Lead-silver ore was first mined here in 1913 and continued until 1920. Many other mines popped up but the first one had the only good ore. There was some new activity in 1926 due to discoveries in nearby Quartz Mountain. Water had to be hauled in from Lodi Valley, 10 miles away, and ore was hauled to a mill some 12 mile distant.

Some people continued to live at the site, off and on, for many years.

Like Quartz Mountain, there are many mine shafts and prospects in the area but only one still has standing structures. That is the original Broken Hills Mine. It has a wooden headframe which straddle a long, narrow open stope. There is also a small hoist house. Apparently this hoist house was built in the 1980s on the foundation of an earlier hoist house.

A short distance to the west is a lone grave surrounded by an iron fence. The original headstone was stolen and has since been replaced with a wooden marker labeled, “Matt Costello, 1866-1926”. According to the September 1972 issue of Desert Magazine, Mr. Costello was a prospector who was found dead just after having sold his only promising claim.

The last time I was here was about twenty years ago. As usual, idiot vandals have taken a toll.

Last updated September  2014.

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