William Henry Schmidt, born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island in 1871, possessed none of the qualifications to become a high desert prospector, but having a family history of tuberculosis, he came west.
By 1906 he had filed some claims in the Copper Mountains. He had one problem: how to transport the ore from his claims to the distant smelter. It required building miles of roads around the mountain, or . . .
What started as an idea, to carve a tunnel right through the mountain to the Borax road that connected Death Valley with the town of Mojave, grew into a life-long obsession.
Working with only a hand drill and a four-pound hammer Schmidt hacked away at the solid granite mountain, carving out a five-foot wide and seven-foot tall shaft. With only Jack and Jenny, two faithful burros and the source of his nickname, they transported tons of debris from his diggings.
When he was only half way through the mountain the railroad was completed through the valley along with convenient access roads. The purpose of his tunnel had become obsolete.
But Burro kept digging, and digging. Had this obsession pushed him to the brink of sanity? Or, as the rumor spread, had he discovered the Crystal Room, a lost pocket of rich gold ore? Burro continued working on his shaft--1600 feet straight through the mountain--where he made an abrupt right turn and--after 38 years--punched through the other side. His dedication gained him a moment of glory--an article in Time magazine and an acknowledgment in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. He died in January 1954 at the age of 83.
In his lifetime he sold only 20 tons of ore valued at $60 a ton--$1200 for the incredible amount of earth he removed from the tunnel. Yet when he died, $2700 was found hidden beneath a windowsill in his cabin and caches of gold nuggets have turned up around his mine and cabin.
Access to the tunnel is by dirt roads either from Hart’s Place on Route Six or through Last Chance Canyon from Cantil. Primitive camping is available at nearby Red Rock Canyon State Park, twenty-five miles north of Mojave on Route 14, or boondocking in the open Mojave Desert. Directions and a map to the tunnel are available from a ranger or from the park’s visitor center.
Check out my eBook, BOONDOCKING: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America's Public Lands, for the complete guide to boondocking.
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