Keysville California

[The Master Chief]

So I go out on Saturday to look around old Keysville. Took me an hour to get there. When I got there I took a couple of pictures.

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What beautiful place to hunt. Lots of history also.
Bad thing about hunting by yourself there is just endless possibilities. Now before I tell you more I should first tell you about some history.

Keysville or Keyesville) is located 2.0 miles up Keyesville Road from its junction with California Highway 155 at Lake Isabella dam. A mine was located c.1854 by Captain Richard Keyes, which soon lead to Keysville, the first American community in what eventually became Kern County.



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This is not keysville mine but just a another hole in the rocks. I metal detector this area for 2 hours and found bullets, bullets, shotgun shells, bullet casings nothing old. This cave overlooked a small valley. Maybe whoever was there watched the miners below. Also this was up from where I found a silver watch year ago.


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A camp formed in random fashion over the hillsides, trails served as streets. The area was so remote and steep, that supplies coming in from the nearest settlement of Visalia (110 miles northwest) had trouble because the terrain was so steep and rugged teams had to be doubled, logs had to be drug behind the wagons to keep control on the way down.



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Some more history.

In 1856 an Indian war ensued when San Joaquin tribes went on the warpath, and Keysville became the center of Indian attention due to the fact that miners killed 5 Indians in cold blood nearby. A "fort" was hastily dug on a knoll and riders dispatched to Fort Tejon and Los Angeles (140 miles south) for reinforcements. Later, when soldiers arrived, they found no Indians in the area and occupied Keysville for a while afterward.

Another incident of Indian murder was in 1863 when Indian uprisings in Owens Valley, over the Sierra Nevada Range northeastward. Men were dispatched to help with squelching that problem when they encountered a group of peaceful Indians, who had refused to participate in the Owens Valley uprisings, living seven miles from town. They coldly murdered the group and proclaimed "not a soldier injured." Houses and buildings in Keysville today are from recent vintage. The "fort" that miners used in their defense can be seen still and the Keys Mine is located in a gulch nearby.

So now you know the history. Couple of people stopped by and told me they were metal detecting on another area and found an old spur. Looked pretty cool. All that did was get me more interested in find something old.

Well I didn't but must say it was nice to be with nature. The good Lord did a great job. When times are tough especially the world and country events one thing that can never change is what The Lord made. Enjoy the pictures. God bless the United States of America.

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Oh here is Garrett GTI 2500 looking at me from atop the small cave.

HH Kevin

 

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[The Master Chief]

In 1853—during the California Gold Rush—gold was discovered in considerable quantities along the Kern River. Miners from all over the state began rushing to the region, creating a gold rush of huge proportions. Southern California miners and merchants were elated as they saw new opportunity for fortunes that had previously been monopolized by their San Francisco, Stockton, and Sacramento rivals. Keyesville—first named Hogeye—was the first town to spring up in this area. It was named after Richard Keyes, who had discovered the "Keyes Mine" in the gulches of the Greenhorn Mountains in 1854. Between 1853 and the early 1870s, Keyesville was a center for both placer and hardrock gold mining. By 1857, Keyesville was at the height of its prosperity with several hundred miners living in the town. The town sat in a cove of the Greenhorn Mountains, its dwelling houses and wooden stores scattered randomly over the steep mountainsides, and its rough trails used as streets. The area was so remote and steep, that supplies coming from Visalia were nearly impossible to transport. Similar to camps in the North, Keyesville was the scene of gambling resorts, wild gunmen and Native American conflict. In 1856—during which neighboring towns were under attack by San Joaquin Indians—residents erected a rude fort on the knoll just outside of town. Having recently killed five Native Americans nearby, Keyesville was expecting the worse; however, after requesting reinforcements from Fort Tejon and Los Angeles, there ended up being no attack after all. On April 19, 1863, however, Keyesville was the site of the Keyesville Massacre in which white settlers and soldiers banded together to murder 35 Kawaiisu Indian men. Although never used in action, outlines of Keyesville’s historically important fort can still be seen today. Reached by a beautifully scenic dirt road, this pioneer mining camp has only one original building remaining. The entrance to the Keyes Mine can be visited in a gulch to the north of town. Keyesville's landmark marker can be seen on Black Gulch Road, 2 miles south of Highway 155 (3.3 miles west of Lake Isabella.)

 

[RGINN]

What a cool place! I appreciate you givin us the history of the location. I do a lot of historical research on sites, and sometimes it's fascinating. Maybe a chance that small cave was used as a powder magazine or like a root cellar, where they could keep milk and butter and such cool.

 

[The Master Chief]

What a cool place! I appreciate you givin us the history of the location. I do a lot of historical research on sites, and sometimes it's fascinating. Maybe a chance that small cave was used as a powder magazine or like a root cellar, where they could keep milk and butter and such cool.

Thanks I started to think no one read my post. The cave is only about 5' deep and 5x5 height/width. Who knows. I did find a silver pocket watch down from it though. I also love to think what happened.