The old abandoned vehicles next to a gold mill in the Mojave Desert

@ElentirENG ES 3·09·2024 · 22:43 0

In 1848, after the discovery of gold at the Sutter's Mill sawmill in Coloma, a gold rush broke out that took California as its destination.

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California became a US state in 1850, during a process that attracted many outsiders to that former Spanish territory. That gold rush lasted until 1855, having attracted about 300,000 people. Already in the 20th century, after the crisis of 1929, the rise in the price of gold once again attracted many adventurers to the desert areas of that state. It was precisely in those years, specifically in 1933, when The Wall Street Mill was built, a gold processing mill located in the Mojave Desert, within what is now Joshua Tree National Park.

The land on which the mill was built, on which there was already a deposit, was purchased in 1930 by Bill Keys, a rancher in the area. In the 1940s, Keys became involved in a dispute with his neighbor Worth Bagley (who had mental problems) over access to the mill area. On May 11, 1943, Keys killed Bagley in a shootout, after which he was sent to prison, convicted of murder. His wife, Frances, decided to clear her husband's good name. When Keys had been in prison for 5 years, the case was reviewed and it was considered that Key had acted in his own defense, so he was released.

When he returned to the Wall Street Mill, Keys placed a stone commemorating the shooting, which is still there, with this text: "This is where Worth Bagley bit the dust from WF Keys' hand, May 11, 1943". Frances died in 1963 and her husband in 1969. The mill was last used in 1966. her children had left the desert, so the property It has been abandoned since then. Today it is one of the best preserved gold mills in the aforementioned park, and includes old vehicles from the 1920s and 1930s. A few days ago, Remote Trooper published an interesting video visiting that old mill and showing those vehicles:

You can see some screenshots from the video here. This is Bill Keys' old gold mill. It has been abandoned for almost 60 years.

From what I have been able to find, what we see here is a 1929 Lincoln Model L2 limousine that was converted by Keys into a station wagon.

A green 1930 Lincoln L Series pickup truck, with the wheels half buried and hidden in some bushes.

Another 1930 Lincoln L Series truck, with the front tires already completely degraded and the rear wheels buried.