Trails End Publishing
The Lucky Jim Mine and Wilhelm Camp[1
By Joe de Kehoe.
Copyright © Joe de Kehoe, 2009
Copyright © Joe de Kehoe, 2009
- The LuckyJim Mine, on the east flank of the Old Woman Mountains faces Ward Valley and the Turtle Mountains.
- The mine was opened as a gold prospect in 1911 by William Sherman Wilhelm.
- Sherman and the miners who worked there referred to the place as the Lucky Jim or simply, “The Jim”, but it was also known as Wilhelm Camp.
Sherman and Dora Wilhelm.
Sherman and Dora Wilhelm.
Sherman was born in Muscatine Iowa in 1864. He started his journey west from Trenton, Missouri in a covered wagon with his young family in 1896 - there was Sherman, his wife Dora (Duncan) and their two small children, Walt, age 3 and Hazel who was just a baby.By 1909 the family had crossed and re-crossed 7 states, prospected at dozens of mining claims, had 5 more children - Eva, Juanita, Kenneth, Cecil and Dora, and ended up at Battle Mountain, Nevada where Sherman made a large gold discovery.
Sherman and the family moved from Nevada to Long Beach, California, and with the money he made from the Battle Mountain gold mine Sherman started the Maricopa Queen Oil Company and went into the oil drilling business near what was then the Naval Petroleum Reserve outside of Bakersfield.
Gold mining was a way of life however, and it was not long before Sherman gave up the drilling business and turned his interests once more to prospecting, this time in the eastern Mojave Desert.
Sherman was born in Muscatine Iowa in 1864. He started his journey west from Trenton, Missouri in a covered wagon with his young family in 1896 - there was Sherman, his wife Dora (Duncan) and their two small children, Walt, age 3 and Hazel who was just a baby.By 1909 the family had crossed and re-crossed 7 states, prospected at dozens of mining claims, had 5 more children - Eva, Juanita, Kenneth, Cecil and Dora, and ended up at Battle Mountain, Nevada where Sherman made a large gold discovery.
Sherman and the family moved from Nevada to Long Beach, California, and with the money he made from the Battle Mountain gold mine Sherman started the Maricopa Queen Oil Company and went into the oil drilling business near what was then the Naval Petroleum Reserve outside of Bakersfield.
Gold mining was a way of life however, and it was not long before Sherman gave up the drilling business and turned his interests once more to prospecting, this time in the eastern Mojave Desert.
In addition to the Wilhelm family who lived at the mine – Sherman and Dora and their 7 children – there was Ed Martin, Red Roy Smith, Ed Morath, a long time family friend whom they first met in Colorado in 1897, Paul Keele, Knit Sherman (no relation), J. Byrd “Jaybird” Duncan (Dora’s brother), ‘Hardrock’ Shorty, and Mac McClary, a mule skinner.
Red Roy Smith was the cook and showed up at the mine one day looking for a job, having walked the 17 miles from the railroad siding at Milligan to the Lucky Jim. Sherman hired him on the spot.
Knit Sherman was a miner from Searchlight, Nevada and had hiked from Searchlight to The Lucky Jim when he got word that Sherman had made a silver strike. He was the first man that Sherman hired when he started mining the Lucky Jim and a life-long friend of the family.
Hardrock Shorty was apparently killed by a cave-in; the only known fatality at the Lucky Jim.
Red Roy Smith was the cook and showed up at the mine one day looking for a job, having walked the 17 miles from the railroad siding at Milligan to the Lucky Jim. Sherman hired him on the spot.
Knit Sherman was a miner from Searchlight, Nevada and had hiked from Searchlight to The Lucky Jim when he got word that Sherman had made a silver strike. He was the first man that Sherman hired when he started mining the Lucky Jim and a life-long friend of the family.
Hardrock Shorty was apparently killed by a cave-in; the only known fatality at the Lucky Jim.
Sherman reasoned that all of the easy places had already been picked over by other miners and prospectors so he explored areas of the desert that were either remote or hard to reach – he found both in the Old Woman Mountains where in 1911 he staked his claim and named it the “Lucky Jim”. The mine was named after Jim Moorman who was married to Dora’s sister. Jim had a reputation as a gambler “….in his younger days”, and although the mine carries his name, Jim never worked at the mine – he worked for the City of Long Beach.
Sherman filed the claim under the Maricopa Queen Oil Company and worked the mine for 2 to 3 years. He was looking for gold, but in 1912 he made a silver strike and the mine produced mainly silver with smaller quantities of gold and lead, ultimately producing about $50,000 worth of ore. Most early maps of the eastern Mojave Desert, those printed from 1911 to about the 1950s, refer to the Lucky Jim as “Wilhelm Camp” because of the cluster of buildings. A geological report published in 1914 reported that Wilhelm Camp consisted of bunk houses, a boarding house, a barn and a corral, and by 1930 there were “…3 cabins and a blacksmith shop”.
Sherman filed the claim under the Maricopa Queen Oil Company and worked the mine for 2 to 3 years. He was looking for gold, but in 1912 he made a silver strike and the mine produced mainly silver with smaller quantities of gold and lead, ultimately producing about $50,000 worth of ore. Most early maps of the eastern Mojave Desert, those printed from 1911 to about the 1950s, refer to the Lucky Jim as “Wilhelm Camp” because of the cluster of buildings. A geological report published in 1914 reported that Wilhelm Camp consisted of bunk houses, a boarding house, a barn and a corral, and by 1930 there were “…3 cabins and a blacksmith shop”.
Mineshaft, photo by Joe de Kehoe
The availability of water at the Lucky Jim Mine was a major problem. When Sherman first opened the mine most of their water was hauled 17 miles from the railroad siding at Milligan and sometimes from Sunflower Springs, 6 miles north of the mine.
By following the trail of some sheep he had frequently seen in a dry wash, Sherman discovered a spring, now known as Wilhelm Spring, at the upper reaches of a valley just southwest of the mine, a valley that the Wilhelm children referred to as Rabbit Patch because of all the jackrabbits. Sherman laid over 3 miles of 1-inch steel pipe from the spring to the Lucky Jim to supply water to the camp.
Although he hauled the pipe to the head of the wash by truck, there is no way to get a vehicle or a burro up the narrow parts of the canyon – each 25-foot section of pipe had to be carried in and connected by hand. Having twice made the hike up to Wilhelm Springs with nothing more than my camera and water bottles, I can only wonder how difficult it must have been to drag lengths of steel pipe up that wash.
By following the trail of some sheep he had frequently seen in a dry wash, Sherman discovered a spring, now known as Wilhelm Spring, at the upper reaches of a valley just southwest of the mine, a valley that the Wilhelm children referred to as Rabbit Patch because of all the jackrabbits. Sherman laid over 3 miles of 1-inch steel pipe from the spring to the Lucky Jim to supply water to the camp.
Although he hauled the pipe to the head of the wash by truck, there is no way to get a vehicle or a burro up the narrow parts of the canyon – each 25-foot section of pipe had to be carried in and connected by hand. Having twice made the hike up to Wilhelm Springs with nothing more than my camera and water bottles, I can only wonder how difficult it must have been to drag lengths of steel pipe up that wash.
A section of steel pipe in the dry wash leading to Wilhelm Spring. Joe de Kehoe photo.
At least part of the pipe in the canyon was later replaced with black PVC tubing, pieces of which are still visible half buried in the sand. A few badly rusted sections of the original steel pipe are still in evidence today, partly buried in the wash, and there are occasional sections of the pipe laying on the ground in Rabbit Patch.
By 1915 the Lucky Jim had petered out so Sherman moved his family and his workers to the Ruth Mine in Arizona. In the late 1920s Ed Morath, who had moved with Sherman to the ‘Ruth’, returned to California to re-start the Lucky Jim, and he leased out the property to a Mr. Crampton. One of the miners who worked with Crampton at the Lucky Jim was a young man named Tom Cooper who worked at the mine from 1928 to 1930 doing all sorts of jobs – cooking, loading ore cars, powder monkey – and Tom wrote short episodes about his experiences working there including a short piece in Desert Magazine. The Lucky Jim remained active until about 1930, and the claim survived until the 1950s.
Other than the diggings, the pieces of water pipe, mine tailings, and rock cribbing to shore up the road at the far end of the valley there is little that remains at the Lucky Jim Mine today. The entrances to the larger shafts have been sealed with steel bars to prevent foolish visitors from becoming statistics. On the south face of the ridge there are 4 main shafts dug into the mountain and a dozen or so shallow prospects. The road into the Lucky Jim continues to the far end of the valley and climbs up the hillside to another sizeable mine opening and the collapsed remains of a wooden cabin. Although the stone shoring on the sides of the road is in good shape and the road is easy to walk, is deeply rutted and is no longer drivable.
By 1915 the Lucky Jim had petered out so Sherman moved his family and his workers to the Ruth Mine in Arizona. In the late 1920s Ed Morath, who had moved with Sherman to the ‘Ruth’, returned to California to re-start the Lucky Jim, and he leased out the property to a Mr. Crampton. One of the miners who worked with Crampton at the Lucky Jim was a young man named Tom Cooper who worked at the mine from 1928 to 1930 doing all sorts of jobs – cooking, loading ore cars, powder monkey – and Tom wrote short episodes about his experiences working there including a short piece in Desert Magazine. The Lucky Jim remained active until about 1930, and the claim survived until the 1950s.
Other than the diggings, the pieces of water pipe, mine tailings, and rock cribbing to shore up the road at the far end of the valley there is little that remains at the Lucky Jim Mine today. The entrances to the larger shafts have been sealed with steel bars to prevent foolish visitors from becoming statistics. On the south face of the ridge there are 4 main shafts dug into the mountain and a dozen or so shallow prospects. The road into the Lucky Jim continues to the far end of the valley and climbs up the hillside to another sizeable mine opening and the collapsed remains of a wooden cabin. Although the stone shoring on the sides of the road is in good shape and the road is easy to walk, is deeply rutted and is no longer drivable.
Wilhelm's Gravestone
Sherman passed away in 1934, and Dora died in 1959.
They are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Whittier, California.
The Lucky Jim Mine, Rabbit Patch and Wilhelm Spring is inside the Old Woman Mountains Wilderness area, but the walk from the Wilderness boundary to the mine is an easy one - only about a quarter of a mile. The walk up Rabbit Patch to Wilhelm Spring is a little more of a trudge because it is a long, sandy uphill grade to the mouth of the canyon that leads to the spring. On the side road leading from Water Road to the Lucky Jim Mine there is a galvanized steel gate that marks the Wilderness boundary. Although the gate was in good shape when I first visited the mine in 2004, the Wilderness Boundary marker is gone and the gate is pretty much in tatters.
*For a truly enjoyable adventure story of a family traveling through the American west at the turn of the century I highly recommend reading Last Rig to Battle Mountain by Walt Wilhelm, Sherman’s oldest son. Walt and his brother Kenneth lived outside of Barstow, near Yermo and Manix, and were archers and trick shooters of world-class caliber. Walt was a lifelong friend of Early Stanley Gardner, the author of the Perry Mason stories and several books about the Mojave Desert - Walt and Kenneth are featured prominently in Gardner’s books. I interviewed two of the Wilhelm family members in researching the history of the Lucky Jim Mine, and it was difficult to stay focused on the mine with so many interesting sidelights to this family.
Walt Wilhelm passed away in 1981. Although he lived in Yermo he is buried with his daughter in Genoa, Nevada, a place he loved from the time his family first traveled through the area in their covered wagon when he was still a young boy. Walt intended to publish a second book of his family’s adventures, but unfortunately he died before it was finished.
I finished reading Last Rig to Battle Mountain a few weekends ago while camped near the Lucky Jim. The book is out of print, but used copies are not too difficult to find by doing an internet search.
Joe de Kehoe
Bakersfield, California, Nov. 2008.
[1] This article was first published in February, 2009 in Desert Tailings, the newsletter of the Mojave River Valley Museum and is reprinted here with permission.
They are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Whittier, California.
The Lucky Jim Mine, Rabbit Patch and Wilhelm Spring is inside the Old Woman Mountains Wilderness area, but the walk from the Wilderness boundary to the mine is an easy one - only about a quarter of a mile. The walk up Rabbit Patch to Wilhelm Spring is a little more of a trudge because it is a long, sandy uphill grade to the mouth of the canyon that leads to the spring. On the side road leading from Water Road to the Lucky Jim Mine there is a galvanized steel gate that marks the Wilderness boundary. Although the gate was in good shape when I first visited the mine in 2004, the Wilderness Boundary marker is gone and the gate is pretty much in tatters.
*For a truly enjoyable adventure story of a family traveling through the American west at the turn of the century I highly recommend reading Last Rig to Battle Mountain by Walt Wilhelm, Sherman’s oldest son. Walt and his brother Kenneth lived outside of Barstow, near Yermo and Manix, and were archers and trick shooters of world-class caliber. Walt was a lifelong friend of Early Stanley Gardner, the author of the Perry Mason stories and several books about the Mojave Desert - Walt and Kenneth are featured prominently in Gardner’s books. I interviewed two of the Wilhelm family members in researching the history of the Lucky Jim Mine, and it was difficult to stay focused on the mine with so many interesting sidelights to this family.
Walt Wilhelm passed away in 1981. Although he lived in Yermo he is buried with his daughter in Genoa, Nevada, a place he loved from the time his family first traveled through the area in their covered wagon when he was still a young boy. Walt intended to publish a second book of his family’s adventures, but unfortunately he died before it was finished.
I finished reading Last Rig to Battle Mountain a few weekends ago while camped near the Lucky Jim. The book is out of print, but used copies are not too difficult to find by doing an internet search.
Joe de Kehoe
Bakersfield, California, Nov. 2008.
[1] This article was first published in February, 2009 in Desert Tailings, the newsletter of the Mojave River Valley Museum and is reprinted here with permission.
