Desert Queen Mine
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The Desert Queen Mine lies along the northeastern edge of Queen Valley in Joshua Tree National Park. Miners worked the property intermittently from the 1890s until 1961. Tunnels, shafts, waste-rock piles, and machinery remnants remain at the site.
Frank L. James discovered the deposit around 1894 while working at the Lost Horse Mine. According to later accounts, he prospected on his days off and found gold-bearing rock north of his workplace.
Charley Martin shot and killed James under disputed circumstances. Martin claimed self-defense, and the McHaneys subsequently gained control of the mine. Bill Keys later described the killing as an attempt to seize James's discovery. Keys arrived in the area after the shooting and was not an eyewitness. Accounts differ on the details.
The McHaneys developed the mine during the mid-1890s. They hauled early ore to a stamp mill at Pinyon Well. A five-stamp mill later processed Desert Queen ore at the property now known as Keys Ranch. Milling required water, fuel, equipment, and transportation.
Financial difficulties brought the mine under the control of the Zambro Bank, followed by other owners. William Morgan eventually acquired the property. By about 1911, Bill Keys was working there as a watchman or supervisor. He also assayed ore and maintained equipment. After his wages went unpaid, Keys obtained the property through a settlement for back pay.
The workings followed gold-bearing quartz veins and other mineralized zones in White Tank monzogranite. Gold occurred in localized pockets rather than a continuous body of profitable ore. Reported production totaled about 3,845 ounces of gold, most recovered during the early years.
Keys continued to work and lease the mine intermittently. His son Willis later recalled that leasing brought his father more money than operating the mine himself.
The Desert Queen Mine district entered the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 1976.
References
1. Hickman, Patricia Parker. 1977. Country Nodes: An Anropological Evaluation of William Keys' Desert Queen Ranch, Joshua Tree National Monument, California. Western Archeological Center Publications in Anthropology, No. 7. National Park Service. Chapter 2, "Pattern and Process."2. Trent, D. D. Undated. Geology and History of Mines of Joshua Tree National Park. Desert Queen Mine section, pp. 2-5. PDF hosted by Pomona College.
3. Keys, William F. 1966. Interview with Bill Keys, Clip #1. Interview by Steve Smith, October 21, 1966. Transcript by Faith Lane, January 10, 2015. Joshua Tree National Park, National Park Service.
4. Chappell, Gordon. 1975. Desert Queen Mine. National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form. National Park Service, Western Region. National Register reference number 76000216.
5. National Park Service. Desert Queen Mine. National Register Information System record, reference number 76000216.
6. Desert Queen Mine. Undated interpretive marker, Joshua Tree National Park. Photographed and transcribed by Craig Baker, July 14, 2024. Historical Marker Database. The marker attributes the production total to the U.S. Bureau of Mines; the underlying production record was not examined.
Wall Street Mill
Desert Queen Ranch
Bill Keys
Lost Horse Mine
Charley Martin
McHaneys
Pinyon Well
Keys Ranch