Harrisburg, California – Striking Ore on Providence Ridge
The harsh, unforgiving landscape of Death Valley, California, has always held a certain allure for those seeking fortune and adventure. Among the many boom-and-bust mining camps that briefly punctuated its desolate terrain, Harrisburg, California, stands as a testament to the relentless pursuit of gold. Founded in 1905 by two of Death Valley’s most colorful characters, Pete Aguereberry and Shorty Harris, Harrisburg rose rapidly from a promising ledge find to a bustling, albeit temporary, mining town on Providence Ridge. Its story is one of partnership, rivalry, fleeting riches, and the enduring spirit of the American West.
The genesis of Harrisburg, California lies in the shared ambition of Aguereberry and Harris, two men drawn to Death Valley by the promise of mineral wealth. Aguereberry, having narrowly escaped death during an earlier prospecting venture, was nursed back to health at Furnace Creek Ranch. It was there he met Shorty Harris, a seasoned prospector with a reputation as a flamboyant storyteller and a nose for gold. Together, they decided to explore the Panamint Mountains, a rugged range bordering Death Valley.
Their journey took them along the arduous "dry trail" through Blackwater Wash, ultimately leading to the open plateau known as Harrisburg Flats, approximately nine miles northeast of Wildrose Spring. As they traversed the landscape, Shorty, on horseback and pushing his mules harder, forged ahead of Aguereberry. It was Aguereberry who first spotted a promising-looking ledge on the north side of a long, low hill. He chipped off a piece of the rock, and to his delight, discovered it contained visible free gold.
Overjoyed, Aguereberry quickly caught up with Harris and presented him with the ore sample. The two men, their hopes ignited by the discovery, made immediate plans to replenish their water at Wildrose Spring and return to stake their claims. This initial find marked the birth of what would soon become Harrisburg, California.
Returning to the site, they meticulously prospected the area, dividing the outcroppings between them. Aguereberry staked claims on the north side of the hill, which became known as Providence Ridge or Providence Hill, including the Eureka Nos. 1-4. Harris, in turn, claimed the south side, which later formed the Providence Group. These finds were located at the extreme northeast end of an east-west ridge, approximately 200 feet from the mesa. Initially, the camp was christened "Harrisberry," a name intended to capitalize on Shorty Harris’s notoriety and attract potential investors.
The duo then parted ways, each heading to Ballarat, a nearby supply town. Shorty, ever the promoter, wasted no time in spreading news of their discovery, while Aguereberry secured a grubstake to sustain their operations. Within days of Aguereberry’s return to Providence Ridge, a gold rush was underway. Prospectors from Ballarat descended upon the area, eager to stake their own claims. Aguereberry, finding his original ground overrun, was forced to reassert his ownership through a combination of persuasion and, if necessary, force.
Interestingly, Shorty Harris’s account of the discovery differed slightly. He maintained that he was the first to find evidence of riches and that he was compelled to share the discovery with Aguereberry. According to one contemporary newspaper report, while the matter of who deserved the most credit remained unresolved, "the credit is generally given to Shorty, perhaps from previous achievements." Regardless of the exact details, the result was undeniable: another boom camp had been born in the unforgiving landscape of Death Valley.
By August 1905, the area surrounding the original discovery was teeming with activity. At least 20 parties were actively locating claims within a three-mile radius, resulting in approximately 50 locations in rapid succession. The burgeoning area was incorporated into the Wild Rose Mining District. Samples taken from the immense quartz ledge, which extended north towards the future mining areas of Skidoo and Emigrant Springs, assayed at values ranging from $90 to $200 per ton in free-milling gold, with rumors of some samples yielding as much as $500 per ton.
The rapid influx of prospectors and miners quickly transformed the landscape. Before long, it was estimated that 300 people were residing in the newly established camp, and efforts were already underway to organize a formal townsite company. The allure of Harrisburg, California drew people away from established settlements like Ballarat and Darwin, and even attracted individuals from the burgeoning mining town of Rhyolite, Nevada. By September, over 200 claims had been recorded in the area, and the camp’s population was expected to triple as the weather cooled and conditions became more bearable.
The promising prospects of Harrisburg attracted significant attention from outside investors. Shorty Harris’s claims were quickly bonded to several millionaires from Tonopah, Nevada, while Aguereberry’s claims were secured by capitalists from Goldfield, Nevada. Harris traveled to San Francisco, where he successfully persuaded investors to visit his property, leading to the formation of the Cashier Mining Company, headed by O.L. Ingalls.
Shorty Harris, ever the enthusiastic promoter, continued to champion the virtues of his town whenever he traveled to Rhyolite and other nearby camps. As he recounted his story time and again, the name of the town gradually evolved from "Harrisberry" to "Harrisburg," and the new name stuck.
The survey of the Harrisburg townsite and the Cashier Gold Mining Company’s claims was entrusted to J.H. Wilson, an engineer from Cripple Creek, Colorado, who had previously worked in Goldfield, Nevada. Wilson established a residence and opened an engineering office, claiming it to be the first such business in the Panamint Range. William O’Brien of Bullfrog, Nevada, was appointed to oversee the 23 men employed by the Cashier Gold Mining Company, working around the clock at $3.50 a day. Their efforts focused on sinking three shafts on the property and constructing a tunnel at the foot of the hill to intersect the vein at its lowest point.
By late October, the townsite had been surveyed, and tents were rapidly appearing in the business district. The Cashier Gold Mining Company was operating at full capacity, keeping 23 men busy around the clock. Twenty-seven tons of high-grade ore had already been extracted and prepared for shipment to Keeler.
The surge in population created a scarcity of fresh food, driving prices to exorbitant levels. Rumors circulated about a potential deal in Goldfield involving either the Eureka or the Cashier Group, with a purported value of $160,000. In February, it was reported that the owners of the Eureka Group had sold a half interest in the property to San Francisco investors for $15,000 down, with plans to construct a mill.
In December 1905, a significant strike was made on the six claims of the Exjunction Group, located approximately two miles northeast of Harris’s Providence claims. The quartz extracted from these claims assayed at an average of $259 in gold, silver, copper, and lead. This ledge extended for five miles, encompassing 40 other claims. By this time, approximately 40 men were employed in and around the camp.
By the spring and summer of the following year, the discovery of new prospects near Emigrant Springs accelerated the growth of Skidoo, drawing miners from across the region. Despite ongoing transportation challenges, the Panamint Mountains were rapidly filling up with prospectors and miners eager to strike it rich.
By April 1906, the Wild Rose Mining Company, which included the Exjunction gold, silver, copper, and lead claim, had been formally incorporated. The following month, Shorty Harris boasted that there were 20 tents in residence and that he was planning to drill for water, eliminating the need to haul the precious commodity from Emigrant Springs.
Despite his efforts in Harrisburg, Shorty Harris also located two groups of claims near the Emigrant Springs Gold Eagle strike, diversifying his interests. The Cashier Mining Company continued to thrive, with the Providence claim yielding steady reserves. In the fall of 1906, T.E. Crawford of Helena, Montana, acquired Ingalls’s interest in the company, becoming a co-partner with Shorty Harris. The new partners planned to employ 15 men to sink a new shaft and install a five-stamp mill on the property, utilizing water from the Skidoo pipeline to Telescope Peak.
By November, the Emigrant Springs area was experiencing a surge in mining activity. An estimated 150 miners were working in the area, with a third employed at the Skidoo Mine and on the Telescope Peak pipeline project. The new townsite was rapidly filling up. The owners of the Denver and Tramps properties in Rhyolite were reportedly negotiating the purchase of some Harrisburg property for a rumored $160,000.
Meanwhile, the Cashier property was undergoing active development. The company was planning a mill, and they were considering using the Telescope Peak pipeline for their water supply. The Eureka Mine continued to show rich ledges, and ten tons of high-grade ore, averaging $150 a ton, were ready for shipment. Around this time, a notice appeared regarding litigation between Shorty Harris and Crawford, owners of the Cashier, and J.P. Aguereberry and F. Flytin, representing the Panamint Midas property, over the Eureka Claim. Ultimately, two of the properties were consolidated. Concurrently, W.B. Gray was steadily developing the Wild Rose Mining Company’s property two miles from Harrisburg.
The promising conditions at the Cashier Mine led George Brown, an entrepreneur, to relocate his rooming house and restaurant from Emigrant Springs to Harrisburg to cater to the growing population. Sam Adams, another storekeeper, operated a general store and saloon in a large tent, stocking supplies from Ballarat. He reportedly earned a profit of $6,000 on the saloon in his first six months.
By March 1909, the Harrisburg Mill was en route from San Francisco, and over 100 tons of ore were waiting on the dump. The delay in acquiring the mill was partly due to a dispute surrounding Pete Aguereberry’s claim to the adjoining Eureka Mine. Ownership of the Eureka property had been initially divided among Pete and his original grubstakers, Flynn and Kavanagh. When they decided to sell, Flynn was put in charge of handling the transaction. However, dealings with dishonest mining promoters resulted in a Captain Fleece and his associates acquiring a 1/3 interest in the Eureka property without providing the promised down payment. When Sherwood Aldrich, an investor from Rhyolite, examined the claims, he offered to buy them for $180,000 cash, contingent on a clear title.
Unfortunately, Fleece and his associates blocked the sale through protracted litigation, effectively tying up the property. Discouraged, Flynn and Kavanagh relinquished their interest in the claims to Aguereberry. Consequently, the Eureka property remained idle, while the Cashier Mining Company generated significant dividends from Shorty Harris’s original claims. Fortunately for Aguereberry, he still possessed thirty or more properties in the surrounding area, allowing him to survive the period. Despite several trips to Los Angeles in an attempt to reach an agreement with Fleece, no progress was made. The financial panic of 1907 eventually provided a solution.
After maintaining the assessment work on the mine for three years, Aguereberry allowed it to lapse when Fleece and his brother discontinued their mining operations at Skidoo and left the area. Aguereberry arranged for a friend to relocate the claims and then sell them back to him, establishing himself as the sole owner by the spring of 1909. He immediately began driving a tunnel to pursue the gold vein and continued working the mine for the rest of his days.
While awaiting the final installation of the Cashier Company mill, employees were kept busy blocking out ore and constructing a seven-mile pipeline for the mill’s operation. Aguereberry was steadily developing the Eureka Claim and extracting large quantities of ore for shipment to the Skidoo mill for processing.
The Cashier Mill was nearing completion by mid-July, with production expected to commence almost immediately. By early August, the Cashier Mine shipped its first consignment of gold bullion. After approximately two weeks of operation, the mill had yielded around $2,000. By September, the plant was deemed so successful that the company intended to install an additional five 1,000-pound stamps within the next month, increasing the daily output from six tons to about 20.
In February 1911, Sam Godby of Pioche, Nevada, acquired a controlling interest in the Cashier Group, discovering more ore and expanding the mine. A ten-stamp mill was subsequently put into operation. A short time later, the mine was sold to W.C. Price, who continued the expansion and development. By December, it was reported that the Cashier Mine was producing so well that a mill was imperative, though it remains unclear what happened to the earlier one or whether it was simply insufficient for the increased workload.
In the summer of 1913, six leasers were reported to be working at Harrisburg and Skidoo, in addition to Aguereberry, who had mined ten carloads of high-grade ore for shipment. By 1916, the Cashier Mine was said to have produced 15,000 tons of ore, averaging $20 per ton.
For several years, both Aguereberry’s Eureka Mine and the Cashier Mine, still owned by the Cashier Mining Company of Los Angeles, remained active. However, both were idle by 1926. By 1938, both mines were owned by Pete Aguereberry and were referred to as the Harrisburg Mine. After his death in 1945, the property was passed to his heirs, and by 1960, some of the land was being used as a weekend retreat.
Today, the town of Harrisburg is largely gone, as it was primarily a tent city. However, Aguereberry’s old mining camp still features a few buildings, the ruins of the Cashier Mill remain standing, and mining remnants dot the area. Harrisburg is located approximately 1-3/4 miles east of the Emigrant Canyon Road to Aguereberry Point. It serves as a tangible reminder of the dreams, hardships, and fleeting fortunes that characterized the boom-and-bust mining era of Death Valley.