Pleasant Canyon
(Clair Camp)
Gold was discovered on a ridge above Pleasant Canyon by Charles Anthony and John Lampier on July 27, 1893. They called their find the 'Mineral Ranch', which in 1895 was purchased by a group of investors from Los Angeles who organized the Golden West Mining & Milling Co. and erected a 5-stamp mill in the canyon below. Due to poor management and inadequate resources, the venture failed, but some who were brought in by the operation continued to prospect in the area. One, Henry Ratcliff, made a new strike in May 1896, spurring a rush to Pleasant Canyon below. Other claims were quickly staked out, including the World Beater by George & Bob Montgomery (South Park Development Co.), and a new camp of 200 called Pleasant City formed in the canyon during 1897.
As the mines in Pleasant Canyon flourished, a new town called Ballarat was established in the valley below. It's opportune, flat location led to its becoming the primary town in the district, and Pleasant City emptied before the end of 1898. Meanwhile in Pleasant Canyon, new stamp mills pounded away at ore into the twentieth century. New discoveries at Tonopah, Nevada in 1901 drew many away, and horrific storms that year washed out the canyon and ruined many of the buildings at the mines and in Ballarat. Early in 1902, however, the Ratcliff Consolidated Gold Mines, Ltd., reopened the Ratcliff mine, followed by the Montgomery brothers' relocation of the World Beater in 1903, bringing new life to the canyon and Ballarat below. The Ratcliff gave out in 1903 after producing somewhere between $300,000-$1,000,000, and being the highest producer dealt a crushing blow to Ballarat. The World Beater worked intermittently into the 1940s, but was never a strong enough producer to revive the camp and canyon below.
In 1930, prospector W.D. Clair began reworking tailings at the Ratcliff mine, finding discarded rock worth $4/ton. A tramway was also rebuilt to the old Anthony mine in 1940, and Clair recovered some $60,000; the camp remained in the Clair family until the 1970s. Some inconsistent work has continued in Pleasant Canyon since then, most recently with the purchase of both the Ratcliff and World Beater in 2012. Washouts coupled with increased visitation and vandalism has resulted in a quick decline of the remnants there, nevertheless it is a scenic and intriguing place to explore.
