Almost lost to History, The Lee Springs of Ash Meadows. The Lee Brothers Ranch was the third oldest ranch to be established in Ash Meadows. A snifigant chapter in the history of Death Valley, few are more notable than the four Lee Brothers. The four brothers were the Prospector - Stephan Philander (Phi), Night Watchman - Leander / Meander (Cub), Stagecoach Driver - Alexander, and Rancher - Lysander / Salamander. Known for more than being just pioneers, this family, of whom and the town of Lee California was named for, discovered some of the richest prospects in and about Death Valley.
Today, or at least in more modern history, Lee Springs Ranch is better known as Clay Pit #1. But our discovery of the Lee Brothers came about as we continue to explore the property; clues to a much older past are everywhere, clues to a much bigger story. Cow bones were everywhere, unlike the donkey or horse bones more commonly found the desert over. One lone fence post still stands, a testament ignored, till one day we moved some tumbleweeds and discover a large water troth beneath. Many old roads, some but a barely visible line in the desert as seen from the satellite, seem to converge on this property. Some of those roads can be explained by Clay Camp, but others can not.
The road that is today named Hartzell, is truly a much older road. One old tree growing in the middle of it tells us that it has gone unused for a long, long, time. Heavy Lava Rock is laid continuing that road into Carson Slough. Could that have been to teem the rock into Crystal Springs? If so why is there a much newer road to the reservoir that went strait in, and why is there so many other bridging attempts to cross the Carson, most the older bridgings headed for Winters Ranch? History tells us that Winters was Lee's neighbor. Certainly the road seems to agree that this Ranch was next door to Winters. This old road, through the fertile lands of Ash Meadows, supplying neighbors with food and water, was likely Kings Road, in that it leads to King's Ranch, the noted oldest[sic] ranch here. The easterly split was the a trail over the mountains to Johnie Town, then off to The Chareston Mountains,and Old Pahrump, for lumber. To the west, the road diverted off to all the major mins of the day, deverting as each new mine was discovered.
Another early clue was this cool old 1800s RR Map you see part of ilistrated here. Lee Springs? Well we know Crystal Springs was the Old Watkins Ranch, that was later expanded into a resivore. And, we know Winters owned Horshoe Spring. It took a little digging, but it was the Census that conected the dots showing us that it was Lee, Watkins, then Winters right on down the road. But you can read about all of this in the WIKI version of our page, if you enjoy digging into history.
An exerpt of an 1889 Rail Road Map ilistrates Lee Springs, mapped in Township 18 South, Range 50 East, the map made by a quite notable Mapmaker of the time, and maybe even the most notable, George Fransis Cran Lee Springs was one of several local springs, but more notable Lee's neighbors who settled along the old road that ran south east. However Lee Springs likely made the map for two reasons. Of course the first reason being that the Lee's lived here in a time when most the other springs were Indian Setlments. Secondly, this being long before Death Valley Junction, Lee Springs was likely still a small lake attop the hill, a large water sourse accessable by level turane, water and grade both being important to the Steam Driven Trains of the day. Watkins was the next neighbor, not that he was that notable, but his spring was. Watkins settled accross the road at Crystal Springs. Crystal Springs would later become Crystal Resavor intended to supply water to towns all around the Death Valley reagon; towns like Greenwater, Lee Camp, n Rhyolite. Crystal Resavor is also notable for it's later contrabution to history as a recreation aria frequented by Clay Camp, and other local comunities long afterword. Lee's next neighbor on the same side of the road became posibly more famous than the Lee Brothers when him and his wife Rosie discovered the Borox that contributed greatly to Borax Smith's wealth. Winters had Horshoe Spring.
But it is the 1880 Census that deepens that relationship, although seemingly putting the Watkins Ranch between them, until we consider the Documents that piece this together to show the Ranch between was on the other side of the road. Lee's themself only have one entry in the Property Tax Records, hard to read, but it agrees with known history in that the Lees moved here in 1874. An old 1889 Rail Road Map by George F. Cram, 1889, was yet another clue, mapping Township and Range of what they labels as Lee Springs, although we know the 3 springs here belonged to each of the 3 ranches: Lee Springs got lost in history, but Watkins became Crystal Spring, and Winters became Horseshoe Spring.
1880 Census
Documents
1889 Map