Category: Trails

Old Mojave Road

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The Old Mojave Road (Government Road) is an east-west route that enters the Mojave National Preserve off the highway 95 in Nevada, and Afton Canyon on the west side.  Some sections are rough and sandy; 4 x 4 recommended. Roads can become slick, muddy and impassable after rains. Be sure to inquire about road conditions, especially if you plan to cross Soda Dry Lake.

The railroad monument along the Old Mojave Road in the Mojave National Preserve.
The railroad monument along the Old Mojave Road in the Mojave National Preserve.

The Mojave Road is party of the Old Spanish Trail, which is a 700 mile long historical trade route that connected the northern New Mexico settlements near Santa Fe, New Mexico with those of Los Angeles, California. The Old Spanish trail’s rugged terrain discouraged the use of wagons. It was always a pack route, mainly used by men and mules. Used by Indians to transport goods from the southwest to trade with the Chumash and other coastal tribes, this route later served the cause of westward expansion. Military forts were established along the route to protect key water sources and provide assistance for travelers.

The route at one time was for all intents and purposes lost until Dennis Casebier and Friends researched the route and reestablished the trail as if it know today and is a popular four-wheel drive road.

The eastern section of the Old Mojave Road leaves US 95 in Nevada near Laughlin moving westward.  The eastern section climbs up to Fort Piute and continues past an old corral one a rocky climb.  Once up on the plateau, the road continues to travel west to Nipton Road.

Bert Smith's Cabin located in the Mojave National Reserve
Bert Smith’s Cabin located in the Mojave National Reserve

The central section starts at Nipton Road and continues west to Kelbaker road near Baker, CA.  The road starts rather narrow with high brush offering the opportunity for some new desert pin-striping.

Government Holes in the central section of the Old Mojave Road.
Government Holes in the central section of the Old Mojave Road.

A short declination which offers the only real obstacle near Rock Spring.  Burt Smiths cabin and the Government Holes water offer short hikes and distractions from the trail.  Once you cross the Kelso Cima Road, about 5 miles of  “whoop de doos” will rock you to sleep.  The center section offers the most to see, and if you choose one section, this would be it in our opinion.

The western section leaves Kelbaker road and continues west into the dry soda lake south of Baker.  The western section of the route can best be described as dry and sandy.  A larger mine complex and Afton Canyon are the major sights.

Afton Canyon in the Mojave National Preserve.
Afton Canyon in the Mojave National Preserve.

In addition to over 100 miles of 4×4 trail, the Old Mojave road offers access to mines, old homesteads, and other 4×4 routes.  The Old Mojave can be run either way and in a single long day, or in thirds with access being provided from Kelbaker road out of Baker or the Nipton Road in the the East.  However, for the best experience, take your time and run the trail in Multiple days and overnight in one of many primitive or established Campgrounds.

Old Mojave Road Trail Map

Jail Canyon Road

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The hottest place on earth, Death Valley National Park is on the order with California and Nevada
The hottest place on earth, Death Valley National Park is on the order with California and Nevada

Jail Canyon Road is a rugged, scenic 4WD trail in the western Panamint Mountains, branching east from Indian Ranch Road in Panamint Valley and leading into Death Valley National Park, offering vibrant canyon views, a perennial stream, and access to historic mining sites like the Corona Mine. This approximately 5.2-mile one-way route ascends from the valley floor at around 1,800 feet to about 3,200 feet at the mine, crossing rocky alluvial fans and narrow washes amid colorful rock formations, making it a popular day trip for off-road enthusiasts and history buffs. The trail lies mostly on BLM land for the first 1.5 miles before entering the national park, where dispersed camping is permitted but requires self-sufficiency due to no services, water, or cell coverage.

Current Conditions (as of Latest Available Data, August 2025)

As of mid-2025, Jail Canyon Road appears navigable for high-clearance 4WD vehicles, though recent flash floods from 2023-2024 storms (including Hurricane Hilary remnants) have caused washouts and rock obstacles in similar nearby routes; no specific closures are reported for Jail Canyon, but conditions can change rapidly with monsoon rains or erosion, potentially making sections impassable. Expect extreme summer heat (over 100°F/38°C), dry and dusty terrain, and potential winter snow at higher elevations; always verify real-time status via the NPS website, Death Valley Road Conditions Facebook group, or apps like Gaia GPS before attempting, as self-rescue may be necessary. In 2021, monsoons washed out parts, requiring hiking the final 2 miles, and a large boulder was noted alongside the trail in recent reports—carry ample water, tools, and a Campfire Permit for any fires on BLM land. Nearby roads like Emigrant Canyon are undergoing repairs with closures through early 2025, which may indirectly affect access via connecting routes.

Trail Description and Difficulty

Access begins from Indian Ranch Road, reached via paved Trona-Wildrose Road from the south (28 miles north of Trona) or Panamint Valley Road from the north (13.9 miles south from SR-190); after 4.0 miles on graded Indian Ranch Road, turn left onto the rocky Jail Canyon spur. The trail starts as a slow, rocky climb across an alluvial fan with panoramic views of the Panamint Mountains and eroded Hall Canyon, transitioning into a narrow wash with boulder negotiations and stream crossings—rated moderate overall but requiring short-wheelbase, high-clearance 4×4 vehicles with low-range gearing for the final sections. Travel time is 1-2 hours one-way; beyond the vehicle endpoint (often a sheer drop or washout), hiking continues along a streamside path to the mine, adding steep, unshaded ascents suitable for experienced hikers—bring maps like National Geographic’s Death Valley edition for navigation, and adhere to Leave No Trace to protect the riparian habitat.

Trail Map

Points of Interest

  • Corona Mine and Mill Ruins: At the trail’s end, explore remnants including a steam boiler, wood trams, rails, and a well-preserved mill site along a willow-lined stream—hike short trails upstream for more artifacts and a stand of reeds.
  • Miner’s Cabin: A maintained historic cabin with a guest book signed by global visitors, picnic table, and nearby dispersed camping spots offering canyon views (windy at night); adopted by off-road groups to preserve mining heritage.
  • Outhouse (Privy): A wood-framed structure near hiking trails, once whimsically painted but now in disrepair—watch for wildlife like rattlesnakes and scorpions.
  • Scenic Overlooks and Wildlife: Panoramic vistas of multi-layered mountains, potential sightings of bighorn sheep or burros, and dark skies for stargazing in this remote area.

History of the Corona Mine

The Corona Mine, nestled in Jail Canyon, exemplifies the boom-and-bust mining era of the Panamint Mountains, with operations spanning over a century and contributing to the region’s silver, gold, lead, copper, and zinc production that fueled local economies during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gold was first discovered in 1899 by Jack Curran, who mined until 1901 when a flash flood destroyed his three-stamp mill, powered by a water wheel and local spring. Activity remained intermittent until 1930, when it was renamed the Gem Mine; by 1932, a 25-ton mill was built, featuring a jaw crusher, ball mill, flotation unit, and 50-horsepower diesel engine, boosting output until water infiltration forced closure in 1938. In the 1940s, A.F. Troster revived the site, selling it in 1949 to the Corona Mining Company, which re-timbered tunnels but abandoned operations by 1950 due to dwindling ore. Troster resided in the cabin into the 1950s, marking the end of active mining; the site’s ruins, including modern equipment left behind, highlight the technological adaptations and environmental challenges that defined Panamint mining, as detailed in resources like Michel Digonnet’s “Hiking Western Death Valley National Park.”

Skidoo California – Inyo County Ghost Town

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Skidoo, California, once a bustling gold mining town in the early 20th century, now stands as a ghost town within Death Valley National Park. Located in Inyo County at an elevation of 5,689 feet, Skidoo epitomized the boom-and-bust cycle of mining communities in the American West. Its history, marked by rapid growth, innovative engineering, and eventual decline, offers a glimpse into the challenges and ambitions of desert mining during the gold rush era. This report explores Skidoo’s origins, development, key events, and legacy, drawing on historical records and contemporary accounts.

Skidoo, CA 1907
Skidoo California, 1907

Origins and Establishment

Skidoo’s story began in January 1906, when prospectors John Ramsey and John “One-Eye” Thompson, en route to the gold strike at Harrisburg, were halted by a rare fog near Emigrant Spring. When the fog lifted, they discovered promising gold-bearing ledges, leading them to file claims for what became the Gold Eagle Group. News of their find spread, and Bob Montgomery, a prominent mining figure from Rhyolite, purchased these claims for $100,000, fueling the rapid development of the area. Initially named Hoveck after Matt Hoveck, the Skidoo Mine’s manager, the town was renamed Skidoo in 1907, inspired by the popular slang phrase “23 skidoo,” meaning to leave quickly or take advantage of an opportunity. Local lore suggests the name also referenced the 23 miles of pipeline bringing water to the town, though this remains speculative.

Right here on the border line between California and Nevada, just a few miles from arid within speaking distance of Nevada’s big, bonanza gold camps of Goldfield, Rhyolite, Tonopah, California promises to give birth to the most wonderful gold mines America has yet produced . . . . Here the golden goddess is again singing her siren song of enchantment and California is again beckoning to the world with a finger of gold: and the world is listening, and looking, and coming–TO SKIDOO!

Rhyolite Herald, 4 January 1907

Boom Years (1906–1917)

Skidoo quickly grew into a thriving community, peaking at around 700 residents by mid-1907. The town boasted advanced amenities for its time, including a post office (established as Hoveck in 1906 and renamed Skidoo in 1907), a telephone exchange, the Skidoo News newspaper, a school with 29 students, four saloons, three restaurants, and the Southern California Bank of Skidoo. Stagecoach connections to Rhyolite and Ballarat, along with private automobiles, linked Skidoo to nearby settlements, while a telephone line to Rhyolite facilitated communication.

The Skidoo Mine, operated by the Skidoo Mines Company, was the town’s economic backbone, producing approximately 75,000 ounces of gold—valued at over $1.5 million at the time—between 1906 and 1917. The mine’s success was bolstered by two remarkable engineering feats. First, Skidoo hosted the only milling plant in the Death Valley region powered almost entirely by water, using a gravity-feed system to separate gold from ore. Second, a 23-mile pipeline, constructed by Bob Montgomery, transported water from springs near Telescope Peak to the mill, an extraordinary achievement given the desert’s harsh terrain. The pipeline’s scar remains visible today, and watering stations along its route supported prospectors exploring the region.

By 1907, over 100 men were employed at the Skidoo mines, and development costs exceeded $300,000. The town’s prosperity attracted attention, with the Rhyolite Herald proclaiming in January 1907, “California promises to give birth to the most wonderful gold mines America has yet produced… TO SKIDOO!” However, the national financial panic of 1907 strained the town, particularly impacting the Southern California Bank of Skidoo, which faced creditors and operated out of cramped quarters in a grocery store.

Cook's horse-drawn wagon at Death Valley's gold mining camp, Skiddo.
Cook’s horse-drawn wagon at Death Valley’s gold mining camp, Skiddo.

Notable Events

Skidoo was relatively peaceful compared to other mining camps, but it was not without incident. In April 1908, Joe Simpson, a gambler with a notorious reputation, attempted to kill the Southern California Bank’s cashier, Dobbs, and murdered James Arnold, a popular local butcher. With no jail in Skidoo, Simpson was held in a cast-iron building under guard. An armed mob demanded his release and lynched him from a telephone pole, an event that underscored the town’s rough justice.

Another challenge came in 1913, when the pipeline froze and burst, followed by a fire that destroyed much of the original stamp mill. The Skidoo Mines Company swiftly rebuilt a ten-stamp mill, adding five more stamps by 1915, but these setbacks foreshadowed the town’s decline.

The Skidoo Mine is located 65 miles north of Trona, California, at 6500 ft. elevation. The property was established in 1906; the mill erected in 190?. The mill burned and was reconstructed in 1913. Owner: Skidoo Mines Co., Skidoo, CA. C. W. Cross, president, and Crynski , superintendent .

Two systems of quartz veins occur in a pegmatite granite. The main vein system strikes M-SE and the other E~W. The veins average from 18″ to 2 ‘ in width, with a maximum of 4’.

The ore is free milling and values average about $15.00 per ton. Ore is hauled to the mill through tunnels. The mill equipment consists of: ten 850-lb. stamps, five 1150-lb. stamps and amalgamation tables. Table tailings run to the cyanide plant and precipitated in zinc boxes. The mill is operated by water conveyed in an 8″ pipeline 21 miles
from Telescope Peak. The pipe was installed at a cost of over $200,000, 35 men were employed at the mine mill. Total production to date over $1,500,000,

California State Mining Bureau’s “Report of State Mineralogist,” 1915-16, Report XV:
Rare Air Photograph of Skidoo California Taken from the air in 1923
Rare Air Photograph of Skidoo California Taken from the air in 1923

Decline and Abandonment

Skidoo’s fortunes waned as its gold veins diminished. By early 1909, the town’s population began to decline, and the school district closed in September 1909. In July 1909, the Los Angeles Mining Review reported that the Skidoo Mine was California’s second-most productive, clearing all debts and paying a $50,000 dividend. However, the town itself was depleting, and by 1917, the rich vein had “pinched out,” leading to the mine’s permanent closure. The post office shut down the same year, and the mill and pipeline’s iron and steel components were dismantled and sold.

Sporadic mining resumed in the 1920s and 1930s under new ownership, and a tungsten boom in the early 1950s brought renewed activity, though the ore was low-grade. These efforts left behind shafts, cuts, and tailings, but the townsite itself was abandoned, with the last buildings gone by the 1980s. Today, Skidoo is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the Skidoo Stamp Mill—stabilized by cables and maintained by the National Park Service—standing as the most prominent remnant.

Legacy and Modern Significance

Skidoo’s brief existence encapsulates the transient nature of mining boomtowns, driven by the allure of gold and undone by the exhaustion of resources. Its innovative water-powered mill and pipeline highlight the ingenuity required to sustain life and industry in the unforgiving Mojave Desert. The ghost town, accessible via an 8-mile unpaved road off Wildrose Road, attracts visitors who explore its mining relics, including the stamp mill, adits, and scattered debris like rusty cans and glass fragments. The surrounding hills, with over 1,000 mine entrances, evoke the frenetic activity of Skidoo’s heyday.

Tripadvisor reviews reflect mixed visitor experiences. Some find the site underwhelming, noting the absence of town structures and the challenge of the rugged road, recommending high-clearance vehicles. Others praise the stamp mill and the sense of history, emphasizing the need to continue past the townsite to reach the mill. The site’s remoteness and stark landscape amplify its haunting appeal, inviting reflection on the ambition and impermanence of Skidoo’s past.

Conclusion

Skidoo, California, rose and fell within a decade, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and adaptation in one of America’s harshest environments. From its accidental discovery in 1906 to its abandonment by 1917, Skidoo embodied the hope and hardship of the gold rush era. Its engineering achievements, preserved ruins, and place on the National Register of Historic Places ensure its story endures, offering a window into the fleeting dreams of a desert boomtown.

Town Summary

NameSkidoo
LocationInyo County, California
Latitude, Longitude36.4355016, -117.1475604
GNIS1656631
Elevation5689 ft / 1734 m
NewspaperSkidoo News
National Register of Places74000349

Skidoo Trail Map

Resouces

Morning Star Mine

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Located in the Ivanpah Mountains, the Morning Star Mine is a gold / silver mine located near to California / Nevada border near Mountain Pass. The mining district enjoys amazing views and lots of wild life and wild flowers during the spring of each year, which are easily accessible from a grade dirt road. Numerous lower traffic side trails will allow access of other places to explore.

A remote side road leading a old mine site in the Ivanpah Mountains near the Morning Star Mine.
A remote side road leading a old mine site in the Ivanpah Mountains near the Morning Star Mine.

The location was first worked in 1907 and was known as the Clansman mine. Operations were initially quite small and in 1931 only two miners were on location. In 1937 the owner J. B. Mighton and Brown optioned the property to Richard Malik, who worked the location significantly until 1938.

The Morning Star Mine Cutoff Road.
The Morning Star Mine Cutoff Road.

Erle P. Halliburton worked the mine with ten men, starting in April of 1939. Halliburton known today, as the founder of his name sake company, Halliburton Oil. Mr. Halliburton made his fortune in Duncan Oklahoma where he borrowed a wagon, a team of mules and a pump, he built a wooden mixing box and started an oil well cementing business. The Halliburton efforts at this site where forced closed in 1942 by the War Productions Board order to close gold mining for the war effort.

Erle P Hallibuton 1940 - SMU Central University Libraries @ Flickr CommonsSouthern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library
Erle P Hallibuton 1940 – SMU Central University Libraries @ Flickr CommonsSouthern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

Following Halliburton’s death in 1957, the property was acquired by the Vanderbilt Gold Corporation in 1964, where upon the location was drilled and sampled. Fifteen years later, in 1979 the company finally complete a capital raise the in Morning Star mine was again on operation as an underground mine utilizing trackless mining equipment and the ore processed in nearby Vanderbilt, California. Due to the time period, this was probably the Goldome Mill and not within the town of Vanderbilt.

The modern Morning Star Mine site is not much to look at and a locked gate prevents access.
The modern Morning Star Mine site is not much to look at and a locked gate prevents access.

After just three years of operations, mining operations were again halted in 1983, due to the dropping price of Gold, however underground explorations continued with long hole drilling and testing. From 1984 – 1993 saw increased gold and silver production to the amount of about 75,000 tons per month. Water supply problems plagued the operation, however, with the price of gold between $350 and $500 per once the Vanderbilt operation made a return.

A vertical mine shaft is protected by a metal grate.
A vertical mine shaft is protected by a metal grate nearby the Morning Star Mine.

The mine was finally closed in 1993 after the gold prices dropped and several environmental violations and animal deaths caused by cyanide poisoning. With the creation of the Mojave Nation Preserve in 1994 from the California Desert Protection act, the NPS inherited an environmental problem and it slowly continues to clean up the site. At this point, access to the location is blocked with a locked gate. It was noted that several building and a milling foundations remain from this relatively modern mining endeavor.

A horizontal shaft in the Ivanpah Mountains.
A horizontal shaft in the Ivanpah Mountains.

Resources

Marietta Nevada – Mineral County Ghost Town

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Marietta is a historic ghost town in Mineral County, Nevada, located in the Excelsior Mountains at approximately 38°14′36″N 118°20′19″W and an elevation of about 4,947 feet (1,508 meters). Situated southeast of Hawthorne near the alkali flats of Teel’s Marsh (also spelled Teel’s Marsh), it was never a typical Nevada boomtown fueled primarily by gold or silver. Instead, its economy centered on non-metallic minerals—first salt and then borax—extracted from the nearby dry lakebed. Founded in the late 1870s, Marietta grew rapidly as a supply and processing hub but declined sharply in the 1890s when richer deposits were found elsewhere. Today, it stands as a near-abandoned site of stone and adobe ruins, including remnants of F.M. “Borax” Smith’s company store. Since 1991, the surrounding 68,000-acre area has been designated the nation’s only federally managed Wild Burro Range by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), home to roughly 78–104 wild burros descended from those used by 19th-century miners.

The town’s story reflects broader patterns of Nevada’s mining history: rapid boom driven by resource extraction, isolation-fueled lawlessness, economic vulnerability to distant market shifts, and a lingering legacy in the form of feral animals and occasional modern exploration.

Early Exploration and Salt Mining (1860s–Early 1870s)

Prospecting in the Marietta Mining District (sometimes called the Silver Star District) began in the 1860s, making it the third-oldest mining district in Mineral County. Initial activity focused on small-scale silver, lead, copper, and gold claims in the surrounding ranges, though these yielded limited results compared to neighboring camps like Candelaria and Belleville.

By around 1867, attention shifted to the vast alkali deposits at Teel’s Marsh, a seasonal dry lake about two miles south of the future townsite (roughly 5 miles long, 1–2 miles wide, and covering about 6 square miles). Salt (sodium chloride) was scraped from the surface and transported—primarily by mule teams, though some accounts (disputed by historians) mention camel trains—to chlorination mills in Virginia City, Aurora (Nevada), Bodie (California), and other Comstock-era operations. Salt was essential for processing silver and gold ore at the time. These early operations supplied distant mills but did not yet support a permanent settlement.

Borax Discovery, Town Founding, and Boom Period (1872–Early 1890s)

Francis Marion "Borax" Smith
Francis Marion “Borax” Smith

The pivotal event came in 1872 when Francis Marion “Borax” Smith (often called F.M. Smith) and his brother J.P. Smith, while working salt fields in nearby Columbus, identified rich borate deposits (including ulexite) in Teel’s Marsh. They staked claims across much of the marsh and began large-scale scraping and processing. Crude borax was hauled roughly 115–130 miles north to railheads like Wadsworth by large freight teams (in 1875, 28 teams of 16 horses each were reportedly engaged). The Smith brothers formed the Teels Marsh Borax Company, a precursor to larger entities that eventually controlled much of the world’s borax market. Borax, previously a niche pharmaceutical import from Europe, was marketed by Smith as an abrasive cleaner, expanding demand dramatically.

Marietta was formally established as a town in 1877 (some sources note informal settlement as early as 1872). It quickly grew into a functional community with a post office (established July 1877), a newspaper, a company store owned by the Smith brothers, general mercantiles, and other businesses. Population peaked around 1880 at several hundred residents (exact counts are uncertain due to untracked Chinese laborers who worked the marsh and plants). At its height, the town boasted 13 saloons, stone and adobe structures, a stamp mill (erected early on), and supported intermittent metal mining in the hills above. Borax plants on the southeast edge of Teel’s Marsh produced up to six tons daily at times, operating seasonally for about eight months a year.

Marietta was notably isolated and lawless, even by Old West standards. As a mostly male camp, it suffered frequent robberies—the stage line was reportedly held up 30 times in 1880 alone, including four times in one week. A notorious 1880s gunfight between rival factions (involving figures like Tom McLaughlin and the Brophy brothers) left four men dead in a domestic dispute that escalated into street violence. Despite the chaos, the borax and salt operations proved lucrative, tying Marietta into the regional economy alongside nearby boomtowns.

Decline and Abandonment (1890s–Early 1900s)

Marietta’s prosperity lasted roughly 15–20 years but proved unsustainable. By the late 1880s, borax prices fell, operations slowed, and Chinese laborers (who had leased some works) abandoned the site amid illness in 1891. The decisive blow came in 1892 when vastly richer colemanite deposits were discovered in Death Valley, California. F.M. Smith relocated his operations southward, closing the Teel’s Marsh plants. With the primary industry gone, businesses shuttered, the post office closed (around 1881 in some records, though the town lingered longer), and most residents departed. By the early 1900s, Marietta was largely a ghost town, its wooden structures decaying and stone ruins left behind.

Intermittent Revivals and 20th-Century Mining (1900s–1960s)

Metal mining in the surrounding district continued sporadically. The Endowment Mine (also known as part of the Marietta operations) produced significant silver-lead ore, contributing roughly $1.5 million (with some estimates higher) from the late 1800s into the early 1900s. District-wide output reached about $2 million by 1939, with over half from tungsten mined during World War I price spikes.

Brief revivals occurred in the 1930s with silver and gold prospecting (e.g., shipments from the Joe Rutty Mine and development at the Endowment property, plus a short-lived “Cloudburst” district claim in 1940). Small uranium discoveries in the 1950s–1960s sparked minor interest but never scaled up. Large-scale activity largely ended by 1956, though exploration persisted into the 1980s. A few caretakers and later industrial buildings reflect ongoing (mostly private) mineral work, but these did not revive the town.

Modern Status and Legacy

Today, Marietta consists of scattered ruins—most prominently the stone walls of Borax Smith’s general store, mill foundations, and debris from wooden structures—amid the arid landscape. A handful of modern dwellings and mobile homes house caretakers or private interests. The site is accessible via dirt roads off U.S. Highway 95 (part of the Free-Range Art Highway), but visitors are advised to use 4×4 vehicles, carry supplies, and avoid entering old mines or private property due to hazards.

The area’s most distinctive modern feature is its status as the Marietta Wild Burro Range, dedicated in 1991 (the 20th anniversary of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act). The burros, descendants of those brought by miners for hauling, roam freely among the ruins and marsh, numbering around 85–100. This makes Marietta a unique cultural and ecological site blending Nevada’s mining past with wild horse/burro preservation.

Marietta’s history underscores the fragility of resource-dependent towns in the American West. From salt and borax booms tied to F.M. Smith’s empire to its quiet endurance as a burro sanctuary, it remains a tangible link to Nevada’s 19th-century mining frontier. Sporadic modern exploration continues, but the town endures primarily as a ghost of its former self.

Marietta Trail Map

Marietta Personalities

Francis Marion "Borax" Smith

Francis Marion Smith – “Borax Smith”

Francis Marion "Borax" Smith Francis Marion Smith, also known as "Borax" Smith was a miner and business man who made a fortune in the hostile…

References