We are planning a club run to the ghost town of Sylvania on Saturday, 12/7/2024.   We will return via Horse Thief Canyon into Eureka valley, then back to Big Pine on Death Valley road.  

 

As usual we will meet behind the Vons Gas station, intending on pulling out at about 0800.   If you want to meet the group in Big Pine I assume we will be at 395/168 at about 0820.

 

Bring Water, Lunch, Snacks, a camera, a chair, warm clothing, GRMS radio and all the other stuff you need.

 

We will be doing about 160 miles and there are no services once we leave Big Pine, so come with a full tank of gas.   Some of the roads are rocky or sandy  but none of the roads are technical.

 

A little history…Someone from the Clair family of Bishop has had their fingers in the management of the Sylvania mining district since the early 1900s but gave up all interest in it in the late 1990s.

 

From Western Mining History website…

“WORKED IN EARLY DAYS BY MEXICANS WHO BUILT 2 NATIVE ADOBE SMELTERS; BOUGHT IN 1904 BY THE CLAIR FAMILY WHO OPERATED IT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. TUNGSTEN ORE MINED 1956-57 AND MILLED IN THE 30-TON CONCENTRATING MILL ON THE PROPERTY.”

 

 We will spend a while exploring the town site then at the mill so you can walk around.

I expect we will be back to Bishop before 4:00.