Cow Camp
Encyclopedia
Cow Camp, located in Joshua Tree National Park
, was associated with cattle rustling in the 1880s and 1890s. It was then later used as a line camp for cattle ranching. A stone chimney, two small dams, watering troughs and a well remain. One dam was built by local rancher and character William F. Keys.
The camp was first established by the "McHaney Gang" in the late 1880's. Cattle rustlers
used the camp into the 1890's. Jim McHaney reputedly murdered the discoverer of the Desert Queen Mine
before losing it to a bank, then sold Cow Camp in 1894 to George Myers. McHaney eventually was convicted of counterfeiting $20 gold pieces in gold-plated lead and was sentenced to seventeen years in jail. In the 1920's Bill Keys, who had inherited McHaney's holdings, took over Cow Camp as part of his ranching operation.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
, was associated with cattle rustling in the 1880s and 1890s. It was then later used as a line camp for cattle ranching. A stone chimney, two small dams, watering troughs and a well remain. One dam was built by local rancher and character William F. Keys.
The camp was first established by the "McHaney Gang" in the late 1880's. Cattle rustlers
Cattle raiding
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle.In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the person as a duffer...
used the camp into the 1890's. Jim McHaney reputedly murdered the discoverer of the Desert Queen Mine
Desert Queen Mine
The Desert Queen Mine was one of the more successful and long-lived mines of the high desert in Riverside County, California. The abandoned mine is located in Joshua Tree National Park....
before losing it to a bank, then sold Cow Camp in 1894 to George Myers. McHaney eventually was convicted of counterfeiting $20 gold pieces in gold-plated lead and was sentenced to seventeen years in jail. In the 1920's Bill Keys, who had inherited McHaney's holdings, took over Cow Camp as part of his ranching operation.