On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
On The Road – ?BillinGlendaleCA
Gold and silver mines dot the Southern California landscape from the mines in the desert that supported towns like Randsburg to mines in the local San Gabriel Mountains. One of the most productive of these mines in the San Gabriels was the Big Horn Mine discovered by prospector Tom Vincent on the south side of Mt. Baden-Powell and whose cabin still sits in Vincent Gulch.
Who was Tom Vincent, aka Charles Vincent Dougherry? He was born in Ohio in 1838, fought in the Civil War and was injured seriously enough at Gettysburg to be discharged. He moved to Arizona to prospect for gold where he killed three men who where lying in wait to steal his mining claims and kill him and his mining partner. They fled to California, first to the north and later settling in the San Gabriel Mountains on the east slope of Mt. Baden-Powell (then called North Baldy).
He was hunting Big Horn Sheep along the southern slopes of Mt. Baden-Powell when he discovered gold and filed a mining claim and named it the Big Horn mine. Tom lacked the capital for the type of mining effort needed to extract the gold, so he sold the claim to a mining company which tunneled into Mt. Baden-Powell and found a good supply of gold, as well as silver and copper. After selling his claim, Tom Vincent continued prospecting in the area of the gulch that is now named in his honor and passed away in 1926. He’s buried at the National Cemetery in Westwood.
The north face of Mount San Antonio; we’ve seen this mountain on these pages before, but it was the snowy south face as a backdrop to downtown Los Angeles.
I wanted to see what trees and snow would look like in infrared with the IRChrome filters, kind of freaky.
The Big Horn Mine.
The Big Horn Mine in infrared with the IRChrome filter.
The view from the Big Horn Mine across Vincent Gulch towards Mt. San Antonio.
Tom Vincent’s cabin.
Tom Vincent’s cabin in black and white traditional infrared.
The interior of Tom Vincent’s cabin.
Baud
Cool shots.
Steve in the ATL
Great pics
Laura Too
Wow, thanks for the beautiful pictures and the backstory! So many places to explore.
stinger
Re pic #2: Did not expect to see the former Third Lady make an appearance in these photos. Hi, Melania!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud:
@Steve in the ATL: Thanks.
@Laura Too: Well, I went up there for the snow and then saw the path headed around the mountain, so I had to find out where it went and it was too late to hike it so I looked at home and headed back.
@stinger: Maybe that’s where she got the idea, nah she probably never heard of Aerochrome.
My cocker spaniel passed away Sunday night, I put together a memorial page for her.
stinger
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Ah, so very sorry to hear that. Great photos — she looks like a sweetie.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@stinger: She was the best dog.
cope
These photos are a great way to start my day, thanks. Shame the mine structure has been tagged but it does provide a pop of color.
Back in the ’70s, nothing made me happier than picking over the tailings piles of various Colorado mines in the San Juans. I collected some beautiful rock and mineral specimens all of which were, alas, stolen from my classroom when my school was being remodeled. Still, thanks for bringing back some fine memories for me
Edited to add condolences about your fine dog. We got a rescue puppy from St. Croix in December after almost two dogless years. She has certainly filled a hole in our lives. All the best to you.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@cope: While the Gold Rush in NorCal gets most of the notice, gold was discovered here in SoCal a few years earlier, but we were part of Mexico then and it wasn’t noticed. Even Joshua Tree has quite a few old gold mining operations in the park.
Thanks for the thoughts about my Nikki, we lost our other dog in February.
SkyBluePink
Wonderful pics!
Love the red and the white trees.
I’m always (except today) too late to the threads to comment but-
My condolences on the loss of your pups-the web page is a lovely and fitting tribute to a loved companion.
WaterGirl
@stinger: I, too, immediately thought of the Christmas tree debacle when I saw that photo!
WaterGirl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Bill, I would be happy to share your memorial as a guest post if you like. For one or both of your pups that you have lost.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@SkyBluePink: Thanks, it probably would have been better if I could shoot it with fresher snow, it was pretty late in the season. It’s never too late to comment, I always check back during the day when my pics are posted. Thanks for the kind thoughts about my Nikki.
@WaterGirl: It’s more of a burnt orange.
@WaterGirl: Here’s Conni’s page from late February.
There go two miscreants
Bill, there are some impressive IR photos here:
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/new-pix-of-jupiter-will-rock-your-very-very-large-world
(I like your too, BTW, but was also reminded of Malaria and her Xmas trees.)
?BillinGlendaleCA
@There go two miscreants: I think those pics of Jupiter are a wider band IR than my camera can capture, I can only do near IR(up to about 1400nm). That’s more like the heat sensing cameras.
The 3rd lady’s trees were red, mine are burnt orange, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Benw
Sorry to hear about losing your dog. RIP Nikki.
My daughter loves to take two of every pic and use the effects built into my phone to alter the second. Not quite as stunning as yours, but she often hits on a cool image.
?BillinGlendaleCA
Thanks for your thoughts about Nikki, she was a good girl.
I tried the simulated IR effect, but it never turned out right, so I got a camera on ebay and got it modified for IR.
J R in WV
Great pix, Billin, and the history is just as fascinating also too. So many prospectors found untold wealth, and sold it for their bar tab at a local tavern. Then lived on the barest margins of society for the rest of their lives. We saw so many old gold/silver mines in Colorado and AZ, still in such good shape after 100 years of abandonment at 12-14,000.
Again, sorry for your loss of your late pup.
They are all so very sweet, all of them the best dog, all their lives. The pics of your puppies are great too~!!~ We try to have large overlaps in puppy ages so we never run out.
Right now we have an older white lab mix (Alice-84 pounds and on a diet!) and brother-sister black dogs just a couple of years old. Mid 60-pounds each, bro is a bit bigger than sissy. They can sneak into bed at 4 am with nary a clue to either Wife or me, or jump on top of me, who cares if he wakes up?
We really lucked out, the new pups are sweet curious affectionate loving pups, quiet, mostly well behaved and cooperative. Just as they all are in our imaginations.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@J R in WV: I got the impression the ol’ Tom made a pretty good deal on selling his claim. He helped bail out a friend down in the Antelope Valley who’s farm was being foreclosed on. He also had his military pension which was one of the few reasons he’d leave the mountain.
Thanks for the kind thoughts about my pups, while spacing out the pups ages would be nice, it’s just never worked that way for either of out two packs.
Yutsano
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Every time I see the IR pictures I’m reminded that our trees almost looked like that. The colouring of the leaves of Japanese maples was the dominant photosynthesis generator until the evolution of chlorophyll. So if not for that innovation our trees would all be the previous Christmas horror.
You and your family have all my love and healing light. Losing two precious beans so quickly is so hard on the heart.
Laura Too
Oh Bill, I’m so sorry for your loss. They leave such a huge hole in our life when they leave. Hugs!
Mary G
Late to the thread, but great pictures and memories of Conni and Nikki. I was sentenced to a horrible church camp for a couple of summers in my childhood near Julian, CA and they would take us down an old gold mine. My claustrophobic ass hated it, especially the dark darkness. I can’t imagine it being allowed these days; the elevator down was rickety and parts of the shaft were collapsed. Also, too, I am another commenter for whom the red trees have been irretrievably ruined by Mrs. TFG.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Yutsano: I’ll have to see how the Japanese Maple looks in IR at The Huntington tomorrow. Thanks for your kind thoughts and wishes. As madame noted as we were cleaning out the dog stuff tonight, our last pack had the cocker pass on and then 3 months later the Shih Tzu passed on as well.
@Laura Too: We moved the doggie bed that she died in today, that actually helps a bit. I’d swear that I’d see her there out of the corner of my eye.
@Mary G: There were some young(20 somethings) there when I was there and went into the mine. You have to go up to the second level and it’s not easy and I’m hauling around camera, NO WAY. The third lady’s trees were more of a fire engine red, these are more of a burn orange.