The main sites of interest in this area are:
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A road leads from Valley Wells to the Ophir Mine. From there access to three
canyons is possible. One can proceed up the canyon directly behind the
Ophir, one can turn north, or it is also possible to reach the canyon to the
south of Ophir. There are alternate access roads that connect at the base of
the Slate Range. The January Jones site is accessed from Panamint Valley. A
road splits off to the Slate Range near the turn off to Goler Wash.
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Bundy Canyon is located north of Gold Bottom Mine and east of the Ophir Mine. To access Bundy Canyon you drive by the Ophir Mine and stay on the right side of the mine workings until you enter the mouth of the canyon. It is possible to drive in a vehicle with high clearance all the way up the wash to the very foot of the Slate Range. There you will find two branches of Bundy Canyon. It is the southern branch which contains the cabin and mine site. The cabin is just rock walls at this point, but quite a lot of corregated metal which was probably the roof and sides of the cabin.
The two pictures labeled "Mouth of..." show the south and north branches of Bundy Canyon. It is the south branch which contains the sites of historical interest. The north branch gets very steep after the first half mile, while the south branch averages only 800 feet of elevation gain per mile. Also there are several miner's trails that bypass steep sections of the canyon that are still in good condition in the south branch.
Upper Bundy Canyon
A mine tunnel located near the top of the canyon not too
far below the top of the Slates. The tunnel is not very deep - maybe fifteen
or twenty feet at the most.
Bundy Canyon Mine
This mine consists of four or five tunnels. The deepest is about thirty-five
feet deep. The tunnels are more or less on top of each other in a row. The last
two pictures show views of this area from a distance. The one labeled "Bundy
#1" was taken at about 500 feet above the mine on a ridge. The
cabin is visible across from the mine area.
Damon Lode
This mine claim marker contained claim papers dated April 4, 1944. It
described the monument locations for the Damon Lode. Presumably the claim
was made by AL Damon who was associated with both the Ophir and Gold Bottom
Mines. This claim marker is located directly between the Ophir and Gold
Bottom Mines.
Lucky Penny Mine Claim
This mine claim (complete with claim papers) was found about three-quarters
of a mile to the south of the Ophir Mine. It is located up on a ridge about
two hundred feet above the valley floor. The claim paper was found in a
rusty tin in the middle of the stack of rocks.
January Jones
The January Jones Mine is located on the Panamint Valley side of the Slate
Range. There are actually three locations which may be thought of as the
January Jones Mine. At the end of a 4WD road which travels up from the floor
of Panamint Valley (directly opposite of Goler Wash) are the remains of a
small mining camp. There is a shaft and a shed and some debri at this
location. From this mining camp there is a trail that leads to a small
group of mine tunnels where the name "January Jones" is chisseled into a
rock. This is sometimes called the lower January Jones Mine. The actual
January Jones Mine (sometimes called the upper workings)
is found on the upper slopes of the Slate Range. To reach
it you can either travel up the canyon from the small mining camp and then
up a steep ridge or you can hike over the top of the Slate Range from the
Searles Valley side and drop down to this mine site. This page displays
several views taken of and near the upper workings.
The Briggs Claim is located about 150 yards north of the January Jones Mine (upper workings). The writing on these papers is difficult to decipher in spots, but they seem to indicate that this claim was made by Harry Briggs and Benjamin Bennett Jr. on the 18th of April, but the year is cut off.
Benjamin Bennett Jr. is buried in the cemetary at Ballarat.
The Gold Slug Claim paper was found within a hundred yards of the Briggs and Bennett claim paper. While I find the scribbings on the paper rather cryptic, some of you may be able to make sense of it. Pictures of the actual claim marker are also included.
Middle Workings of the January Jones Mine
This site is accessed by hiking up a short trail from the end of the road
that leads to the mining camp. There are just a couple to tunnels here and
some markings on rocks. There are also some mine claims visible and
immediately to the north of the tunnels is a large calcium deposit.
Upper Workings of the January Jones Mine
A couple shots show the upper workings of the January Jones Mine which are
located high on the Panamint Valley side of the Slate Range. Access from
either side of the Slate Range is possible.
Views and Map
These pictures show views from the top of the Slate Range. The first looks
directly across the valley to the mouth of Goler Wash. The second picture
shows January Jones Canyon. At the bottom of the canyon the structures at
the end of the road leading up the canyon are visible. A map of the area is
also shown with points of interest circled and numbered:
- End of road up January Jones Canyon
- Lower workings of January Jones Mine
- Upper workings of January Jones Mine
- Top of Slates where view pictures were taken
- Rock On Ridge Near Upper Workings