Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Ashford Mill Ruins
Fading Fortunes
In 1914, gold ore from the Golden Treasure Mine, 5 miles to the east, was processed here for shipment to a smelter. Legend has it that the Ashford Brothers sold the mine for $50,000 to a Hungarian Count, who later sold it to B.W. McCausland for $105,000.
Fading Fortunes
The foundations of the Ashford Mill are set into the hillside directly ahead, with the concrete walls of the office building to the left framing the desert beyond. Ore hauled down from the Golden Treasure Mine five miles to the east in Ashford Canyon was crushed at the mill. The Ashford brothers - Henry, Harold, and Louis - acquired the mine in 1907, alternately working it and leasing it to a series of companies. Each lessee defaulted on the agreement, returning the mine and any improvements to the brothers. The mill was abandoned the same year it was built. A 1915 edition of the Bishop Inyo Register said that the Ashford Mill ruins are "conspicuous monuments to disappointment," yielding far less than the investments made in them. This prophetic statement applied to many mining operations in Death Valley.
Safety Information
If you visit the mining site please exercise extreme caution: colapsing tunnels, unstable buildings, and refuse heaps are potentially hazardous.
Stay Out - Stay Alive.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.
Location. 35° 55.183′ N, 116° 40.954′ W. Marker is in Death Valley National Park, California, in Inyo County. Marker can be reached from Badwater Road, 2 miles north of Jubilee Pass Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Death Valley CA 92328, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 1 other marker is within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Lake Manly (approx. 1.3 miles away).
Also see . . . Legends of America - Ashford Mine and Mill. (Submitted on October 12, 2015.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 29, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 12, 2015, by Trev Meed of Round Mountain, Nevada. This page has been viewed 355 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 12, 2015, by Trev Meed of Round Mountain, Nevada. 2. submitted on December 29, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 3. submitted on April 4, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 4. submitted on December 29, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 5, 6. submitted on October 12, 2015, by Trev Meed of Round Mountain, Nevada. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.