Lucerne Valley & Vicinity
Lester Dale Mine
On the north slopes of the San Bernardino mountain range overlooking the Johnson Valley is the Lester Dale mine. The mining camp is in very good condition with a spring alongside the camp with cool, clear water. According to Bill Mann's book, the Guide to the Beautiful and Historic Lucerne Valley, gold may have been removed from this site by the Spanish long, long ago. The veins the gold was dug out of are high on the mountain on the northwest side of the camp. The Lester Dale was most productive in the 1920s, however gold was dug out as late as 1952. A great place to explore with incredible views. Behind the mine the Partin Limestone Quarry is most noticable from highway 247, but not part of the mine itself. The quarry was active until 2003.For more gold mines see:
Mojave Desert Gold Mines
