Dusty Desert Trails - E4 - Surprise Canyon
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- Опубліковано 17 кві 2020
- Staring Ed Czajka (My Dad)
This is a History Mini-Series covering the desert near Ballarat, CA. So much history is overlooked in this area especially related to the 49'rs that escaped Death Valley through the area.
Full series episode list can be found here:
edwardczajka.blogspot.com/201...
On this adventure, we explore parts of Surprise Canyon, and show some historical video of us going up the waterfalls with two-wheel drive motorcycles to Panamint City before the canyon was closed. We also show the stagecoach stop, as well as a tool road that many don't notice on their way up into the canyon. We also look at Chris Wick's camp,
Banjo Short by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
History:
The story of Panamint City began late in the fall of 1872, when veteran prospector Richard Jacobs and his partner Robert Stewart trudged up a nameless canyon in the western Panamints, hoping to locate the source of silver float Jacobs had spotted earlier in the lower canyon. Back then, this was rough, unchartered wilderness. Ballarat, Lookout, Skidoo, and most other local legends were not yet on the map. Only a handful of emigrants had set foot in Panamint Valley. But both men had a keen eye for minerals: Jacobs had spent much of his life prospecting in California and Mexico, and Stewart had prospected up and down Panamint Valley for a decade. Deep in the mountain, the canyon flared into a valley so unexpectedly green that they called it Surprise Canyon. It was there, on the pine-dotted slopes, that they discovered the silver-bearing quartz veins they had been looking for, which would soon give birth to Panamint City. When they returned to civilization a few days later, pushed back by an early snowfall, they found that their samples assayed hundreds of dollars per ton. Anxious to secure their discovery, they returned in April 1873 and claimed the richest ground they could find. Jacobs optimistically named his the Wonder of the World, and Stewart located the Stewart's Wonder.
The discovery occurred in the wake of rich silver strikes at Cerro Gordo and Nevada's Comstock, and it sparked wild speculation. Throngs of prospectors and miners rushed to Surprise Canyon. By the end of 1873 every square foot of ground that showed the slightest promise had been claimed, and the Panamint Mining District was in place. Jacobs was first to develop his property. In association with a few friends, he incorporated the Panamint Mining Company in November and hired no fewer than three dozen miners to sink exploratory shafts. The following summer he hauled a second-hand mill to his mine, hoping to reduce his ore to a hefty $1,000 per ton.
Mining didn't start in earnest, however, until Nevada senators John Jones and William Stewart stepped in. Both men had just made a fortune at the Comstock Mine, Jones as a superintendent and Stewart as a lawyer. In the summer of 1874, they and a lawyer partner, Trenor Park, purchased almost every claim in sight, as well as Jacobs' mill, for about $250,000. This high-stake acquisition triggered a second, even wilder rush, one of the biggest the Death Valley region ever witnessed.
Your father was a great guide and historian. I am so sorry for your loss.
So sorry for the loss of your Dad. I love panamint valley and your father's knowledge for the history of what took place there is awesome. I really enjoyed all the video's with him. RIP Ed.
I am so grateful that you have posted these videos and so grateful for the chance to get to know a little of your dad through them. What a great man. I'm sorry for your loss.
I'm grateful for being able to ride the trail breaker and have an awesome fire poker. Truly the most genuine person iv ever met .miss our conversations. I'll think about ed every time I'm in Johnson valley
What a shame he passed. One of the best tour guides of this area I have ever seen he would have made a very cool utube channel . R.i.p. ed.
What happened to him?
I really enjoyed this video series and listening to your father's wealth of knowledge about the history of this area. He was a great story teller and had the right personality to draw you in. So sad for your loss. Thankfully this well made documentary is here for people to see, and enjoy in the future.
I seen Manson and the bunch up in
panamint City at thr very end of the road as far as you could go.. that was on a Sunday and they wee busted 4 days laters.... I was 13 then and we drove all the way up there in my cousins jeep he bought from China Lake auction.. I looked into his eyes waaaaay up there.. I should mention we did not know who it was when we ran into him up there that day. I discovered who it was when I seen the Evening news after they caught them. I recognized the "boon docker" he was driving..
So sorry for your loss... What a great man. RIP sir, thank you for the wonderful videos and for sharing your knowledge of this beautiful area...
OH dang. So sorry for the loss of Ed. I just started watching the videos. I've spent over 20 years running around Panamint and Death Valleys myself. Love these vids. RIP Ed.
Thoroughly enjoyed the videos. RIP. A world of knowledge.
So sorry for your fathers passing, he seemed like a really wonderful guy! Glad you had him show you so much history and thank you for sharing with us too! May he rest in peace!!
I could have listened to him, his love of the local history and his wisdom forever. How blessed you were to have him as a Dad.
One of the greatest videos ever!... RIP you will be missed!✌️🏜️⚙️🏚️⛏️⚒️🦾
Another brilliant video glad I found you.... Just relised this guy has passed away RIP Ed flowers for you 🌹🌷🌸🌼🌷🌸
I just wanted to say I enjoyed all 4 of the videos Rest In Paradise Ed
Amazing video! Thank you so much for posting this and saving the history for all of us to enjoy.
Satisfactory and he will be missed.
I was part of a group of trail riders that crossed the Sierras on trail bikes in 1967. (Foresthill to Tahoe) I was 15 years old.
I loved this video, your Dad was an awesome character, I'm so sorry for your loss. xx
Like my grandfather always said.
Wiskie is for drinkin, water is for fighting over 👍🤠👍
Great video! Its always nice to have information on these spots out in the desert. I have a group of friends that we go and explore that area once a year. Always finding new things to see. Haven't been up Surprise canyon yet.
I have been going to Chris Witcht camp since 1970 and I met George Novak many times. I used to visit and camp at this site since 1970 before George made this his home. The road to Panamint Valley was closed in 1984. We used to drive up Suprise Valley road in a 57 Chevy and have been to Panamint City many times. George used to tell stories about hearing the noise from water being so loud that he had to leave the area and he lost a 51 Pontiac due to the flood many years ago. By the way in pronounced Ballarat not Ball a Rat.
Wow enjoy your videos, love your knowledge TY.
I learned how to ride a motorcycle on the Rubicon Trail in 1966 (Hodaka). I agree that this looks worse. I am guessing that you were on Rokon Trailblazers. They were two-wheeled, but not true motorcycles. They were more like huge Totegoats - minibikes. They used a centrifugal clutch and the brakes were on the handlebars. So if you rode those for a while and then got on a motorcycle, you'd dump over and over until you learned that the clutch lever was not the front brake! I had a friend who worked at a big service station in the early 70s that sold them. I just described my friend when I took him trail riding on motorcycles. He figured it out, though. Those Rokon Trailblazers were something, though. They were supposed to be able to float across rivers because of their huge tires and waterproofed works. They were set up for seriously remote places like Alaska.
A modern-day trials rider would have little trouble getting up that waterfall face and standing on the pegs. One secret is to deflate the tires for better traction. After a little experience, I could ride on the pegs up the Rubicon trail on a normal trail bike as in one case, a DKW 125 which was a good trail bike but also a good MX bike. I'm sort of surprised the forest service allowed vehicles to go up there so late. The Jeeps on the Rubicon Trail would go slower than you could walk. A trail bike could just pick its way along and make good time. The jeepers used to hate us for the noise, they said, but we were a lot lighter on the land.
Very well explained!
This is great. Just finally hiked up to P.C. last week, so it's rad to get all this background on the area. It's a really fantastic and beautiful hike, all 6.5 miles of it. Highly recommended.
Man I want more of these videos! I'm sure you do too. What a loss that is surely felt by so many.
Great video.
Nik R.
cool stuff
Dang ! those old Videos !
just awesome
RIP Ed 🙏
He is one of the biggest clampers we've ever known blesses so. From the fire starter.
Was that two wheeled motorcycle a rokon? Great video!!!!! I have one just like it!!!!!
The dump truck is a bit later than the 1940s
Muy boneto jente
Wow He had an amazing knowledge of that area. Sorry for your great loss.
Pardon my glaring ignorance, but why would anyone want to take a Rokon up that waterfall??
To get to Panamint City, which was extremely difficult for Jeeps to do without excessive equipment (74 winch operations before it washed out again around 97-98). We did one last trip before the canyon was closed to Hikers Only (the last motor vehicles to make the trip), and the waterfalls were a lot worse, but we made it to the city. A lot of history up there is difficult to reach but fascinating and for the most part, left alone.
CONESTOGA WAGON... NOT COBCORD 😝🤪😜😂🤣😎
A guy I Alaska did the same thing a tolll To use their road!
The mule powered crusher would have been caste iron trough
I do love the Death Valley areas and history and it's fantastic to get some more insight into the places I've visited so many times, but I wish the person in charge of the camera/video recordings, would show us some of the surroundings and the things pointed out during the video, instead of always being glued to the story teller although he's obviously very knowledgeable. Wherever he is and whatever he mentions surrounding him, is hardly ever shown and it's hugely annoying and such a shame. Sorry to hear about the passing of this interesting guy, he obviously knew the local history very well.
Why the gun ?
In case he needs to use it, I have mine on me all the time .. it's called the 2 Amendment to bare arm.. I'm a carry and conceal.. what do you have??
If you have to ask you must be a liberal.
Simple…. Because he can
you don't need a gun or spurs. thanks for the content though
I liked it. I live near Tombstone though. I’m used to everyone having a gun in AZ. Smart in rural areas and near the border.
I think he was showing the time period. He would of made an ACE tour guide and I'm sure he was . R.I.P Ed you knew a lot about the History of these locations.
Rattle snakes and human snakes, but spurs, really?
My friend wears a cowboy hat, kerchief, bolo, western shirt, gun belt with two ivory handled guns, cowboy boots every day. No spurs usually. It’s a thing in some areas. More common here are cowboy hats, guns and cowboy boots.
Good thing we have god giving rights to ensure if a man wants to pack a gun and where spurs no one can tell him not to