The “River of Gold” – A Discussion on Local Folklore and Legends of

Underground Rivers in the Greater Mojave Region

Water Resources Department February 7, 2012

© 2000, R.E. Lewis (http://www.kokoweef.com/)

Earl P. Dorr

• 1885 - Born in Colorado • 1934 – Makes sworn

statement regarding underground river

• 1940 – Affidavit published in California Mining Journal

• 1945 to 1950 – Works in small pilot mill at Victorville

• 1957 - dies

• Caverns located in SB County

• Explored caverns with mining engineer in 1927

• Descended 2000 feet and found cavern that extended to 3,000 – 3,500 feet

• Traveled 8 or 9 miles through the caves

• Flowing River that rose and fell with the tides

• Black sand beaches rich in gold

• 2.5 lbs of sand assayed at $2,145.47 per yard

Kokoweef Peak Dorr Peak

Halliday, 1959

8 Miles

Kokoweef Peak Dorr Peak

Halliday, 1959

3,000 Feet

http://sourcerocks.blogspot.com/2010/04/karst-topography.html

Touring Topics, August 1933

Los Angeles Herald Express, September 1934

Westways, 1935

Desert Magazine, March 1940 Death Valley Gold

California Mining Journal, November 1940, Contains Earl Dorr’s Affidavit

Adventure is Underground, 1959

• William R. Halliday – Medical Doctor and Director of Western Speleological Survey ― Recounts Earl’s story ― Explores Crystal Cave and

Kokoweef Cave with team of 34 cavers in 1948

Desert Magazine, May 1961

True West, January -February 1962

California Mining Journal, October, 1962

Golden West, May 1966, by Steve Wilson

Hi-Desert Star, October 6, 1966

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San Bernardino Sun, September 3, 1967

http://www.kokoweef.com/

Argosy, September 1967

True Treasure, Winter 1967

Desert Magazine, Dec 1967

Western Treasures, June 1968

True Treasure, August 1970 by Al Masters

• The Southern California Grotto – Part of the National

Speleological Society – Surveyed Crystal

Cave in November 1972

• From their diagram the cave looks to be around 150 feet deep.

0

40

80

120

1972

3,000 Feet

1942 National Park Service Investigation

• April 27, 1942 Superintendent of the National Park Service dispatched rangers, engineers, and naturalists to reconnoiter the area.

• April 28, 1942 Superintendent joined the recon team.

1942 National Park Service Findings

• “Investigation covered the Clark Mountain and Mescal Range as far as Kokoweef Peak and numerous individuals were interviewed and all the so-called caverns investigated with but little result.”

• “Briefly, no cavern of scientific, education, or recreational value was located in the area.”

1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

1933 – Article on Mitchell Caverns

1934 – Article on 300 Mile Cave System

1927 – Earl explores

River of Gold

1934 – Earl signs

Affidavit

November 1940 -

California Mining Journal Article

1959 – 1998 Several versions

of Earl’s story published

March 1940 – Death Valley Gold Story in

Desert Magazine

1942 – NPS Investigates

Caverns

1972 – Speleologists

Survey the Caves

The Story Continues • Los Angeles Times, 1993 – “Wally” Spencer

Wally’s River

• 1994 – Chicago Tribune article and Unsolved Mysteries

Wally’s River Year Event

2003 Wally dies

2006 Las Vegas Sun article: Beverly Jacob, Wally’s former business partner, is still looking for the River.

2009 Office of the State Engineer of Nevada rules against applications filed by Jacob to appropriate 27,627 cfs (20,000,000 af/yr) of underground waters in Clark and Lincoln counties. The amount exceeds perennial yield for the basins and would mine the ground-water basins.

Press Enterprise, February 26, 1995 • Miners on a Mission • Retelling of Earl’s story with underground river

and black sand beaches rich with gold. • Crystal Cave Mining Company, run by Larry

Hahn, has been searching for 17 years • Bill Mann of Brubaker-Mann Company – “I

think they’re mining the investors.” • Stephen Wheatcraft, Hydrogeologist with

University of Nevada, Reno – “ You just don’t get underground rivers in the Great Basin.”

Kokoweef Court Battle

• Crystal Cave Mining Company started working Kokoweef Peak around 1978

• In 1984 Explorations Inc. (EIN) was incorporated to take over

• In 2006 EIN was reorganized into Kokoweef Inc. • In 2008 Plaintiffs filed derivative complaint

against Larry Hahn (President and Treasurer of EIN / Kokoweef Inc. for 25 years)

• Jury Trial set for November 2011 • Settlement reached in December 2011

http://www.in-the-desert.com/rivers.html

“This is the approximate location of the underground river.”

1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

1933 – Article on Mitchell Caverns

1934 – Article on 300 Mile Cave System

1927 – Earl explores

River of Gold

1934 – Earl signs

Affidavit

November 1940 -

California Mining Journal Article

1959 – 1998 Several versions

of Earl’s story published

March 1940 – Death Valley Gold Story in

Desert Magazine

1942 – NPS Investigates

Caverns

1972 – Speleologists

Survey the Caves

1993 – 2009 Wally’s River

2012 – Myth of the

Underground River

Continues

2008 to 2011

Kokoweef Court Battle

Richard J. Heggen Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering

University of New Mexico

“One thus might say that books about underground rivers themselves flow through our collective history – appearing, disappearing and reappearing – like underground rivers.”

Questions?