People were living on mining claims in the 1960's to dodge the draft and stay under the radar. Some families in Norcal, Idaho, Oregon and other places were forcibly removed as well in the 1980's also. they were actually working and living.
All over the Southern California area there was an exodus of counter culture groups that went back country to commune live off the land or whatever you want to call it. I've been to several remnant camps. the San Gabriel Canyon area Lytle Creek, San Gorgonios, Joshua Tree area Big bear were the easiest to get to and favored because you could un-commune pretty easily. The Owens valley had several canyons on the sierra side that were lived in off and on those were the heartier souls. I lived on a ranch in Lone Pine one canyon over were some dugouts and a small camp. During the depression it was called the "Hermit Caves" built by a man named "Wheelbarrow Jim" and his brother. Jim pushed a wheelbarrow to town and up to Whitney portal to what was called Putmans cabin. Ownd by Amelia Earharts husband. He befriended wheelbarrow Jim. Jim would come over at night (to the ranch) and actually do some night time garden work with out permission. He would pull some weeds do some other work and relieve the owners of some orchard fruit or vegetables. The owner knew it was him but, since he was trying to be respectful in his trading they never tried to stop him.
We had a few of jim's journals that were saved luckily. One of the best ones was a copy. the original wasmade on an old personal phone number directory book. So, on the left margin were letters A through Z....He, made entries almost every day about his prospecting, and exploring. But, mostly a lot of ranting. He was very religous and talke dabout God a lot. Funny thing is there was a pattern during the summer when it got pretty darn hot...(anyone who has been to the Owens valley in the summer knows what I mean by crazy hot!!!!) He would talk about suicide often.
The Inyo County History Museum...one of the smallest there is it has no posted hours of operation used to have Jims wheelbarrow frame and more info thats where I researched about him trying to add to the journals weird rambling info. "wheelbarrow Jim was well known.Even though he was a ww! vet who was wounded and most believe mentally disabled and an older fella at the time he believed that he was going to be drafted into ww2. he actually got into it with a deputy and was shot. he survived he and his brother abandoned camp after the war. The only thing I regret about divorcing my Ex-wife is losing access to the ranch I lived on and the local history. Lone Pine is a nice place to visit as well. I still take the kids to go see thier grand parents and they stay with mom for part of the summer....other than that it is a hellhole backwards place
....there are however very many great places to prospect and good gold nearby....I do miss living there for that.
One of the most famous/infamous squatter groups to come up into Inyo County was the Manson family. A few in the group at been up near Olancha and had been going into the southern area of Death Valley before they made the move as a larger group to the Barker Ranch. The barker was not the only place they holed up just where they were when everything went down. The L.a. Dist. attorney was actually clueless as to who commited the murders. And had no Knowledge of the families activities in Death Valley Monument. If the family wasn't out stealing dune buggies stealing from camps and monkey wrenching Dept. of Interior road equipment they would not have been on the radar of the Inyo county Sherrifs Dept. The reason that they raided the Barker ranch was too nab these thieving vandalizing hippies. They had no Idea who they were.They actuall had the ranch house cleared out had no idea how many longhairs they were hunting down even...no warrants no names. One of the deputies went back in to do a final search and back in the bathroom there was a small...and I've seen it SMALL little sink/vanity cabinet....with a door closed yet a locke of hair was closed in the door and HELLOOOOO Charlie ! the rest is histrory.
The cell where they were held is stll there and their graffiti remains. The only thing kept in there now is those woodgrain looking cardboard boxes. The news footage of the manson girls walking down a hall was downstairs in the Inyo County Corthouse going from that cell to their extradition hearing in courtroom #1. During that time the Hermit Caves were renamed the Hippie Caves. It was rumored that the family made several trips tp lone Pine as it was the closest town to the wesern side of Death Valley Monument. I could never find solid evidence that any of them spent any time in the canyon a few ridges over from the ranch I lved on but, always wondered.
The withdwl at Keysville was directly related to this type of squatting the Dept. of interior was under local pressure so they invalidated claimes and with drew what wasn't using the Mining Law and it stands today...I'm prtty sure no real knowledgeable prospectors bother giving blm any notice as there is no real code forcing you to or law to prosecute if you don't
Happy History Saturday
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P.S. there is a book written by a deputy who was there at the Barker Ranch.. He still works for the I.C.S.O. He has been promoted several times by now
It's called " Desert Shadows" You may be able to find it online. Or you could make the trip up HWY 395 to the Lone Pine Rock and Gem shop and buy a copy. I'm not sharing mine
