Death Valley & the Baby Gauge R.R.

During my recent trip to Las Vegas I decided to take a side trip to Death Valley and hike up to the old Pacific Coast Borax Works railroad line that was nicked named the “Baby Gauge”. The history of the Pacific Coast Borax and their operation just above Death Valley National Park is a fascinating story of mining and tourism.

From Las Vegas, Death Valley is only a two hour drive west. You leave the glittering lights of Vegas behind as you climb up and over Spring Mountain an elevation over 5,000ft. and drop down the west side into the Mojave desert stretching all the way to Pahrump and beyond. The first and only town really you will go through once leaving Vegas is Pahrump, Nevada. The town reportedly chose the name for Pahrump after the original indigenous name Pah-Rimpi, or “Water Rock,” so named because of the abundant artesian wells in the valley. Because of the artesian wells, the new inhabitants of Pahrump Valley began a number of large ranch-style holdings, mostly over 1000 acres.

The highway passes through town and you eventually make a turn onto a two lane road for Death Valley. The longest part of the drive is over as you glide over a small mountain range to find yourself crossing the California boarder and into the Amargosa Valley. At the jct. with State Route 127 and State Line Road you find Death Valley Junction. At one time this was a happening place.

The town was created in 1907 when the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad was constructed through the Amargosa Valley and a spur from their main line was built to the Lila C. borax mine in the hills to the west. The town was originally owned by Robert Tubb, who operated a saloon, store, and brothel. In 1914, the Death Valley Railroad started operating between Ryan, California and Death Valley Junction. It carried borax until 1928, when operations ceased. From 1923 to 1925 the Pacific Coast Borax Company constructed buildings in the town, hiring architect Alexander Hamilton McCulloch to design a Spanish Colonial Revival whistle stop centered at the hotel, theater and office complex building, now known as the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel.

The town began to decline in the mid-20th century. However, in 1967 dancer and actress Marta Becket happened to visit due to an automobile repair. She became enamored with the theater, and with help from benefactors, she leased, then purchased, the hotel and theater complex.

Once you leave DV Jct. you head West into the Death Valley Nat. Park. As you drive the old railroad grade of the D.V.R.R can be seen in the desert to the left of the highway. As you drive into the narrow canyon and follow the desert wash down into the valley you can see the railroad climb above you on it way to the Ryan Camp.

Before I drove all the way below sea level and down to Furnace Creek in DV I turned off the main road onto the road that takes visitors to the park up to Dauntes overlook. Just about a mile in you can see the old camp of Ryan tucked up along the hill side above the valley. From the Ryan Camp runs an old 2ft gauge railroad track along the mountain side which accessed many different mine tunnels. From the road which follows a large wash its a strait climb up the hill to the railroad track.

View looking down to the road in the valley

There is no other way up to the line but hiking strait up the hill. The hike isnt bad if you do it when its not too hot and it takes about 30min. I will say that this property is not in the National Park but is still owned by the Rio Tinto Mining company and im sure that it is trespassing, if caught.

Now to give you some back story on the Baby Gauge and its operation.

Construction began on the “ore gathering tramway” as early as December 1914, and certainly by early 1915. The route started at the DVRR ore bins, then passed over the tail track of the DVRR wye on a bridge, beneath “Poison Rock” to the Grand View Mine, about three miles. Over time it was extended first to the Lizzie J Oakley, and eventually to the Widow mine. Eventually the line reached over 5 miles in length, and as reworked and rebuilt would feature 3 long and one short tunnel as well as a number of spectacular bridges as it ran along the wall of Corkscrew Canyon.

By 1921, it was noted that most ore was coming from the Widow mine, with the tiny trains working hard to move the ore… “Filling ore bins of at Ryan with Widow trains is like trying to fill a bathtub with a spoon” Possibly in response a new larger Plymouth locomotive was added in 1923.

The mines at Ryan never “played out”, instead, they were replaced by a new higher grade ore body found near Boron California. Those ores were both cheaper to mine, closer to the standard gauge railroad. The line hauled its last borax ore in mid 1927, even as the line was now hauling tourists.

Tourist service.

As mining operations were transferred to the new mines at Boron, the PCB company started to repurposed their Death Valley facilities as a tourist center. This included the purchase of gas rail cars for both the Tonopah & Tidewater and the Death Valley Railroad, and converting company housing and dormitories at Death Valley Junction, and in Furnace Creek to hotels. At Ryan the facilities were rebranded as the “Death Valley View Hotel”. The project was promoted by Union Pacific’s tourist arm.

Death Valley View Hotel

As part of the tourist initiative, from late 1926, until an accident in 1950 (which resulted in an “expensive claim”), the Baby Gage operated as a tourist attraction. For this five flat cars were fitted with seats in late 1926. The new ride included tours of the mines. Eventually, when the mine at Boron was converged to an open pit, some of that mines equipment was moved to Ryan as displays.

Tours of the mine

After the accident the Baby Gage was left in place, only occasionally used. Today much of the railroad is in place, but unusable. The name “Baby Gauge” was coined after a little baby girl who was born at the Ryan Camp.

Tourist train on the Baby Gauge

The tracks now sit slowly washing away and being pushed around by rock slides. Overall the line is ok and the bridges look great all due to the dry climate of Death Valley. The mine sits at an elevation of 3,000ft. over looking the valley which is way below sea level. Once I made it up the the line I was near one of the large mines that had a wye track to allow trains to turn around and also near the trestle that is pictured above.

switch leading into the wye track and into the mine tunnel.

The main area is the where the wye and mine tunnel is located. The tunnel is sealed off and is not able to be explored. The switch track that would have led tourists into the mine still works and can be thrown back and forth. This must have been a large mine as there are tailing piles above the mine and here at this entrance. The mountain inside must be full of shafts running up and down.

Mine entrance, which is being filled in with dirt from the tailing piles above during heavy down pours.

The inside of the tunnel is in great shape and you can see the track disappear into the darkness.

This area has a great view of the valley below and the area is so quite as you are the only one in the area. I was able to fly my drone to get some great ariel shots of the track and trestles. I spent about two hours walking the line and exploring the area. Whats great is it is in pretty good condition and far enough away and hard to get to that most public doesn’t come up and destroy whats left.

Standing just above the old trestle

Half of this trestle has been back filled with waste material from the mine. You can see the timbers coming out from the pile as the dirt is washing away.

I had great weather for the hike with temps at around 80 degrees. After my hike I headed for lunch at the Furnace Creek Ranch which just saw a total remodel. Its a great place to relax and have lunch. After hiking around 3,000ft. that morning I had lunch at -282ft. below sea level.

Furnace Creek Ranch

For most of my travels that day I had little to no cell service so be prepared when going to Death Valley. My hike that day was on private property so be careful if you ever plan to go up there. I left no trace and took only photos with me. The Ryan Camp is currently owned and being restored by the Death Valley Conservatory and is open for guided tours only at certain times of the year. I heard the next tour will be in October of 2019. Im sure I can go into more history but for now I think that wraps this little trip over to the Borax Works and the Baby Gauge Railroad.

Thanks for reading

The forbidding Beartooth Mountains and my trip to Billings, Mt.

My last weekend I headed through Yellowstone Park for the northeast entrance and the Beartooth Mountains where the road climbs up over the pass at 10,974ft. The trip which was round trip at 450 miles since I decided to go as far as Billings Mt. I saw so much and will try to get most of what I saw out. I have included lots of photos since there is no good way to describe the view from almost 11,000ft.

I left early from West Yellowstone my destination for the night was Red Lodge, Montana about a 4 hour drive. On the way through the park I was able to see two grizzly bears foraging in the meadow and also two buffalo going head to head in a fight. The Lamar valley this time of year has turned yellow from the trees to the grasses.  It sure felt like autumn as grey clouds and rain moved through the area of Cook City which is just outside of the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone.

The Lamar Valley looking East toward Cook City and the Beartooth Mountains.

Starting in Cook City is the famous Beartooth Highway which takes you over the Beartooth range. The drive was very scenic and quite cold at the top of the pass the day I visited was only 37 and windy. Make sure to pack jackets when traveling over the pass no matter what time you visit as snow can be found year round at the pass. Also if you are not use to high elevation take it easy as the air is quite thin up at 10,000ft. The photos below show what it is like up at the top. After cresting 9,000ft. all trees and shrubs fade away and you are left with a tundra like environment of small grasses only.

View from 10,974ft. up looking south west to Yellowstone

If you look toward the road in the bottom left you can see my car. I hiked up to a large pile of snow. Its not easy hiking at almost 11,000ft.

Once zig-zagging my way down the mountain I found myself in beautiful Red Lodge, Mt. and temperatures around 65! Once grabbing lunch I explored town and found lots of historic homes and the place where the Yellowstone Bus Preservation group is turning an old gas station garage into a museum and showroom for the historic Yellowstone Park Buses. Also in town is a small museum that talks about the town history and how Red Lodge was famous for its extensive coal mines. The Northern Pacific Railroad not only hauled out the coal but also was the main company to use the coal for their steam engines.

Northern Pacific Depot in Red Lodge

The area of Red lodge begins with the United States government signing a treaty with the Crow Nation, ceding the area which now contains Red Lodge, MT to the Crow Indians. Rich coal deposits were found soon after and another treaty in 1880 allowed the area to be settled starting April 11, 1882.

A rail line was constructed into town, and coal shipments began in June 1889. The boundaries of the Crow Reservation were redrawn in 1892, opening the whole area to settlement. From then until the 1930s, coal mining defined the town.

coal line in Red Lodge

By  the late 19th century, many new settlers came to Red Lodge, MT. from around the world. By the mid-1880s, migrants were still outnumbered by large numbers of Native Americans. By 1892 the population reached 1,180.

 

 

 

Billings Ave., Red Lodge Mt.

In 1896, Red Lodge had twenty saloons and, as the library records show, riotous and violent living was characteristic of the town. By 1906 the population had grown to 4,000 and by 1911 this had increased to 5,000.

By 1931, work began on the Beartooth Highway linking Red Lodge to Yellowstone National Park.

Workers taking a lunch break

The highway was constructed by Morrison Knudsen out of Boise, Idaho. The road took five years to build and it officially opened in 1936. From then on Red Lodge developed as a tourist industry town as open pit mining took hold in Montana closing all the underground mining.

 

 

Historic homes in Red Lodge

A friend of mine could not meet me in Red Lodge but he lives in Billings, Mt. which from where I was is only a 1 hour drive north. The drive to Billings takes you along farm land and couple more small towns. I arrived in time to have dinner with him and was surprised at how large Billings is. I was able to spend the night with him and would have some time in the morning to explore town before having to head back home.

Old downtown Billings

Billings is situated on the north side of the Yellowstone River and named after Frederick Billings, Billings was born in 1882 as a rail hub. It was first founded by the Northern Pacific Railroad on a site originally known as Clark’s Fork Bottom. Montana Avenue sprang to life along the railroad. The railroad was the heartbeat of Billings as it grew. The Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Chicago, and Burlington & Quincy railroad companies made regular stops on Montana Avenue.  I explored Montana Ave. and the old Northern Pacific Depot which is currently an event center and hosts many weddings in the baggage side of the building.

outside of NP Depot in Billings

The depot was built in 1909 for use by three railroad companies: Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. Designed in the Beaux Arts Eclectic style, the four original buildings included the main depot building, railroad lunch room, postal building and an office building.

Depot Waiting Room

The depot building was designed by the Northern Pacific Railroad’s chief engineer and featured a spacious waiting area for 200 passengers, a gentlemen’s smoking room, a ladies’ waiting room, a baggage area and service offices. These buildings are the center of Billings’ town site district, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

 

However, the train era eventually faded with the ease and speed of highway and airway travel. The last regular Amtrak passenger train left the Depot eastbound in the spring of 1979. The demise of rail travel left many of the early twentieth century buildings in the Depot area vacant and deteriorating. Starting in 1995 restoration began and by 2001 the depot was ready for its first event.

The trip back to West Yellowstone would take me back over the Pass and through Cook City. I stopped on the way and checked out Lake Creek that flows along the roadside before going back into the park which had many trees all turning yellow.

Lake Creek flowing east

Lake Creek looking up river to Pilot knob

The park was still quite busy so getting back took time with the traffic but was still able to get into town by 5pm after leaving Cook city at 2pm. Overall the trip was great and being able to meet up with my friend and stay over at his house instead of sleeping in the car made the extra 68 miles to Billings worth it along with seeing the town.

Historic Nevada City

Day two of my weekend adventure to Virginia City, Mt. included a ride on the 3ft. narrow gauge train to Nevada City just a mile down the road from Virginia City. Now a train never did come into either town as by the time a railroad built from the main line at Whitehall, Mt. down to Sheridan most of the riches had played out in Both Nevada and Virginia Cities. Many years later in the 1980-90s a small railroad was put in for fun by the wealthy Mr. Charles Bovey. Now Mr. Bovey was an only child and loved history and trains. His wealth came being part of the formation of General Mills. Charles Bovey collected many old buildings from all around western Montana and bought up buildings in Virginia City creating a time capsule of history. Unfortunately Mr. Bovey’s only son was not interested in the history and more into the night life and party lifestyle. His son did not have any kids of his own so once his father died the up keep of the buildings collected by Mr. Bovey and put on display at Nevada City fell into disrepair and finally the son donated the entire land holdings to the state of Montana. When his son passed away there were no more family member’s or even money left to go to the museum.

The train ride was idea of Mr. Bovey and not only did he collect small narrow gauge rolling stock but also full size standard gauge passenger cars and box cars. The small yard and engine house in Nevada City is a quaint step back in time for railroad buffs such as I.

Engine House

The train between the two towns leaves every hour and you can get admission to the museum in Nevada City and ride the train, a great deal! The ride only takes 20 minutes and is narrated. Once arriving in Nevada City you have one hour to look around, definitely not enough time to really see everything, but in this day and age an hour is enough since people just walk through everything. If you wish to take more time you can get your train ticket rescheduled or come back with your car. (I spent two and half hours).

Before going into the museum across the street I explored the end of the line and yard area for the train. There are a line of vintage passenger cars dating over 100 years old along with a Milwaukee Road and Great Northern passenger cars. At the official end of the line is the engine house with a full size steam locomotive that used to run on the line between the two towns. Unfortunately the boiler has a crack in it and at this point it will never run again.

1910 Baldwin Locomotive

Across from the railroad is the living history museum of Nevada City. Most buildings on the complex were moved to the area and set up in a town fashion. Only one house is original to Nevada City and is only there because the lady who was born and raised in the house refused to sell out to the dredging company. She would later die in the house and because of her actions she saved her house and the old town of Nevada City from being obliterated by dredge mining.

Nevada City Museum, photo of the main street above the post has a collection of preserved historic buildings from the first school house in Montana to blacksmiths shops and sheriff office and a two story outhouse! The first building you enter when coming into the complex is a room filled with player pianos and 1900’s musical organs. Most of them still work and for a quarter or two you can listen. One of them was used in a dance hall while others were for carousels in fairs or amusement parks. Ill do a separate post just about the Gavioli organs since Mr. Bovey bought the entire four story building in New York and brought all the contents to Nevada City.

Vocalion Reed Organ Ca. 1890s

If you would like to hear one of the organs play click here: Listen to the Organ      

In Nevada City there is a small rustic hotel that you can stay at along with a sweet shop and small cafe. Overall you can spend a day and pack a lunch and explore the complex and sit on the front porch of the old house and just enjoy a relaxing afternoon. Both towns are quite and dont get that many tourists. A great escape from the hub bub of Yellowstone. I finally packed up and left Virginia City around 4pm for home, a perfect little get away for the weekend.

Trip to Butte, Part III, World Mining Museum

The last installment to the to my trip is the highlight of the World of Mining Museum located behind Montana Tec. University. My trip to Butte only lasted about a full day and half as I had to head back to West Yellowstone Wednesday evening. As in my last post I mentioned that I had camped up on Homestake Pass next to the old Northern Pacific Mainline now abandoned which Ill go into on a separate post. For now I want to focus on the tour of the mine that I got while visiting the museum and wrap of the overall trip.

During Wednesday morning I had time to kill in Butte since my mine tour that I had reserved on line a week before was at 2:30pm. I decided to check out the old depots in town. The town of Butte has two railroad depots, both no longer in use. The town itself was served by three different railroads at one time. The Union Pacific, Northern Pacific and Milwaukee Road. The first depot I visited was the old Northern Pacific Depot built in 1906. This Depot is now an event center and I was not able to get inside. The other Depot was the former Milwaukee Road station. This beautiful depot is now the local TV and Radio building. This depot was built in 1916 and had passenger service until the 1950s when the building was converted for the TV station. (Ill go into deeper history and explorations on separate posts).

After killing about three hours exploring and have lunch I headed for the World Mining Museum. This wonderful museum has a full small replica of a western town from the blacksmith shop to the local drug store. This museum is highly recommended for all ages. If you register before you arrive for an underground mine tour, since they fill up fast you can either go down 60ft or 100ft. below in the Orphan Girl Mine. Now this is an authentic mine including the 100-foot-tall headframe and the Hoist House, which houses exhibits as well as original equipment. You can climb into the cages that were crammed with six or seven miners for their daily trip 2700-feet down the shaft. From the time it was located in 1875 until it was purchased by Marcus Daly and associates in 1879, ownership of fractional shares in the Orphan Girl Mine changed hands faster than the ante in a poker game. The Orphan Girl eventually operated to a depth of over 3,000 feet. While not a huge producer according to Butte standards, by 1944 hardrock miners had removed a respectable 7,626,540 ounces of silver as well as lead and zinc from her depths. Cool temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees made the Orphan Girl, affectionately nicknamed “Orphan Annie” or “the Girl” a desirable place to work unlike some other mines where temperatures could top 100 degrees. By the end of the 1920s, the Anaconda Company owned the Girl which operated until the 1950s. In 1965, the Girl became the site of the World Museum of Mining.

The tour led me down an incline entrance, with my hard hat and light along with a jacket the tour of 13 of us proceeded down to the 60ft level and then eventually the 100ft. Most of the mine today is flooded by ground water and is no longer open. The tour was fascinating and full of history. You could ring the bell to tell the hoist operator to send a cage down to you or to take you up to a different level by using a mores code. The tour guide also let people operate a mine car that was used to haul the ore down the tracks through the tunnels to the hoist area to be taken out. Just like Indiana Jones.. ha ha.

The tour lasted about two hours and was well worth the money. Once finished and above ground I was free to explore the rest of the museum including the hoist house. After spending the rest of the afternoon there I walked out just at closing time and headed for dinner and the store to pick up grocery’s since in the town of West Yellowstone is limited and sometimes expensive. The overall trip was a success and had a wonderful time exploring the area. I hope to be back again next month to explore more of Homestake Pass. Ill be doing more in depth  posts on things I saw in and around Butte so make sure to watch for those.

If you want to see more photos of the trip check out my Instagram Site