Colemanite Geode
Crystal pocket is 10 cm. in length
Colemanite Crystal from Geode
Specimen is 8 cm. long
Howlite Nodule
Nodule is 9 cm. long
Working the Ledge, MSSC field trip, February 2000
photo by Al Wilkens
Although the mines at Borate were a very important part of the Borax industry of California, little information exists about them, and very few people know of their existence. The town site no longer appears on maps, and most people confuse it with the present operations of U.S. Borax Company at Boron. The story of Borate begins with the discovery in 1881 of a new borax mineral near Furnace Creek in Death Valley by R. Neuschwander. The mineral was identified by J. T. Evans of the California Academy of Sciences and named colemanite for William T. Coleman, who operated the Harmony Borax works in Death Valley. Coleman wanted to call it Smithite. In 1883 prospectors discovered colemanite in the Calico Mountains just east of the Silver mining district of Calico. Soon after the discovery Coleman bought up all of the promising claims and prepared to start mining. From 1890 to 1907 these mines were the largest producers in the United States with a total production of more than $9,000,000.
Borate is located about three air miles east of Calico. To get to there from Barstow proceed North on Interstate 15 to the Yermo (Calico Road) off ramp. Turn North toward Calico and after 0.8 miles turn right onto Mule Canyon Road. After about 4 miles you will see the mining area to the right of the road. It extends for more than a mile. There are several side roads leading off Mule Canyon Road. If in doubt as to which one to take always bear to the right. This typical desert dirt road can be easily traveled by any high clearance vehicle, and will lead you through some very scenic desert badlands. There are many unimproved camping areas along the first several miles of the road for those that like to get away from it all. I have seen 30 foot motor homes within a mile of the mines, but I wouldn’t recommend it. There are ample accomodations in Barstow for those of us that have become accostomed to sleeping in a bed at night.
The U.S. Borax company still owns, as of early 2000, most of the claims in the Borate area, and recently has done some reclamation work. Their main activity has been to bulldoze the shaft and adit entrances to prevent access to the mines. In doing so they have uncovered several veins of Colemanite and other minerals. The main roads into the mines have been posted, but MSSC was able to get permission to enter the area.
The geology of the district was described by W. H. Storms in 1892 as follows:“The borax mine occurs as a bedded vein in the sedimentary strata, which in Tertiary times were uplifted in the Calico range. The sediments are composed of sandstones, sandy clays, and clayey sands, comprising a succession of heavy-bedded, deep water deposits, and shallow-water, thin-bedded shales and sands. These variations in the character of the strata are numerous, and mark the many oscillations of the region, whose sinking either submerged the strata beneath the waters of a deep lake, or lifted them until the water flowed over the mud flats only in thin sheets, which exposed to the rays of the sun, sometimes evaporated entirely.... The borax vein is traceable for several thousand feet, striking along the western and northern side of the largest sedimentary hill in the range, and finally passing down a caņon to the eastward, where it becomes a well defined vein. Toward the western end the borate of lime appears to be much mixed with the sandy sediments, gypsum, and clays, giving the appearance of having been formed near the shoreline of the basin in which the great mass of material has been left as a residuary deposit, due to the evaporation of the water containing the calcium borate.” These lacustrine strata overlay, and in some areas intermix, with volcanic rocks, most of which are andesite or rhyolite tuffs.
Borax mining in the United States started with the production of borax from Borax lake in Tehama County in 1864. The discovery of cotton ball ulexite in the playa of Teel’s Marsh by Frances Marion (Borax) Smith in 1872 ushered in the first major production of Borax in the United States. The center of cotton ball production then moved to Death Valley in 1880. The most famous operation was the Harmony borax works run by William Tell Coleman. This is the operation that become associated with the twenty mule team wagons. With the discovery of colemanite the Playa period started to decline.
The mines at Borate ushered in the Colemanite period of borax production. W. T. Coleman initiated the mining operations at Borate in 1884, but actual production did not commence until 1890. Several factors contributed to this delay. The first was the obvious need to provide transportation to the area, and develop the mines. The second was the bankruptcy of the “House of Coleman.” In 1890 Borax Smith acquired the property from Coleman’s creditors. He then formed the Pacific Coast Borax Company and commenced shipping ore to the recently updated refinery in Alameda, California.
The two major problems plaguing production at Borate were the transportation and concentration of the ore. Initially the ore was hand sorted at the mine, and hauled to Daggett using the 20 mule teams and wagons once used in Death Valley. Smith was unhappy this method, so in 1894 he experimented with a steam tractor locally called “Old Dinah.” Unfortunately this experiment was a failure due to the nature of the road from the mines to Daggett. A narrow gauge railroad was then constructed in 1898 allowing the unprocessed ore to be shipped to a Calcining plant located at Marion, just North of Daggett. The ore was heated until the colemanite decrepitated and could be separated from the gangue. This allowed a better grade of ore to be shipped to Alameda, and solved both problems.
By 1907 it was obvious to Smith that the days of Borate were numbered and the main operations were shifted to the Lila C mine at old Ryan, near Death Valley. All of the equipment, including the buildings were removed and sent to the Lila C, leaving Borate completely bare. The Lila C lasted for only seven years and colemanite mining shifted to various mines in the Death Valley region. In 1927 the mines at Boron opened ushering in the Kernite period. Lessees and small miners continued operations at Borate until the opening of the mines at Boron.
The following minerals have been reported from the area:
Colemanite [ Ca2B6O11. 5H2O ] is found both in massive form, some with a radiating structure, and as crystals lining pockets and veins. Most is translucent to opaque, but transparent crystals are not rare. The color of the massive material ranges from a creamy brown to white. The crystals are mostly colorless to white, but some are an attractive cinnamon brown.
Howlite [ Ca2B5SiO9 (OH)5 ] from this area is mostly soft and earthy, but some of it has small crystal plates that give it a mica like look. Occasionally a piece can be found with the Cauliflower look of the material from Tick Canyon. It is found both in veins, and as float throughout the area.
Ulexite [ NaCaB5O6 (OH)6 . 5H2O ] is not common, and is easily overlooked. It is found as small masses in the dumps. The author found one specimen of colemanite that contains randomly oriented 2 mm. fine needles of ulexite. Foshag reported finding ulexite as radiating tufts of fine needles in the andesitic tuff. I have not been able to locate this area, but it is on my list for my next visit. It is easy to mistake some of the fibrous gypsum for ulexite since it resembles the material found at Boron.
Celestine [ SrSO4 ] is commonly found associated with a yellow brown calcite. It is usually transparent to translucent, colorless to white. Most of the crystals are elongated prisms with simple terminations, and are found in pockets in a siliceous limestone like material. They range in length from less than 1 mm to over 3 cm in length. Occasionally celestine will be found in pockets in the colemanite.
Gypsum [ Ca SO4 . 2H2O ] is common all over this area of the Calico Mountains. It occurs as transparent to opaque massive to crystalline masses in seams and thin beds. It also occurs as satin spar gypsum.
Strontianite [ Sr CO3 ] was reported from Borate by Murdoch and Webb as “ yellow, brown drusy coatings lining cavities in limestone which carry celestite and colemanite.” All of the material that I have seen from Little Borax Canyon that matches this description has been determined to be calcite mixed with celestine. I have not found anything in Big Borax Canyon that matches this description.
The minerals anhydrite, asbolane, and bassanite have also been reported from the area, but to my knowledge none has been recently found in association with the Colemanite deposits. Bakerite was reported from the area, but recent authors have discounted this as a mistaken identification of material from Death Valley. The confusion is easy to understand since bakerite would be difficult to differentiate from howlite in the field.
Superb specimens of colemanite have been collected from the area in the past. In 1998 the author collected several fine specimens from Little Borax Canyon including one geode containing crystals with faces to 1 inch. Several specimens of colemanite with celestine, and one of colemanite with celestine and howlite were also collected. Colemanite can be found throughout the area. The best specimens require some diligent prospecting and minor digging. The MSSC trip in the spring of 2000 yielded very fine crystals of colemanite, some altering to calcite, as well as good specimens of celestine, some with crystals greater than two inches from Little Borax Canyon. The celestine seems to be concentrated in the western part of the area.
In addition to the Borax minerals this area also has many collecting areas for lapidary material. These include agate, petrified wood, and “Onyx.” An area known as the “Sulfur Hole” has been reported to have many unusual minerals. The reconstructed townsite of Calico is now a State Park, and is interesting if somewhat commercialized.
Colemanite Geode Crystal pocket is 10 cm. in length |
Colemanite Crystal from Geode Specimen is 8 cm. long |
Howlite Nodule Nodule is 9 cm. long |
Working the Ledge, MSSC field trip, February 2000 photo by Al Wilkens |
Dana, Edward Salisbury (1892) “The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana, Sixth Edition”. pp 882-884.
Foshag, William F, (1922) “Calico Hills, San Bernardino Co.., California” American Mineralogist, Volume 7, pages 208, 209
Murdoch, Joseph and Webb, Robert Wallace (1966) “Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966)” California Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 189, 559p.
Storms, W. H. (1892) “San Bernardino County - Geology of the Borax District.” California State Mining Bureau Eleventh Report of the State Mineralogist, pp 345-346.
Ver Plank, W.E. (1956) “History of Borax Production in the United States.” California Journal of Mines and Geology Volume 52, Number 3 , pp 280-283.
Wright, Lauren A. etal. “Mines and Mineral Deposits of San Bernardino County, California.” California Journal of Mines and Geology Volume 49 Numbers 1 and 2, pp 223-225.
Selected Reading
The following books provide general and technical information for anyone interested in the borax industry, and the people that influenced it.
Garrett, Donald E.(1998) “Borates, Handbook of Deposits, Processing, Properties, and Use” ; Academic Press, San Diego Ca.
Gerstley, James M. (1979) “Borax Years, Some Recollections, 1933-1961” ; Castle Press, Pasadena Ca.
Hildebrand, George H. (1982) “Borax Pioneer: Frances Marion Smith” ; Howell-North Books, La Jolla Ca.
Keeling, Patricia Jernigan, Editor (1976), “Once Upon a Desert” , Mojave River Valley Association, Barstow Ca.
Smitherin, William (1997) “ Memories of Borate” , San Bernardino County Museum Quarterly.