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Deputy Will Smithson and men like Ed Silver lived in Daggett at a time when the west was supposed to have been tamed, when it had become civilized, you might say.
Unfortunately, the news of civilization seemed to have bypassed Daggett, and to locals and drifters alike, the Wild West was doing just fine the way it was, thank you.
Justice was going to be meted out in the tradition of the west if the angry mob caught up with Silver.
A rope and a tree waited for the former Buffalo Soldier, unless the sheriff could catch him first…
Doble, California: The Boom Town That Refused to Live
Take a short walk on this quiet mountain trail, surrounded by pines and open spaces, and you see it up ahead. White crosses in a semi-circle, around the gnarled truck of a tree. So, what have you stumbled into here? Well, give us a minute or two and we’ll tell you about the mountain town that refused to live.
Here, just above the highway, are about 25 marked graves in the little cemetery that served the town mining town known as Doble. The names of those interred here, except for one child, are a mystery. crosses were placed here by Boy Scouts during the 1940s.
Before it was Doble, the place was known as “Bairdstown.” It came to life after the brothers Carter filed four gold mining claims in 1873, on the mountainside that now wears their name. The utterance of the word ‘gold’ was usually all it took, and the rush was on, probably before the brothers finished unpacking their picks and shovels…
Originally built in 1947, the diner was your typical 1950s style eatery, catering to motorists making their way through the desert.
It was small— 3 booths and 9 counter stools— but managed to stick around for a while, despite being in one of the hottest places in the United States.
Peggy Sue and her husband Champ reopened the diner in 1987 and attempted to restore and preserve it in its original state. Before moving to the desert in 1981, Champ worked for Knott’s Berry Farm and Peggy Sue worked in the movies.
The diner was the perfect place to display their extensive collection of movie and TV memorabilia.
In January 2001, Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner played a role in television host Huell Howser’s first road trip to the desert that borders the I-15 east of Barstow, California.
And in 2003, Peggy Sue’s was a major film site for the movie, “The Hulk”….
Eddie World’s ginormous ice cream sundae cleverly disguises its water tower. The lighted sundae draws weary, curious and hungry motorists on the 15 Freeway like a beacon to a desert oasis. But this, boys and girls, is no mirage.
Eddie World in Yermo features some of the rarest and most unique items of Lakers’ memorabilia you’ve ever seen. Eddie World even has the actual hard floor of the original court of the Great Western Forum.
But wait. There’s more.
Much, much more.
Hawaiian poke? You got it. 90-second custom pizza’s? Check. Candy galore? They have that too.
Let’s not forget the cutting-edge gas pumps, Tesla power stations and clean restrooms with games embedded in the urinals either.
And that’s just the beginning.
Eddie World advertises that it’s “different from the rest.” But is it too good to be true?
Just 19 miles south of Lake Havasu City and 8 miles from Parker on Arizona State Route 95, lies a little gem called Cattail Cove State Park.
Whether you’re interested in swimming, fishing or just lounging and relaxing, Cattail Cove State Park offers you and your family a chance to get away and enjoy tranquility along Lake Havasu.
The 2,000-acre park has been operated by the Arizona State Parks Board since 1970.
Although many states in the U.S. are frigid in December, Arizona is not usually one of them.
Unless you seek the high country, like Flagstaff or Prescott. Then all bets are off.
We love those places too, but for one splendid weekend, we sought warmth and was not disappointed.
We enjoyed our stay here and we know you will too. Come see why this beautiful dog-friendly setting draws campers from around the country…
Calico’s reputation as a ghost town is well deserved as there are numerous reports of actual ghosts being sighted. Lucy Bell King Lane, a longtime resident who ran Lucy Lane’s General Store has often been seen in her store.
Margaret Olivier, the last schoolteacher, has been seen teaching in her classroom. Tourists who have talked with Margaret thought she was part of the staff dressed in period costumes, only to find out she has been dead since 1932. There is even the ghost story of Dorsey, the shepherd dog that carried the US Mail between various mines.
Was that really the howling wind that woke us up at 3 a.m. at our Calico campsite, or was it Lucy Lane?
Roy Rogers Double R Bar Ranch: Happy Trails and Cowboy Tales Lives On
There was a time when cowboys ruled the day, or at least the airwaves, and the good guy always won.
From Tom Mix in the early 1900s, to Clint Eastwood and Kurt Russell today, most of us have wanted to be a cowboy or cowgirl at one time or another.
Many of us grew up knowing that among the cowboys of the cinema, Roy Rogers was king, and Dale Evans was his queen.
Fast forward. After going through a few years of relative dormancy, in 2015, the Roy Roger’s Double R Bar Ranch came into the sights of Jim Heffel.
Now an accomplished horseman and part-time stunt rider, Jim and his wife Deena bought the farm in a friendly manner of speaking…
Rand District Cemetery: Memorials and Minerals
Collected at Rand District Cemetery are the final resting places of some five generations of dream chasers, miners, merchants, ranchers, freighters, madams, promoters, vigilantes, teachers, movers and shakers, loafers and busy bodies; most from somewhere else, from all over the world, all brought here by the winds of fortune, and caught, like nuggets, in holes in the ground.
Burro Schmidt, famous for digging a half mile tunnel through a solid granite mountain for 38 years, left his beloved town only twice in his lifetime. Little did he know as happenstance would have it that years after his death a widow by the name of Tonie would pay the ultimate tribute to the miner by protecting his legacy for the rest of her life, and spending eternity next to his grave…
Randsburg, California: Mine Blown
Just what keeps the memory of this old town alive more than a century after it was born in the midst of the mining boom of the 19th Century?
Walk down Butte Avenue and, in the middle of the block, you will surely find the answer at the Rand Desert Museum.
Founded in 1943 and given over to Kern County in 1948, the museum is the heart and soul of the old town.
When Kern County couldn’t bear the expense of maintaining the museum, it was given back to Randsburg proper.
To this day it is run by the residents of the Rand Mining District.
Even more that a hundred years later, there remains life in these hallowed hills.
This year, the 16th Annual Old West Day took place right on the main drag thru town, Butte Avenue.
I like big buttes, I cannot lie…
Wilbur’s Grave: Death and Taxes in Belleville
Within two months of Holcomb’s discovery of gold in 1859, a town called Belleville sprang into existence at the entrance into Holcomb Valley, near the upper part of Van Dusen Canyon. It had a collection of stores, saloons, dance halls, and blacksmith shops. In 1860, the Wild West town lost its bid for county seat by a mere two votes.
Charles Wilbur was the first tax assessor in San Bernardino County. He was also a gold placer miner who lived in the area around the mid to late 1800s. He was well liked among his fellow miners who lived in the area and they voted for him to organize the miners and the boundary stones. Before he died he asked to be buried by his favorite pond, Wilbur’s Pond, and they did as he asked…