Panamint Valley

The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce commissioned the road in the early 1870’s to drive mule wagons of silver bullion from Panamint City to Los Angeles. It was simultaneously used for worker travel and merchants selling to miners. Seeking to profit off the new road, stagecoaches offered 3-day rides to consumers from Los Angeles to the Panamint mines for $35.

In a 6-mile portion of the road at Slate Range Crossing, Chinese stone masons built retaining walls to support the roads on steep slopes.  Chinese stone mason camps and temporary rock shelters large enough to 1 to 3 people still remain. Chinese also built portions of the road beyond Slate Range Crossing near remnants of Chinese camps.  The entire project employed 100 Chinese workers. The Bureau of Land Management has designated the historic wagon trail as a recreational trail for 4×4.