This is the long overdue fourth and final part to our Panamint City adventure!

This video was filmed at the end of our second and the beginning of our third (last) day in Panamint City. It focuses on the town itself, which includes two mills, historic cabins, workshops, machinery, and pictographs. After exploring the town, we made the long hike down Surprise Canyon back to our cars.

Panamint City has a very fascinating history. Hopefully I can do it justice in this writeup:

In January 1873 Richard Jacobs, Robert Stewart, and William Kennedy were scouting the upper reaches of Surprise Canyon when they noticed a colorful quartz outcropping high on the mountain slopes. Some sources claim that these three men were stagecoach robbers, while others claim that they were wellrespected individuals. Outlaws or not, their discovery was significant. Upon investigation, the three men found the vein to be exceedingly rich in silver and assaying over $1000 per ton. They named their find “The Wonder of the World” Mine, and would locate dozens of other claims in the canyon. With news of this discovery, a wave of prospectors arrived in the area, and the Panamint Mining District was formed. This was not the first time mining occurred in the Panamint Mountains, but it was the first time the range experienced a mining boom. In 1858 Mormon emigrants discovered silver south of Surprise Canyon, and in the 1860s prospecting was done around the Telescope Peak area. Due to the danger of Indian attacks, these prospects were abandoned. However, the discovery of the Panamint District brought a significant number of people to this region, and over the ensuing years more major discoveries would be made in the Panamint Valley area.

In late 1873, mining promoter E. P. Raines obtained holdings in the district. He sought investors to finance the development of the mines. He managed to get the interest of Nevada senators John P. Jones and William Stewart, who had both made a fortune off of the Comstock Lode. During this time, the outlook of Panamint was optimistic. There was an abundance of rich ore available at the surface, and it was believed that the pay shoots would continue at depth.

The town of Panamint would continue to grow throughout 1874. This was largely facilitated by a new road connecting the Panamint Valley to Los Angeles. It’s main street extended for a mile down the canyon and contained around 50 buildings along with dozens of small huts and tents. The Bank of Panamint was created and a triweekly newspaper called the Panamint News began printing. In late 1874, a 10stamp mill was completed for the Jacob’s Wonder and Stewart’s Wonder mines. At the same time, the “Silver Senators” and their Panamint Mining Company were beginning to construct a large 20stamp mill and furnace. The richest ore was shipped all the way to Swansea, Wales at a price of $55/ton to be processed, while lower grade ore was stockpiled in Panamint for the future mill. The ore was said to average around $100 per ton. In December, Panamint reached its peak population of around 2000.

By 1875, Senator Stewart and Jones had purchased all of the principal mines in the district and reorganized their holdings into the Surprise Valley Mill and Mining Company. In June, the massive 20stamp mill and roasting furnace was complete, and the Wyoming and Hemlock Mines were producing heavily. Unfortunately, Panamint would decline as quickly as it grew. By this time it was realized that the rich ore in the mines did not continue at depth. In the spring of 1876, the major ore bodies were considered exhausted. Most of Panamint’s inhabitants had already left to other mining districts, specifically Darwin. Mining continued until May 1877 when the Surprise Valley Mill and Mining Company ceased operations. The production from the mines amounted to over 1 million dollars, but this did not cover the investment.

Sporadic mining took place in Panamint throughout the rest of the 19th century and production remained small. In the 1920s, the district experienced a small revival. The road up Surprise Canyon was repaired, and a new Panamint Mining Company was organized. The tramway up to the Wyoming Mine was restored, and in 1925 a new adit called the Lewis Tunnel was started. Its goal was to cut the Wyoming vein over 1000 feet below its outcrop. By 1926, the tunnel reached a length of 2310 feet, but it failed to develop any ore and was abandoned. In the late 1940s the American Silver Corporation did work on the Marvel and Hemlock mining claims, but they too failed to produce anything. During the 1970s, Panamint City experienced yet another revival due to high silver prices. New mills were built and modern machinery was brought in. Most of the standing buildings in Panamint are from this era. In 1983, the road washed away, ending Panamint’s last mining era. Now sitting inside Death Valley National Park, it is unlikely that the mines in Panamint City will be reworked again.