Burro Schmidt Tunnel facts for kids
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| South entrance to the tunnel | |
| Overview | |
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| Location | Kern County, California |
| Coordinates | 35°24.62′N 117°52.55′W / 35.41033°N 117.87583°W |
| Start | 1902 |
| End | 1940 |
| Technical | |
| Length | 0.5 mi (0.8 km) |
| Grade | |
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Burro Schmidt's Tunnel
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| Nearest city | Ridgecrest, California |
| Area | 11.5 acres (4.7 ha) |
| Built | 1900–1938 |
| Architect | Schmidt, William Henry |
| Architectural style | Earthen tunnel |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000113 |
| Added to NRHP | March 20, 2003 |
The Burro Schmidt Tunnel is a famous mining tunnel in the El Paso Mountains. These mountains are in the northern Mojave Desert in eastern Kern County, California. It's a really interesting place to visit.
This tunnel is about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) long. A man named William "Burro" H. Schmidt dug it all by himself. He worked on it for 38 years, using only hand tools and dynamite! The tunnel is below the top of a 4,400-foot (1,341 m) mountain. From its southern entrance, you can see the Fremont Valley and Koehn Lake. You can also spot the old ghost towns of Garlock and Saltdale.
Contents
The Story of Burro Schmidt's Tunnel
Why William Schmidt Started Digging
William "Burro" Schmidt was a miner looking for gold in the El Paso Mountains. He had a problem: a very dangerous ridge stood between his mining claims and the smelter (a place to melt ore) in Mojave. Schmidt used two burros to carry his ore (rock with valuable minerals). He didn't want to use that risky trail. So, in 1900, he decided to dig a tunnel straight through the mountain.
How He Dug the Tunnel
The tunnel was about 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 10 feet (3 m) wide. Schmidt dug through solid granite rock. This meant he didn't need much support inside the tunnel. But he was often trapped by falling rocks and got hurt many times. Later, he put in a mining cart on rails to help move the rock.
In 1920, a new road was built that went around the mountain. This road made the tunnel unnecessary for moving ore. But Schmidt kept digging. He said he was just obsessed with finishing his project.
Finishing the Amazing Feat
By 1938, Schmidt had reached his goal. He had dug through almost 2,500 feet (762 m) of solid granite. For the first part, he used only a pick, a shovel, and a four-pound hammer. For most of the tunnel, he used dynamite. He was very careful with the dynamite, even though its fuses were very short. It's thought that he moved about 5,800 tons (5,260 metric tonnes) of rock. He used only a wheelbarrow to do all this work.
Schmidt never actually used the tunnel to move his mine's ore. Instead, he sold the tunnel to another miner and moved away. His amazing work was even featured in a Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon. They called him the "human mole." Schmidt's old cabin, located in Garlock, is still there. It looks much like it did in the 1930s, kept safe by the dry desert air.
Who Owns the Tunnel?
The land where the tunnel is located belongs to the United States government. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). There have been some discussions about who legally owns the mining rights and the old buildings on the site. People who cared for the site have worked with the BLM to try and keep it safe.
Keeping the Tunnel Safe
A group of people who love history and the outdoors are working to preserve the Burro Schmidt Tunnel. They are called The Friends of Last Chance Canyon. They want to make sure this amazing piece of history is protected. However, there are still some challenges about who manages the land and old buildings. Sadly, Schmidt's cabin has been damaged by vandalism sometimes.
The Tunnel in Media
The Burro Schmidt Tunnel has been featured on TV!
- A show called California's Gold with Huell Howser showed the tunnel in an episode in 1994.
- The web series Roadkill also had an episode where David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich walked through the tunnel and shared its history.
Images for kids
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Inside the tunnel, you can see how it was dug.
