Unoccupied Historic Mining Camp
Kern County
Circa 1900's

Lee Camp, also known as Lee Springs is a hard story to tell. It appears that the location is so well hidden that no one has really kept a recollection of its existence. Receiving information from two separate sources that I consider credible experts on the area has led me to the following conclusion;

Lee Springs – Camp may have originally been founded by a member of the Rath family who as of today still maintains a family cabin very near the location. It is believed that Rath staked his claim here right about the same time Walt Bickel and Burro Schmidt were prospecting and staking claims nearby in the 1930’s.

The name change to Lee Springs may have occurred following Mike Lee’s acquiring the claim as part of the Copper Basin Group Mines from Burro Schmidt himself who acquired the claim from Rath prior to his death; or simply because Lee used to obtain his much needed water from the rich flowing spring located here next to Rath’s mining claim.

Sometime later at the age of 74 years, Mike Lee passed away while residing at Schmidt Camp a few miles away. Toni Seegar and her husband took over possession of Schmidts camp and famous tunnel. In the 1960’s, Toni’s husband died while retrieving water from Lee Springs. And in the 1970’s a prospector by the name of Charles Gibbs accidentally burned the roof to the old stone building after dropping his lantern.

Lee Springs eventually became the property of Red Rock Canyon State Park in the latest land deal. And sometime between than and now, locked the entrance to the mine. Today the stone walls are all that remain of the once beautiful stone cabin. There are also two standing metal shed structures and the remains of a separate cabin and out house.