In the desolate expanse of California’s Mojave Desert, a violent clash unfolded on May 11, 1943, that would echo through the history of Joshua Tree National Park. The incident, known as the Bill Keys shootout, pitted William F. “Bill” Keys, a rugged homesteader and miner, against his neighbor, Worth Bagley, in a deadly confrontation rooted in a bitter land dispute. This account draws from historical records and firsthand sources to recount the events leading to the shootout, the incident itself, and its lasting impact.
Background: Bill Keys and the Desert Queen Ranch
Bill Keys was a stoic figure, shaped by the harsh realities of desert life. Born in either Nebraska or Russia—accounts vary—he arrived in the Joshua Tree area around 1910. After working as a ranch hand for Walter Scott in the Mojave and later managing the Desert Queen Mine, Keys acquired land through the Homestead Act when the mine closed in 1917. He named his property the Desert Queen Ranch, where he built a life with his wife, Frances, raising seven children, three of whom tragically died in early childhood. Keys was a self-reliant man, constructing a stamp mill, digging wells, and cultivating orchards and livestock in an environment that demanded relentless perseverance. His life was one of grit, ingenuity, and survival in an unforgiving landscape.
Worth Bagley, a former Los Angeles deputy sheriff, entered the scene in 1938. Described in some accounts as erratic or possibly mentally unstable, Bagley settled near Keys’ ranch, and tensions soon arose. The core of their conflict centered on a dirt road—variously called Quail Wash or Quail Springs Historic Trail—that Keys had used for decades to access his Wall Street Mill. Bagley claimed the road crossed his property and demanded Keys stop using it, escalating their feud with a threatening cardboard sign planted in the road: “KEYS, THIS IS MY LAST WARNING. STAY OFF MY PROPERTY.”
The establishment of Joshua Tree National Monument in 1936 added further strain. The monument’s boundaries enveloped Keys’ ranch, restricting his cattle grazing and fueling his resentment toward federal oversight. Bagley, too, clashed with Keys over property rights, and their disputes—whether over the road, water, or grazing land—grew increasingly volatile. By 1943, the stage was set for a confrontation that reflected the lingering lawlessness of the Old West.
The Shootout: May 11, 1943
On the morning of May 11, 1943, Bill Keys drove along the familiar dirt road toward his Wall Street Mill. As he approached the sign erected by Bagley, he stopped his car, acutely aware of the threat’s gravity. Keys, a seasoned desert dweller whose survival had long depended on keen observation, surveyed the surrounding terrain. According to Keys’ account, Bagley ambushed him, emerging from cover and opening fire. Keys, armed and prepared, returned fire in self-defense, fatally shooting Bagley. The exchange was swift, a brutal culmination of years of animosity.
Keys maintained that he acted to protect his life, but the legal system viewed the incident differently. Arrested and charged with murder, Keys faced a trial that many considered unjust. The prosecution painted him as the aggressor, and a jury convicted him of manslaughter, sentencing him to ten years in San Quentin State Penitentiary. The trial was marred by controversy, with some accounts suggesting bias against Keys, a solitary desert figure, in favor of Bagley, a former lawman.
Trail Map
Aftermath and Redemption
While incarcerated, Keys’ resilience and sharp mind—honed by years of navigating the desert’s challenges—kept him focused. His wife, Frances, sought help from Erle Stanley Gardner, a Ventura-based attorney and author of the Perry Mason novels, who was drawn to the desert and had befriended the Keys family during his visits to Joshua Tree. Gardner, through his Court of Last Resort, investigated Keys’ case, uncovering evidence of self-defense and procedural flaws in the trial. His advocacy, combined with growing public support, led to Keys’ parole after five years and a full pardon in 1956.
Upon his release, Keys returned to the Desert Queen Ranch, where he lived quietly until his death in 1969. In a defiant act of remembrance, he erected a stone marker at the site of the shootout, inscribed: “Here is where Worth Bagley bit the dust at the hand of W.F. Keys, May 11, 1943.” The original marker, vandalized in 2014, was replaced with a steel replica by the National Park Service, preserving the site’s historical significance along the Wall Street Mill Trail.
Legacy and Reflection
The Bill Keys shootout is a stark reminder of the rugged individualism and simmering tensions that defined life in the American West, even into the mid-20th century. It reflects not only a personal feud but also broader conflicts over land, resources, and autonomy in a region increasingly shaped by federal control. Keys’ story, as detailed in Art Kidwell’s Ambush: The Story of Bill Keys, challenges the romanticized narrative of the West, revealing a world where survival often hinged on quick decisions and deadly force.
Today, Joshua Tree National Park preserves the site as a tourist attraction, with rangers leading tours of the Desert Queen Ranch and recounting Keys’ tale. The shootout, though a footnote in the broader sweep of American history, remains a poignant chapter in the park’s cultural landscape, embodying the harsh realities and enduring spirit of those who carved out lives in the desert.
The Worth Bagley Stone
The Worth Bagley Stone is a historical marker located in Joshua Tree National Park, San Bernardino County, California, along the Wall Street Mill Trail, approximately 0.3 miles from the trailhead. The original marker was a granite stone, measuring approximately 78 cm high, 46 cm wide, and 12 cm thick, inscribed with the text: “Here is where Worth Bagly [sic] bit the dust at the hand of W.F. Keys, May 11, 1943.” The misspelling of “Bagley” as “Bagly” is notable on the marker. This stone was carved and erected by William F. (Bill) Keys to commemorate a deadly shootout between himself and Worth Bagley, a former Los Angeles deputy sheriff, over a land and water access dispute. Due to vandalism, including green paint defacement and the stone being broken off at its base in 2014, the original was removed by the National Park Service for safekeeping in the park’s museum. In February 2019, a replica made of ¾-inch steel was installed at the original site, crafted by artist Rebecca Lowry of JTLab in collaboration with park staff, Vagabond Welding, and Keys’ descendants. The replica closely mirrors the original’s design and lettering, ensuring the historical event remains marked for visitors.
History
The Worth Bagley Stone marks the site of a fatal confrontation on May 11, 1943, between Bill Keys, a rancher and miner who owned the Desert Queen Ranch and Wall Street Mill, and his neighbor, Worth Bagley. The two had a contentious relationship, primarily due to a dispute over access to a road leading to the Wall Street Mill, which Bagley claimed crossed his property. Bagley, known for his volatile temperament and history of conflict, had reportedly shot Keys’ cattle and posted a warning sign threatening Keys to stay off his land. On the day of the incident, Keys claimed Bagley ambushed him with a revolver along the road. Bagley fired and missed, and Keys returned fire with his rifle, killing Bagley. Keys turned himself in to authorities the same day.
In the subsequent trial, Keys was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to ten years in San Quentin State Prison, despite his self-defense claim. Evidence tampering and questionable expert testimony may have influenced the verdict. While in prison, Keys educated himself in the library, and his case gained attention from Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason, who advocated for his release. Keys was paroled in 1948 after serving five years and received a full pardon in 1956. Upon returning to his Desert Queen Ranch, Keys carved and placed the granite marker at the shootout site in the 1950s to memorialize the event.
The stone stood as a testament to the rugged, lawless spirit of the desert and Keys’ determination to defend his rights, as he once stated, “If the law won’t uphold me, I’ll uphold myself.” However, by 2014, vandalism had damaged the marker, prompting its removal for preservation. The National Park Service, recognizing its historical significance, commissioned the steel replica to maintain the site’s historical narrative. The Worth Bagley Stone remains a poignant reminder of the violent disputes that shaped the history of Joshua Tree National Park, then known as Joshua Tree National Monument, and is a point of interest for hikers and history enthusiasts on the Wall Street Mill Trail.
Sources
- Worth Bagley Stone Historical Marker, www.hmdb.org
- People of the Desert: Joshua Tree National Park Exhibit, www.nps.gov
- Marker Pinpoints 1943 Shootout At Joshua Tree National Park, www.nationalparkstraveler.org
- Worth Bagley, Cali49, www.cali49.com
- Historical Highlight: Shootout at the Wall Street Mill, z1077fm.com
- Joshua Tree National Park Replaces Historic Marker, www.nps.gov
- How Bill Keys Was Freed by the Court of Last Resort, www.thedesertway.com