Lookout City, California
Encyclopedia
Lookout City is a former settlement in the Mojave Desert
, in Inyo County
, California
. It lay at an elevation of 3579 feet (1091 m).
on top of Lookout mountain. The discovery was named the Modoc, and was sold to a group of investors which included George Hearst
, the famed mining engineer, U.S. Senator, and father of William Randolph Hearst
. (He was also the great-great grandfather of Patty Hearst.
The Modoc Consolidated Mining Company was formed with the Modoc mine as the principal mine. Together with the discovery of other nearby mines, which included the Minnietta Belle below Lookout Mountain , these mines formed the basis for the Modoc District with the townsite of Lookout located on top of Lookout Mountain.
The town of Lookout consisted of 2 general stores, 3 saloons, company offices, and as many as 30 other wood and stone structures. By 1876 two 60 ton furnaces and a 10-stamp mill
were running and production was quoted as running 160 silver-lead bars per day. The bars averaged 90 lbs. each and assayed around $400.00. By the end of 1876 Remi Nadeau
's Cerro Gordo Freighting Company had hauled 10,000 bars worth some $4,000,000 over the Bullion Trail which was originally built for the ore of the Cerro Gordo Mines
. Remi Nadeau needed a faster route for his teams, so he constructed the Nadeau "Shotgun" road across the Panamint Valley
and over the Slate Range
to meet the Bullion Trail south of China Lake.
To supply the furnaces with charcoal, 10 charcoal kilns were built in Wildrose Canyon 25 miles away in the Panamint Range
, and a steady stream of burros delivered charcoal in sacks to Lookout City via a pack trail on the east side of Lookout Mountain. The U.S. Bureau of Mines reported that total production during the period 1875 through 1890 amounted to $1,900,000 from the Modoc Mine alone.
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, in Inyo County
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It lay at an elevation of 3579 feet (1091 m).
History
In 1875 rich deposits of silver-lead ore were discovered in the Argus RangeArgus Range
The Argus Range is a mountain range located in Inyo County, California, southeast of the town of Darwin, between the Coso Range and the Panamint Valley, with the Panamint Range to the east .-Geography:The range contains Maturango Peak, at above sea level...
on top of Lookout mountain. The discovery was named the Modoc, and was sold to a group of investors which included George Hearst
George Hearst
George Hearst was a wealthy American businessman and United States Senator, and the father of newspaperman William Randolph Hearst.-Early life and education:...
, the famed mining engineer, U.S. Senator, and father of William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
. (He was also the great-great grandfather of Patty Hearst.
The Modoc Consolidated Mining Company was formed with the Modoc mine as the principal mine. Together with the discovery of other nearby mines, which included the Minnietta Belle below Lookout Mountain , these mines formed the basis for the Modoc District with the townsite of Lookout located on top of Lookout Mountain.
The town of Lookout consisted of 2 general stores, 3 saloons, company offices, and as many as 30 other wood and stone structures. By 1876 two 60 ton furnaces and a 10-stamp mill
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
were running and production was quoted as running 160 silver-lead bars per day. The bars averaged 90 lbs. each and assayed around $400.00. By the end of 1876 Remi Nadeau
Remi Nadeau
Remi Nadeau is an American historian. He earned a bachelor's degree from Stanford University and a PhD from the University of California at Santa Barbara.-Publications:* City Makers * The Water Seekers...
's Cerro Gordo Freighting Company had hauled 10,000 bars worth some $4,000,000 over the Bullion Trail which was originally built for the ore of the Cerro Gordo Mines
Cerro Gordo Mines
The Cerro Gordo Mines were a collection of mines located in the Inyo Mountains, in Inyo County, California. Mining operations were undertaken from 1866 until 1957, producing high grade silver, lead, and zinc ore. Some ore was smelted on site, however the remote location led to larger scale...
. Remi Nadeau needed a faster route for his teams, so he constructed the Nadeau "Shotgun" road across the Panamint Valley
Panamint Valley
The Panamint Valley is a long basin located east of the Argus Range and Slate Range, and west of the Panamint Range in the northeastern reach of the Mojave Desert, in eastern California, United States.-Geography:...
and over the Slate Range
Slate Range
The Slate Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies, located in Banff National Park, Canada. The range is named after slate, the primary composition of the mountains in the area.The Lake Louise Mountain Resort is on the southern slopes of this range....
to meet the Bullion Trail south of China Lake.
To supply the furnaces with charcoal, 10 charcoal kilns were built in Wildrose Canyon 25 miles away in the Panamint Range
Panamint Range
The Panamint Range is a short rugged fault-block mountain range on the northern edge of the Mojave Desert, in Death Valley National Park, Inyo County, California, United States.-Geography:...
, and a steady stream of burros delivered charcoal in sacks to Lookout City via a pack trail on the east side of Lookout Mountain. The U.S. Bureau of Mines reported that total production during the period 1875 through 1890 amounted to $1,900,000 from the Modoc Mine alone.