Goffs and the Leiser Ray Mine photos

two stamp millIt's funny how things often come full circle in life. Take Goffs for example. At one time it was a major stop on Route 66 as well as an important railroad town located at the summit of the long climb out of Needles. It was also a center for the numerous mines in the area and later became home for troops training in desert warfare during WWII. Then it began a slow decline, which was better than extinction which was the fate of the nearby towns of Homer, Blackburn and Purdy. The Goffs general store was abandoned, as was its schoolhouse and even the railroad depot. The desert began to reclaim this now isolated hamlet. The death knell had sounded.

Today, though, that circle thing has happened and we're headed to a revitalized Goffs for the 28th Annual Mojave Road Rendezvouz. Dennis Casebier, author, raconteur and major force behind the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association, has almost single-handedly put Goffs back on the map. We're going to start our trip with a visit to the MDHCA complex to check out the interesting artifact assemblages, take a peek at the Mojave Desert Archives Library and view the model of the newest addition to the site, the replica of the old 1900-1956 Goffs depot which will be the new repository for this marvelous library. We'll also be meeting up with Guy and Alysia Starbuck and Dezdan for an afternoon trip into the southern Piute Mountains to the site of the Leiser Ray Mine before we head into Tungsten Flat to camp for the night.

If you're not familiar with this area, here's your chance to tag along! I think you'll have fun; we sure did! Well, at least until we found out that our campsite was haunted!

 

Click here for photos.