The Evening Star Mine (also known as the Evening Star Tin Mine, Maynard Mine, Bernice Mine, or Rex Tin Mine) is located in the Mescal Mining District at the western base of the Ivanpah Mountains, San Bernardino County, California—within what is now Mojave National Preserve. It sits at approximately 4,961 feet elevation, about 1.5 miles south of the Standard No. 1 Mine, near Cima and not far from the California-Nevada border (outside Primm, NV)..
Discovery and Early Development (1935–1940)
The mine began modestly in 1935 as a copper prospect staked by lifelong desert miner J. Riley Bembry. Bembry, born in Oklahoma in 1899 and a WWI veteran, had prospected extensively in the eastern Mojave since the late 1920s or early 1930s. Within about a year, he sold the claims to Trigg L. Button and Clarence Hammett of Santa Ana, California. They began sinking the No. 1 shaft.
In 1940, Vaughn Maynard of Santa Ana purchased the claims. The site was developed as a combination surface-underground operation on a small deposit.
Peak Operations and Production (1941–1944)
The mine entered its main productive phase during World War II, driven by demand for strategic minerals. In 1941, the Tin Corporation of America leased the property. They continued deepening the shaft and, in June 1942, shipped 25 tons of ore to the Tin Processing Corporation in Texas City, Texas.
In 1943, Carl F. Wendrick, Jr. (owner of Steel Sales and Service Company of Chicago, Illinois) leased the mine. He secured a government loan, employed about eight men, constructed a larger headframe, and built a mill at Valley Wells. Operations ran primarily from 1939 to 1944 (with the most intensive work in the early 1940s).
Production and Significance
The Evening Star Mine was the only producer of tin ore (cassiterite, or tin oxide) in the eastern Mojave Desert—and reportedly the only one in the broader Mojave. It yielded over 400 tons of tin ore during its life. Several tons of tin concentrates (containing 35.96% tin) were sold to the U.S. government stockpile in Jean, Nevada, just across the border. The deposit also carried minor amounts of copper, tungsten, zinc, and possibly gold.
Nearby claims (just west) produced about 1,000 tons of tungsten ore under a separate lease (1939–1940).
Unique Engineering Feature
The mine stands out for its 60-foot headframe, which featured a crusher mounted directly on top—one of the few such setups in the Mojave. Ore fed from the headframe into a sorting structure of three tiered towers (the lowest serving as an ore bin). This design was practical for the remote, small-scale operation.
Closure and Current Status
Production ended around 1944 as wartime demand eased and the deposit proved limited. The site was never a large-scale operation but exemplified the many independent, small-scale ventures that dotted the desert.
Today, the Evening Star Mine is a well-preserved historic site within Mojave National Preserve. The impressive wooden headframe and associated structures (outbuildings, shafts, tunnels, and artifacts) remain visible and have been assessed for stabilization to protect historic timber framing. The main shaft is closed for safety (e.g., with cable netting). It serves as a photogenic reminder of WWII-era mining and the rugged life of desert prospectors.
(Note: A few secondary sources occasionally reference earlier 1900s development or conflicting details, but primary accounts consistently date commercial tin-focused work to the 1935–1944 period.)
The Evening Star Mine, though short-lived, highlights the Mojave’s role in supplying critical minerals during national emergencies and contributes to the rich tapestry of over a century of desert mining history. Many similar sites nearby (e.g., Vulcan for iron) underscore how the region supported both economic booms and wartime needs.