Death Valley and its surroundings was not a very hospitable place for a small group of men trying to make their way to the San Joaquin valley. Camped in the Argus Range, they were hungry and close to exhaustion when it was discovered the only working gun was a rifle with a missing sight. Killing any game for food seemed out of the question. An Indian guide said he could fix it. He took the gun, vanished into the hills and returned sometime later. The rifle had a new sight of pure silver. At the moment, the main objective was to reach the San Joaquin valley. Some years later, one of the original party, a Darwin French, returned to the Argus Range to locate the "Gun Sight Mine." It was never found. However, other mineral deposits were located and mining operations began. The site was then given the name of Darwin. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

South of Darwin in the Coso Range is Darwin where rich silver-lead deposits were discovered late in October 1874. The town was named after Dr. Darwin French, an early explorer of the region. By the end of 1875, Darwin boasted two smelters, some 20 operating mines, 200 frame houses and more than 700 residents. The town reached its peak in 1876 with five furnaces and more than a thousand inhabitants.

Today the ghost of Darwin is a collection of rude shacks and The Defiance smelter with its scattered and rusted machinery.

Darwin
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Darwin
Courtesy Dolores Steele