Gold hunting in the desert was dangerous business in the early 1900s. Men would leave their homes and families in search of fortunes in the desert, and oftentimes they would never return. The desert environment was tragically brutal. Every step could be a man’s last, and if he wasn’t careful, he could become lost to the desert forever.
These fortune seeking men entered the desert with few supplies, all of them absolutely essential. He would pack up two burros with basic food supplies, such as salt and pepper, cured bacon, flour, beans, prunes, and dried apricots. He would fill canteens with water and pack up a tarp to use as a makeshift tent. For finding the gold, he needed a compass, his goldpan, magnifying glass, pick, and a shovel. A shotgun was needed for hunting and for self protection. Finally, he would pack up matches for starting his campfires, but he would only use these if he could not start a fire using his magnifying glass and the sun.
He didn’t have a first aid kit. He had no means of making contact with the outside world if something should go wrong. He had to rely on himself and hope for good fortune. [SOURCE 1]
Rattlesnake Bites
Many gold miners wrote about the dangers of rattlesnake bites. If a gold prospector was not paying attention to his foot fall, it was easy to accidentally step onto a resting rattlesnake and get bitten. In the early 1900s, the only way to fight back a venomous bite was to tie something tightly around the bitten limb to prevent the venom from entering the circulatory system and apply permanganate of potassium on the bite. Failing this, the bite meant almost certain death with no hospitals or medical doctors in the desert.
The desert roadrunner was well known for its ability to kill rattlesnakes. For this reason, the roadrunner bird was seen as a friend to the gold prospectors and miners, and no one dared to harm one. [SOURCES 4, 5]
Water Loss
It goes without saying that desert gold miners had to be very careful with their water supply. Not only did they have to carry enough water for themselves and their burros, but they also had to find ways to resupply their water.
A newspaper article published in 1911 gives another example of what can happen to one’s water supple in the desert. The article was about the sheriff in San Bernardino County. A fugitive had escaped into the desert and the sheriff, being the only man experienced in the desert, went after the fugitive. Before he took off, he tied his canteen to his horse and he rode out into the desert.
After some time passed, his horse grew anxious and started to nose around for a drink. The horse was not accustomed to being out in the wild, so the sheriff decided to dismount and give himself and his ride a drink. As soon as he dropped the horse’s reigns, the horse began to trot away. He tried to run after the horse, but it went into a gallop.
In an act of desperation, the sheriff pulled out his revolver and tried to shoot the horse, but the horse was already out of range, along with the sheriff’s water.
Knowing his fate, the sheriff pulled out his notebook and wrote about what had just happened. He pinned the note to his shirt.
A few days later, a search party found his remains along with the note detailing how a touch of carelessness in the desert could get a man killed. [SOURCE 2]
Rabid Skunks
While the desert is full of poisonous snakes and deadly insects, there was one critter the desert miners feared the most. They called it the hydrophobic (rabid) skunk.
An Arizona newspaper in 1906 printed an article about an unlucky miner who was bitten by one of these skunks. The miner had gone down into a shaft and, in the darkness, reached his hand into some sacks that were on the ground. A hidden skunk bit the man’s finger, causing severe pain.
Fortunately, the man was able to make it to the closest town and was taken to the Pasteur Institute in Chicago where he could receive the treatment for rabies.
Again, in 1907 a prospector and miner went to sleep outdoors after spending the day looking for gold in the hills. He awoke to a skunk biting him on the nose. His nose swelled up, but it bled freely. His partner helped him return to Tombstone and he was also immediately sent to the Pasteur Institute for the rabies treatment. [SOURCES 6, 7, 8]
Getting Lost
With or without a compass, it was easy for an inexperienced person to get lost in the desert. Getting lost could easily mean running out of food and water or walking into danger. It almost always meant death for the person wandering aimlessly in the hot desert sun.
Fortunately for some people, there were men like H. H. McVaughaen. Called the Vip Van Winkle of the Desert, this Death Valley desert scout was credited for saving 387 people who were lost and dying in the desert. [SOURCE 3]
Thieves
A prospector had to be extremely careful with his finds. If he struck it rich, he immediately became a target for thieves and murderers. After all, who wouldn’t want to get their hands on a few gold nuggets without having to do all of the hard work of finding it?
In one case reported out of California in 1912, a gold prosector was traveling with his pockets full of gold nuggets. One or more thieves fell upon the man and killed his burro by crushing its head and throwing it down into a pit. They slit the prospector’s throat and crushed his head, as well, but then something must have scared off the thieves because the prospector’s body was found with gold still in his pockets. [SOURCE 8]
Insanity
It was easy to lose one’s mind in the desert. The population sparse and you were lucky (or unlucky) if you met anyone while out in the hills.
There was a case back in 1907 where a man went out to prospect for gold in Death Valley, only to be discovered some time later crawling on all fours. His tongue was black, swollen, and hanging out of his mouth. His fingers were worn down to the bone from him trying to dig for water.
The man was placed under medical care. In spite of getting the food and water his body desperately needed, his mind was gone. The newspaper reported that he had a moment of lucidity, but quickly fell back into madness. He was committed to an asylum. [SOURCE 9]
