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Ibex Mine in Death Valley

Jack Hamm

• 4 min read
Ibex Mine in Death Valley
Looking across Buckwheat Wash towards Death Valley. The Avawatz and Owlshead Mountains in the distance.

The Ibex Mine is a former Cu-Ag-Zn-Pb mine located in sections 21 & 29, T20N, R5E, SBM in the Black Mountains across Buckwheat Wash from the Ibex Hills. The local geology is Precambrian rocks, undivided, “unit 1 Death Valley”. There were numerous foundations and retaining walls typical of these operations. One reasonably intact cabin remains standing. The mine workings included multiple shafts and adits; however, we found most to be collapsed with the exception of one adit near the old cabin.

It began its operation under the Chicago-based Ibex Mining Company, which was incorporated in December 1882. The exact location of the original mine remains unclear, though it’s believed to be within a mile of the site marked on the 1951 Shoshone quadrangle. Initial efforts were promising, and the company built a five-stamp dry roasting mill in 1883. A few shipments of silver-lead ore followed, though production levels remained limited due to challenges with heat, water shortages, and high freight costs.

By 1889, operational issues, particularly fuel shortages, led to only sporadic activity at the mine, and it sat idle by 1892. For the next 15 years, the district was mostly deserted, except for prospector Frank Barbour, who maintained the Ibex Mine through annual assessment labor.

Interest in the region picked up again in 1906, sparked by the nearby Bullfrog mining boom. A new wave of prospectors moved in, and major claims—such as the Orient and Rusty Pick—were staked nearby. The Busch brothers from Rhyolite acquired several claims, and the Heckey brothers, who operated the Evening Star Mine, moved their families to the site. By the end of 1907, the Orient had ore ready for shipment, though high freight costs ($20 per ton) and the desert’s extreme conditions continued to restrict progress.

Development persisted into early 1908, but by summer, funding issues slowed down the work. By 1909, development remained minimal, with only one shipment of ore from the Rusty Pick Mine. Investors were attracted but failed to deliver significant developments, leaving the mines mostly inactive by the end of the year.

In 1915, the Ibex Mine experienced a brief revival with a workforce of 20 men, operating as a regular shipper. The following year, the mine’s new owners planned to build an aerial tramway, though it never materialized. By 1921, the Ibex Mine shut down permanently.

Topo showing the location of the Ibex Mine relative to Ibex Springs.
Looking north up Buckwheat Wash from where the old wagon road enters it from the Ibex Hills. The Ibex Mine is roughly at the transition between the light brown and black rock in the left third of the picture.
As you cross Buckwheat Wash towards the Black Mountain side, there are several dunes built up on the generally leeward side of the range. This smaller offshoot range appears as the Talc Hills on the USGS topo.
As you head up the wash there are several spots where the bedrock gets near the road for close up inspection.
Quartz veining in the Precambrian "unit 1 Death Valley" bedrock.
When you get to the Ibex, the road takes a hard left turn up to the mine working. The current road ends here, but 2 miles north is the Rusty Pick Mine, another important local producer that we'll be visiting sometime soon.
The 1920s cabin. While in decent condition, we did not go inside due to the abundance of mouse droppings on the floor. Hantavirus used to be a conceptual risk to me until a healthy acquaintance died from it after backcountry trip. Now I take seriously and so should you.
Quick peak through the door shows the interior to be in decent condition for a 100+ year old cabin left to rot in the desert.
The mine workings were largely backfilled or collapsed and actively shedding so best to take a quick peak and move away.
This was the only adit that still had some integrity but it was scaling off the back so not safe to enter. It didn't look to have much depth.
Sitting among the rusty mining gear was half of this 1959 (?) Pontiac Bonneville. Clearly used for target practice (likely before the Park boundary was changed in the 80s). The front half was nowhere to be found.
Looking out over the mine are and Buckwheat Wash facing southwest. The wash drains into the Amargosa in the southern end of Death Valley roughly entering where Owl Spring Road leaves Harry Wade Road.
No trip to the Ibex Hills is complete without a visit to the oasis at Ibex Springs!

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