In the early 1900s, a reclusive miner named William H. “Burro” Schmidt decided to hand dig a Mining Tunnel that would help him transport precious metals without putting his beloved burros Jack and Jenny in harm’s way. William Schmidt had moved to a remote stretch of the Mojave Desert from the east coast in order to improve his health. Multiple members of Schmidt’s family had died of tuberculosis. Schmidt believed that the dry desert air would rejuvenate his lungs and help him stave off the disease that had devastated his family. What began as a shortcut through a rugged mountain […]

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