore was being hauled daily to Camp Cady where the existing Huntington Centrifugal Mill had recently been augmented with the addition of the Huntington five-stamp mill. Later reports indicate an arrastre was used to mill the ore at the very beginning. Ore was treated at Hawley's, in addition to Camp Cady in the late 1880s. 271

In the early 1890s, a mill was built, probably at Alvord Well, at the mouth of the canyon below the mine, which ran until it burned in September, 1891. Alvord Mine figures for July and August, 1891, showed an assay of between $6 and $18 a ton in gold. During the last 10 days before the mill burned, $1,430 in bullion was produced. Total production of gold from the Alvord Mine up to that time was placed at $50,000. 272

The mine changed owners several times before a group of Pasadena businessmen, incorporated as the Carter Gold Mining Company, gained control of the property and operated it from 1885 until late 1891. This company owned the water rights for Paradise Springs, 9 miles north of the mine, and for Mule Spring 1 mile east. The water at Mule Spring is weakly saline and was used only for camp purposes. In 1895, considerable prospecting was done on the property and in order to test the ore, the Alvord Mining Company of Pasadena erected a five-stamp mill 2 miles from the mine, probably at the site of the burned mill. 273

From 1906 to 1910, the Alvord Mining Company of San Diego operated the mine and installed as six-stamp Nisson mill near the mine. The Tintic Bonanza Mining Company of Salt Lake City operated the mine from 1916 to 1920. Mr. McCormick, a resident of Yermo, was the owner in 1923 and planned to open the mine. In 1925, the Dell ‘Osso Gold Mining Company acquired the property and 6 claims were patented in 1931. The property was active for several months during 1932 and 1933, and was under lease to Roy Waughtel of Manix from December, 1950, to January, 1952. Since 1952, the property has been idle. The mill has been removed and one of the wooden buildings and a small bridge were burned in the early 1970s. Two stone buildings remained in the early 1970s. 274

from: Desert Fever

Historic:

Old Spanish Trail

Wagon track trail looking east toward Alvord Mountains. ... Wagon trail winds north and east from Alvord Summit toward Bitter Spring on Fort Irwin. ...

Ecology:

Mojave Valley - Granite Mountains

... consists of about half upland, including pediments, and half alluvial plain. There are many small mountain ranges and hills with many different orientation patterns. ...

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