The Legendary Underground River of Gold: The Search Continues

Lewis had planned to spend only two weeks visiting the site, but ended up staying on for two years as a volunteer worker. Lewis stated over the past 45 years at least 20 distinct tunnels, shafts and raises of varying lengths totaling well over a mile have been completed inside the private holdings at Kokoweef Peak. Lewis became close friends with Willard Dorr Jr. However, he still holds out on the possibility that Dorr or others found ingress to the purported cavern system at a different area location.

Having has spent years conducting research on the subject, including assisting with 21 costly on-site electronic geophysical surveys funded, somewhat ironically with the inheritance from Willard Jr. Detailed, if somewhat cryptic essays of his theories including a riddle-filled poem are published at kokoweef. He did locate Peyser headstones here, but learned that these particular ancestors were likely of European descent and definitely not Native American.

One Peyser was said to be a mining broker and the other a wealthy jeweler. Alberts, a naturalist; Mr. Grunigen, an engineer; and Mr. Oakes, a park ranger. Dorr acted as field guide. Dorr actually found one of the chimeras of the Mojave Desert—the fabulous underground river along the banks of which occurred black sands, rich with gold nuggets—or he has heard the tale so long that he has come to believe it in all sincerity. They [the NPS field crew] found no evidence of any artificial closing of the chimney either by lasting [sic] rock, or erection of a barrier.

These days Lewis feels that Kokoweef, Inc. He continues to pursue his independent research in the quest for truth regarding the Kokoweef legend. The only real treasure to come out of Kokoweef Peak is one that has nothing to do with mineral wealth. This collection is considered the most extensive late Pleistocene cave faunas from the East Mojave.

Coincidentally, Reynolds is himself less than six degrees separated from the Kokoweef legend.

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As it turns out, his aunt Lois Turner lived in a boarding house in Pasadena that Dorr frequented during the early s. When asked whether or not such a monumental underground river could remain hidden in this region, Reynolds states:. Kokoweef Peak reaches 6, feet and the original entrance to the cave is at 5, feet.

Although the limestone of the peak is easily dissolved to form cavities and caverns, geologic maps suggests that it is sitting on insoluble granite at the elevation of Piute Valley 5, feet at the base of the peak.

Still Searching for the Mojave’s Lost River of Gold

Looking east into Ivanpah Valley, the slopes consist of gneiss, a rock as insoluble as granite, that is exposed to a low elevation of 2, feet. So, there are generally insoluble rocks for about 2, feet below the base of the limestone and almost a half mile below the original cave entrance. Both Ivanpah and Shadow valleys have spring and ponds, and lakes that are dry unless filled by thunder showers. In the end Earl P. Dorr seems to have hoodwinked himself—believing in his own elaborate fabrication simply because he had invested so much time and energy into inventing the story.

Whatever it was, though, Dorr ended up taking that secret to his grave. I would like to thank Anna Garcia, principal water resources hydrogeologist at the Mojave Water Agency for sharing her extensive research archive on Kokoweef. Still Searching for the Lost River of Gold. Plummer's photograph of the Mitchell Caverns appears in an October 17, article in the San Bernardino Sun proposing that the cavern is part of a vast subterranean system interconnecting the American Southwest.

For more information see: As proof of how some legends just refuse to die, it has been about years since the underground river of gold was first allegedly found, but a few people keep on insisting to believe. The rights to the Kokoweef Peak site have passed through many owners over the last century or so. In , Excavations Incorporated, which then held the claim, was reorganized into a publicly held corporation called Kokoweef, Inc.

There are several competing legends. One of the most common tales involved Earl Dorr, a grizzled miner who was probably born in In , shortly after the great San Francisco earthquake, he allegedly met two Indian brothers the third was supposedly killed during their exploration who told him they explored underground caves in the Ivanpah Mountains in the Mojave Desert. Dorr later signed a legal affidavit which claimed he had met the two surviving Indian brothers who he said showed him some of the largest gold nuggets ever found in California.

Yes, the original affidavit still exists and is now property of the Crystal Cave Mining Corporation CCMC , a company which was formed by people who owned the claim at the time.

But where, you might ask, are those huge nuggets? The brothers ostensibly sold their gold directly to the U. During the s, Earl Dorr found his way back to the area. After liberating as much of the gold-laden sand as they could carry on their backs, the three began their ascent out of the cavern -- but not before tragedy struck when brother George plunged into the river to his death. Distraught but determined, the two brothers made their way back to civilization, traded in their extremely profitable discovery to the U.

Kokoweef Peak lies in a verdant Joshua tree woodland accessible by car from the Bailey Road exit off Interstate Heading east on Bailey, drivers will pass the blue and white beacon signaling the way to Kokoweef, Inc. It is here where this larger-than-life legend continues to play out, captivating treasure hunters, hungry investors and curious thrill seekers for well over 80 years now. As mentioned earlier, extensive cave systems do exist throughout the Mojave Desert. Kokoweef Peak in its own right has three considerable, nearly vertical caverns named Kokoweef, Crystal and Kin Sabe -- a misspelling of Quien sabe?

And, true, a rich diversity of mineral wealth is centered in the region. Standard Mines Company shipped thousands of tons of copper ore rich in gold and silver from here at the turn of the century, and telltale signs of early Spanish mines can be discerned on ledges and rock outcrops throughout the area. The mining facility operated by Molycorp, Inc. To confuse matters more, there are at least two affidavit versions floating around -- kokoweef. Suspiciously, these crucial details were added after the November 16 version.

From the mouth of the cave we descended about feet. There, we found a canyon, which, on our altimeter, measured about to feet deep. We found the caverns to be divided into many chambers, filled and embellished with the usual stalactites and stalagmites, besides many grotesque and fantastic wonders that make the caverns one of the marvels of the world. On the floor of the canyon there is a flowing river which by careful examination and measurement by triangulation we estimated to be about feet wide and with considerable depth.

The river rises and falls the tides of the sea -- at high tide, being approximately feet wide, and at low tide, approximately 10 feet wide and four feet deep. When the tide is out there is exposed on both sides of the river from to feet of black beach sand which is very rich in gold value. The sands are from 4 to 11 feet deep We explored the ledge sands for a distance of more than eight miles, finding little variation in the depth and width of the sands. This great stalactite is perpetually washed by water flowing over it and falling into the dark canyon depths.

The huge glistening white crystal is feet longer than the Eifel Tower, and challenged us with amazement and wonder.

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Dorr goes on to state within the December affidavit that his last conversation with Oliver and Buck Peysert was at his home in Pasadena on November 10, -- six days after the first affidavit was notarized. Finally, both affidavits declare that the 2. The story shatters into a multitude of versions at this point. Some accounts propose that Dorr set a blast charge sealing the passage before or even just after coming up to the surface and encountering the two men.

Others have Dorr returning at some later point to do so in his effort to conceal from claim jumpers. William Halliday, found "DORR" ominously smoked with a carbide lamp onto the ceiling in two locations during their November caving exploration. The group additionally noted "DORR" at a deeper location above a pile of flowstone rubble with the ghosted black line suggesting that a blast charge could have been set here previously.

Still Searching for the Mojave’s Lost River of Gold | KCET

Although not stated in either affidavit, later published accounts would state that while exploring the cavern for some length Dorr and Morton observed a fissure allowing daylight to stream in, signaling the possibility of another portal entrance. This partially suggests why Dorr purportedly blasted the Crystal Cave entrance shut, gambling that he would later, and perhaps effortlessly, locate a secondary access point after the dust settled down.

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The problem was he could not find this elusive entrance. To make matters worse another miner, Pete Ressler rumored to have run with the Butch Cassidy gang , held most of the claims in and around Kokoweef peak so Dorr was not able to stake a claim at this original Crystal Cave entry point. That same year the syndicate formed Crystal Cave Mining Corporation. Undeterred, the outfit attempted another linkup from Kokoweef Cave, but in the process discovered something else -- high-grade zinc ore. Sometime in the mid-to-late s, Dorr began independently tunneling a possible connection to the illusive portal at one of his area claims in the Mescal Range near the old U.

Highway 91 now Interstate 15 -- oddly located about five miles north of Kokoweef and Dorr peaks.