Nothing too fancy here, but I just dig some of the history you find here in the desert Southwest. As it turns out, the area now occupied by Joshua Tree National Park used to be a pretty active gold mining area.
A brief little side history (for those who care), the Desert Queen Mine was the longest operating, and one of the most profitable mines in the area. It ran from 1895-1961, and during that time produced 3,845 ounces of gold, that yielded several million dollars (according to the US Bureau of Mines...didn't even know there was such a thing). There's not much left of it now, as you can tell from the pics, just some ruins and old mine shafts and machinery.
I do like running on trails like this, not because they are particularly difficult or technical, but because you can get a history lesson at the same time!
A brief little side history (for those who care), the Desert Queen Mine was the longest operating, and one of the most profitable mines in the area. It ran from 1895-1961, and during that time produced 3,845 ounces of gold, that yielded several million dollars (according to the US Bureau of Mines...didn't even know there was such a thing). There's not much left of it now, as you can tell from the pics, just some ruins and old mine shafts and machinery.
I do like running on trails like this, not because they are particularly difficult or technical, but because you can get a history lesson at the same time!
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