Holcomb Valley near Big Bear

The History

But before you go, let us tell you a little history about the gold rush to Holcomb Valley which started in 1860, peaked in 1861, then continued to interest miners and investors off and on until the 1950’s.  We’ll also explain a driving tour that will take you to some of the actual spots where different events took place during this gold rush.  Although there aren’t any ghost towns to see, there are placer holes dug by the miners, some remains of ore mills and their tailings, an actual mining tunnel (adit) or two, old pieces of metal, and a few reconstructed cabins.

As with many other mining boomtowns of the 1800’s, there were lots of fanciful stories and legends told about them and sometimes those stories make it into today’s history books as “fact”.  Oftentimes “history” is written based on the best knowledge available at the time (someone’s memory or best guess) only to be proven incorrect later on.  With that in mind, we have written this article based on the “history” available to us.

Discovery

Bill Holcomb came out west from Indiana in 1850 to seek his fortune in northern California’s Mother Lode but he was not successful there.  He began heading south, trying his luck in the Kern River and then at Newhall.  He heard about prospectors who’d had a little luck in Bear Valley of the San Bernardino Mountains and so off he went.  He was an excellent marksman and was hired by other prospectors in Bear Valley to hunt bear for meat.  At that time, the San Bernardino’s were literally infested with giant California Grizzly Bear that maimed and killed prospectors on a regular basis.  One day, while tracking a bear into the next valley to the north, Holcomb came across a ledge of quartz rock riddled with gold.  Soon, the rush was on and the place was named Holcomb Valley.

Much of the gold mining in the early 1860’s focused in the center of Holcomb Valley.  Of the three towns that emerged, the largest was Belleville which was named after the daughter of Jed Van Dusen.  Van Dusen is also the name of the main road from the top of the old Brown Toll Road in the Cajon Pass to Holcomb and Bear Valleys and the name of a canyon in the area.

In 1860, there was a county-wide vote to determine where to place the county seat for the fast-growing area of San Bernardino and the town of San Bernardino won out over Belleville by just a couple of votes.  Rumor has it that one ballot box from Belleville was mysteriously lost which would have certainly contained the votes needed to win the election.

A Rough & Tough Place

During the boom years of 1860 and 1861, Holcomb Valley was as wild and rough as any other western mining town.  An estimated 50 murders took place in those two years.  In August 1861, a bunch of bandits from Utah known as the Button’s Gang dominated Holcomb Valley.  If they wanted to stay overnight somewhere, they would simply kick out the occupants or owners of a cabin and move in.  They would also help themselves to any supplies they wanted.  But, like many outlaws of the day, their lives came to a violent end.  The Hangman’s Tree, a stop along the tour through Holcomb Valley, is where many outlaws met their maker.

Along with the bandits, most of the occupants of Holcomb Valley took sides in the developing Civil War.  Tensions were high in the valley between Unionists and Secessionists.  Miners that followed one gold rush to another had strong Southern sympathies.  The Knights of the Golden Circle, a nationwide secret society that promoted separation from the U.S., held regular meetings north of Holcomb Valley (near Cushenburry Springs) to promote their cause.  Miners that sided with the North congregated in northeastern Holcomb Valley which is still labeled Union Flat on maps today.

The big boom of Holcomb Valley ended after a strong blizzard struck the San Bernardino’s in January 1862.  Mining continued in a more subdued fashion until about 1940 and there were a few “mini-rushes” during that time.

“Lucky” Baldwin and Gold Mountain

One was in 1874 when a gold discovery was made on Gold Mountain, near present-day Baldwin Lake.  A famous mine developer, Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin, invested in the site and the mini-rush was on.  He spent a lot of money building a 40-stamp mill (which was huge in those days) in anticipation of all the gold that was to be mined.  But just like with so many other rushes, the ore didn’t pay out as expected and Baldwin shut down his mill in less than a year.  It mysteriously burned down two years later.

In 1900, Baldwin, along with a new investor, built a new 40-stamp mill just above the old one and excitement arose once more.  The new operation kept going strong for three years, then after Baldwin’s death in 1909, the mine sputtered on with various owners until the dawn of World War II.

An Attempt at Dredging

In 1880, a British miner came to Holcomb Valley and began a dredging operation, which was becoming a popular mining method in California’s Gold Country.  Somehow, the Brit estimated that there was $240 million in gold locked up in the soils of Holcomb Valley!  Although it is unclear just how much gold was actually mined since 1860, it is unlikely that it ever reached more than a million.  The Brit invested in a lot of equipment, had a labor force of 100 miners and brought up a steam shovel dredge to begin digging trenches.  Operations started in 1891 and by 1895, an impressive trench measuring 3,000 foot (0.56 mile) long, 16 feet wide and 8 feet deep was dug.  It is still visible in western Holcomb Valley.  Not much gold was recovered and many investors in England lost a lot of money in the operation.

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