It is that time of year again when the summer heat has been replaced by beautiful fall days, which means that it is time to start taking more Mojave Desert exploration trips.
Goodsprings (population 229) was once considered to be a ghost town, but it is now having a slight resurgence of residents.
The Old Spanish Trail passed through the area between 1829 and 1843 and people often stopped at a spring along the trail to water their livestock. Joseph Good eventually settled in the area and the spring became known as Good's Spring, which was later changed to Goodsprings when the miners started arriving to prospect for precious metals. Over the years, the spring dried-up from excessive water uses and the basin around the spring is now filled with brush.
A wide variety of minerals were discovered in the area, including gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc, molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium, and uranium. In 1901, the Yellow Pine Mining Company was formed by consolidating ownership of the area mines and several mills were constructed to process the ore. Foundations from the Yellow Pine Mill can still be seen on a hillside as you drive into Goodsprings.
The larger Argentina (aka Argentena) Mine Mill is located just west of Goodsprings and many of the foundations are still standing. There is one grave site at the Argentina Mine Mill that is still maintained. All of the mine shafts near the Argentina Mine Mill have been sealed by the Federal Government, except for the dynamite storage shaft that only penetrates into the mountain for a few feet.
In 2002, while playing an international intellectual live action contest called "The Game," the final clue directed teams to the Argentina Mine complex near Goodsprings. Participants in "The Game" were from various universities, members of think tanks, employees of advanced computer and technology companies, and many of the participants held high level positions in multi-billion dollar companies. To win the game was for the bragging rights, not the prize money, which was not enough to even come close to covering the entry fee, cost of specialty equipment, and travel expenses.
Bob Lord, a Microsoft Software Engineer, and his team were the first to arrive at the Argentina Mine and misinterpreted a clue that said "1306 is clearly marked. Enter ONLY 1306. DO NOT enter others." There was a bright orange warning on the clue marking the wrong portal that read: "No! No! No! No! No!" Additionally, the mine entrances were well marked by the Federal Government with warning signs not to enter. However, Bob Lord, not being familiar with abandoned mines, ignored all of the warning signs and entered an open adit and fell down a vertical shaft, shattering several vertebrae and leaving him with severe brain damage and forever a quadriplegic. A Warning to Readers - Do Not Ever Enter Abandoned Mine Adits!
The reason most people visit Goodsprings is to see the famous historic Pioneer Saloon, which was built in 1913 by prominent business man George Fayle. The interior and exterior walls of the building are made from stamped tin that was manufactured and sold by Sears and Roebuck, and the saloon bar was crafted by the Brunswick Company in Maine in the 1860's.
On July 3, 1915, during a poker game, a man named Paul Coski was caught cheating and Joe Armstrong, another player in the game, after a brief scuffle pulled out a gun, fired multiple times, and killed Paul Coski. Three bullet holes can still be seen through the tin walls. The holes have never been repaired, so outside light can be seen through the wall holes if you line up the bullets' trajectories as they passed through both the inter and outer walls.
Another major event involving the Pioneer Saloon occurred on January 16, 1942, when Carole Lombard, wife of Clark Gable, was on a War Bond tour and the Trans World Airline DC-3 airliner she was traveling on stopped in Las Vegas to refuel. When leaving the airport, the pilot made an incorrect course calculation and crashed into Double Up Peak near the 8,300-foot level of Mount Potosi. It took several days to find and reach the crash site, so Gable sat in the Pioneer Saloon for the entire time drinking himself to sleep. There are still burn marks on the bar top where he dropped cigarettes when he fell asleep. A back room in the Pioneer Saloon is dedicated to Carole Lombard and Clark Gable and contains numerous memorabilia items. After Lombard's death, Gable joined the United States Army Air Force and flew combat missions in Europe. Hitler disliked the publicity Gable received, so he offered a bonus to anyone that could shoot down Gable's plane. Fortunately, no one ever received the bonus!
There was an open gate by the side of the saloon, so I walked by the sentry and discovered a number of locked wooden kegs, which I don't think were filled with water!
The Goodsprings schoolhouse was built in 1913 (still in use) and the community library is located on the adjacent property.
The town also has its own AM radio station, and a fire department. A water tower has been erected by the side of the fire department building for water storage in case of a fire.
The "Clock House" reminded me of Confucius saying: "Man with clock always knows what time it is. Man with two clocks never knows what time it is."
An old windmill, wagon, and a few buildings are all that remain on the General Mercantile Site. One of the buildings is believed to be the oldest building in Goodsprings. There is even a Pomegranate tree on the site!
I assume the "Cottonwood House" received its name from the large Cottonwood tree that it sits under.
Information signs are found at various locations around the community, but many of the old structures are unmarked.
We also saw one of Mater's cousins (Cars movie) from Radiator Springs that was on vacation in Goodsprings, viewing some modern artwork. .
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