Panamint City, California

Panamint City is a ghost town in the Panamint Range, near Death Valley, in California. It is also known by the official Board of Geographic Names identity, Panamint. [Panamint, California, 7.5-minute quadrangle, US Geological Survey, 1988 and National Geographic Names Database, US Geological Survey.] In the late 19th century, the town had a population of about 2,000 and its own newspaper, the "Panamint News". Silver was the principal product mined in the area. The town is located about three miles northwest of Sentinel Peak. According to the National Geographic Names Database, NAD27 latitude and longitude for the locale are coord|36|07|06|N|117|05|40|W|display=inline,title and the feature ID number is 1661185. The elevation of this location is identified as being 6,280 feet AMSL. The similar-sounding "Panamint Springs, California" is located about 25.8 miles at 306.4 degrees off true north near Panamint Junction. [Panamint Springs, California, 7.5-minute quadrangle, US Geological Survey, (1986), Panamint, California, 7.5-minute quadrangle, US Geological Survey, (1988) and National Geographic Names Database, US Geological Survey, March, 1998.]

Today, most of Surprise Canyon and Panamint City are owned by the National Park Service and is accessible via foot only. Not long ago only the most dedicated 4x4 enthusiasts using highly modified vehicles with winches could make a motorized trip up—and then it often took more time than it did to walk up. Prior to that, there was an Inyo County graded road permitting large vehicles such as house trailers and trucks with mining equipment to access Panamint City (some of these vehicles are abandoned there).

There is always water running down this section of the canyon, the source is from three springs, and the water runs above ground for several miles.

History

Panamint City is the site of the largest and most elaborate group of Coso Painted Style pictographs. The presence of these pictographs indicates that Surprise Canyon was inhabited by Shoshone and/or Kawaiisu not long before the town was founded. [cite web |last=Garfinkel |first=Alan |title=The Coso Painted Style (Pictographs) |url= http://www.petroglyphs.us/article_the_Coso_Painted_Style_pictographs.htm |accessdate=2007-01-24]

Silver was discovered by William L. Kennedy, Robert L. Stewart, and Richard C. Jacobs, bandits who were using Surprise Canyon as a hideout. E. P. Raines, an early investor in Panamint mining, convinced a group of Los Angeles businessmen to build a wagon road and then moved on to San Francisco, where he met Nevada Senator John P. Jones. Jones and the other Nevada Senator, William M. Stewart, created the Panamint Mining Company and bought up the larger mines. The two were quite famous for their heavy involvement in silver mining in Nevada, and their interest in Panamint started the boom.

Founded in 1873-74, the town grew to include many mills, saloons, stores, a red light district, a cemetery—all built along the uppermost end of Surprise Canyon. Panamint City was regarded as a "bad and wicked" town, with Death Valley at one end of town and the Panamint Range at the other end. Because of Panamint City's lawless reputation, Wells Fargo refused to open an office there. The senators solved the question of how to transport the silver bullion from the mines by casting it into 450 pound cannonballs, which were hauled to Los Angeles in an unguarded wagon. [cite web |last=Vredenburgh |first=Larry |coauthors=G. Shumway and R. Hartill |title=Desert Fever: An Overview of Mining History of the California Desert Conservation Area |url=http://www.vredenburgh.org/desert_fever/pages/inyo_county_04.htm |accessdate=2007-01-24]

On July 24, 1876, a flash flood roared down the canyon and washed out nearly the entire town. The County of Inyo maintained the road to Panamint City until about 1983, when a terrific series of cloudbursts completely washed the canyon out to bedrock. [cite web |url=http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/panamintcity.html |title=Panamint City — California Ghost Town |author=Wright, David A. |work=Ghost Towns of California |accessdate=2007-01-22]

Backpacking Information

The 'trail' to Panamint City begins at the Novak Camp outside the ghost town of Ballarat, California on a rough, but drivable road. Respect the Novak Camp and park on the side of the road. Do not block the road for the Novaks. Head due east (the first mill is Novak property; please be considerate of private property) into the Surprise Canyon and head up 3,500 ft up over 6.5 miles to the city of Panamint. The 'trail' used to be a 4x4 road, but 4x4 vehicles are no longer permitted, and the trail has become vague to backpackers due to vegetation during the first two miles. You follow a creek for the majority of the hike, so packing your own water is not necessary, but do not forget the water filter/purifier. No permit is needed. Best done between November and April.

Nearby features

* Sentinel Peak is plotted on the 1988, Panamint, California topographic map at NAD83 latitude and longitude coord|36|05|47|N|117|04|39|W.
* Thompson Camp is plotted near NAD83 latitude and longitude coord|36|07|15|N|117|05|19|W on the 1988, Panamint, California topographic map.
* Hemlock Mine is plotted on the 1988, Panamint, California topographic map at NAD83 latitude and longitude coord|36|06|08|N|117|05|50|W. [Panamint, California, 7.5-minute quadrangle, US Geological Survey, 1988]

ee also

* List of ghost towns

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/panamintcity.html GhostTowns.com]
* [http://www.nps.gov/deva/Ghost-towns.htm National Park Service]
* [http://www.maturango.org/June05.html Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert newsletter containing excerpts from the "Panamint News"]