Kokoweef Timeline

Kokoweef Timeline

1885 Earl Dorr was born near Colorado Springs. He was the eldest of seven brothers: Earl, Joe, George, John, Willard, Denman, and Lee Dorr.

1890 – 1902 Three Indian brothers, Oliver, George and Buck Peysert, worked as ranch hands at the Dorr Ranch during Earl Dorr’s boyhood.

1903 – 1905 The Three Indian brothers left the Dorr Ranch and rediscovered the passageway described by elders that descends to an underground cavern. The brothers recovered $57,000 in gold at $18.00 per ounce during a 6-week stay at what will become known as Kokoweef. George was killed in an accident on the river’s bank.

Meanwhile, Earl Dorr learned to be a blaster, a miner, and a truck driver.

1906 After the Great California Earthquake in San Francisco, Earl Dorr met the two surviving Indian brothers, Buck and Oliver. The brothers gave him a map to the underground cavern system.

1907 – 1922 Earl Dorr, his brother Joe, and his father started and maintained a farm in the New York Mountain Range 50 miles away from what is currently known as Kokoweef until a severe drought rendered their farm inhospitable for farming.

1922 – 1926 Earl Dorr's brother Joe and his father moved on to Los Angeles. Earl stayed in the area what is currently known as Kokoweef and continued to search for the underground cavern system. He rediscovered the entrance to the underground cavern system and river. He staged supplies for eventual descent into the underground cavern.

1927 Earl Dorr met Morton, a Civil Engineer from Tempe, Arizona. Morton was a World War I Veteran. In May, Earl and Morton went down to the underground river and ended up spening four days underground. Morton had a bad set of lungs from a war injury. He had been hit with Mustard Gas. Earl had a very hard time getting Morton out of the cavern because the last part of the climb was near vertical. Earl had to, for the most part, carry Morton out of the cavern during the final climb. Two ranch hands/prospectors were supposed to go in to look for Earl and Morton because they had originally only planned on being underground for two days. The ranch hands/prospectors met Earl and Morton coming out of the cavern access. Earl and Morton had about 10.5 lbs of core samples containing Gold.

Earl took Morton to a doctor in Las Vegas. It appears that the two ranch hands/prospectors, in the interm, went back into the cavern. Upon returning from Las Vegas, Earl Dorr blasted close the entrance. The two ranch hands/prospectors had mysteriously disappeared. Earl may have trapped them in the cavern when he blasted the entrance closed.

Earl Dorr went to San Bernardino mining claims office to register his claims. He found out that a prospector named Pete Ressler already had 14 separate mining claims for the Kokoweef Mountain area precluding Earl from staking any further claims. Pete Ressler's mine shaft was located at the southeast end of Kokoweef Mountain dead center on the Clark Mountain Fault.

1929 – 1941 During the period of the Great Depression few people had money to do anything. Without funding, it was very difficult to perform any serious mining operations during that time. Herman Wallace, Jr., and his son Gordon Wallace said that they couldn't even scrape together $35.00 if they had tried.

1934 Earl Dorr set up a camp in the Mescal Mountains to find another entrance to the cavern and underground river.

Earl wrote his affidavit on December 10.

1935 Herman Wallace, Sr., an evangelistic preacher, read the Earl Dorr story in January. He believed that if he could only find that River of Gold, he could have a fantastic church.

Herman Wallace, Jr., and friend Steven Kelly set out to find out if there was anything to this story. Herman Wallace, Jr., and Steven Kelly formed a Nevada corporation named Crystal Cave Mining. Although they never actually found any Gold, they believed there was enough truth to the Earl Dorr story to continue to pursue it further. Steven Kelly would talk to Pete Ressler for hours on end with a jug of whiskey and food. Steven was trying to make friends with Pete Ressler in order to set up a business deal with him.

Finally, Herman and Steven were able to obtain a lease on the property from Pete Ressler. The lease allowed the Wallaces to mine if they wanted to. The Wallaces mined Kokoweef Mountain under their corporate name, Crystal Cave Mining Company. Pete Ressler placed a clause in the lease to allow the Wallaces to buy claims for $5,000.00.

1939 The Wallaces raised the money to pay Pete Ressler for his claims and the Kokoweef property as the clause in the lease written in 1935 allowed. Pete took the Wallaces to court to attempt to stop the forced sale of his property. Pete lost the court case and the Kokoweef property to the Wallaces because of the clause in the lease.

World War II began in Europe.

1947 Bill Herkert got involved with the Wallaces and Crystal Cave Mining Company. He helped the Wallaces out by providing them funding and labor as a miner.

1954 Bill Herkert continued to help out Crystal Cave Mining Company and was able to Patent 80 acres of land on top of Kokoweef. Four 20-acre properties were patented: Kokoweef Mine, Crystal Cave Mine, Kinsabe Mine, and Carbonate King Zinc Mine.

1957 Earl Dorr died from a concussion from a dynamite blast on a job he was doing.

1964 Crystal Cave Mining Company formed another corporation called Crystal Cave Development Company, Inc., to lease the property to whoever wanted to develop the property.

1972 – 1984 Legendary Kokoweef Caverns established and maintained a lease from Crystal Cave Development Company, Inc. They would hire anyone they could find to work for food and booze. That just didn't work out. Many of these workers just ended up getting drunk and doing damage to the property. Legendary Kokoweef Caverns stopped paying their corporation fees and became insolvent. They were no longer able to comply with the terms of their lease.

1984 – 2006 Explorations, Incorporated, of Nevada (EIN) took over the Kokoweef property lease from Crystal Cave Development Company, Inc. EIN has continued the mining operations in search of the River of Gold since then and has maintained the lease with Crystal Cave Development Company, Inc., to the present day.




1885		Earl Dorr was born near Colorado Springs. He was the eldest of seven brothers: Earl, Joe, George, John, Willard, Denman, and Lee Dorr.



1890 – 1902		Three Indian brothers, Oliver, George and Buck Peysert, worked as ranch hands at the Dorr Ranch during Earl Dorr’s boyhood.



1903 – 1905		The Three Indian brothers left the Dorr Ranch and rediscovered the passageway described by elders that descends to an underground cavern. The brothers recovered $57,000 in gold at $18.00 per ounce during a 6-week stay at what will become known as Kokoweef. George was killed in an accident on the river’s bank. Meanwhile, Earl Dorr learned to be a blaster, a miner, and a truck driver.



1906		After the Great California Earthquake in San Francisco, Earl Dorr met the two surviving Indian brothers, Buck and Oliver. The brothers gave him a map to the underground cavern system.



1907 – 1922		Earl Dorr, his brother Joe, and his father started and maintained a farm in the New York Mountain Range 50 miles away from what is currently known as Kokoweef until a severe drought rendered their farm inhospitable for farming.



1922 – 1926		Earl Dorr's brother Joe and his father moved on to Los Angeles. Earl stayed in the area what is currently known as Kokoweef and continued to search for the underground cavern system. He rediscovered the entrance to the underground cavern system and river. He staged supplies for eventual descent into the underground cavern.



1927		Earl Dorr met Morton, a Civil Engineer from Tempe, Arizona. Morton was a World War I Veteran. In May, Earl and Morton went down to the underground river and ended up spening four days underground. Morton had a bad set of lungs from a war injury. He had been hit with Mustard Gas. Earl had a very hard time getting Morton out of the cavern because the last part of the climb was near vertical. Earl had to, for the most part, carry Morton out of the cavern during the final climb. Two ranch hands/prospectors were supposed to go in to look for Earl and Morton because they had originally only planned on being underground for two days. The ranch hands/prospectors met Earl and Morton coming out of the cavern access. Earl and Morton had about 10.5 lbs of core samples containing Gold. Earl took Morton to a doctor in Las Vegas. It appears that the two ranch hands/prospectors, in the interm, went back into the cavern. Upon returning from Las Vegas, Earl Dorr blasted close the entrance. The two ranch hands/prospectors had mysteriously disappeared. Earl may have trapped them in the cavern when he blasted the entrance closed. Earl Dorr went to San Bernardino mining claims office to register his claims. He found out that a prospector named Pete Ressler already had 14 separate mining claims for the Kokoweef Mountain area precluding Earl from staking any further claims. Pete Ressler's mine shaft was located at the southeast end of Kokoweef Mountain dead center on the Clark Mountain Fault.



1929 – 1941		During the period of the Great Depression few people had money to do anything. Without funding, it was very difficult to perform any serious mining operations during that time. Herman Wallace, Jr., and his son Gordon Wallace said that they couldn't even scrape together $35.00 if they had tried.



1934		Earl Dorr set up a camp in the Mescal Mountains to find another entrance to the cavern and underground river. Earl wrote his affidavit on December 10.



1935		Herman Wallace, Sr., an evangelistic preacher, read the Earl Dorr story in January. He believed that if he could only find that River of Gold, he could have a fantastic church. Herman Wallace, Jr., and friend Steven Kelly set out to find out if there was anything to this story. Herman Wallace, Jr., and Steven Kelly formed a Nevada corporation named Crystal Cave Mining. Although they never actually found any Gold, they believed there was enough truth to the Earl Dorr story to continue to pursue it further. Steven Kelly would talk to Pete Ressler for hours on end with a jug of whiskey and food. Steven was trying to make friends with Pete Ressler in order to set up a business deal with him. Finally, Herman and Steven were able to obtain a lease on the property from Pete Ressler. The lease allowed the Wallaces to mine if they wanted to. The Wallaces mined Kokoweef Mountain under their corporate name, Crystal Cave Mining Company. Pete Ressler placed a clause in the lease to allow the Wallaces to buy claims for $5,000.00.



1939		The Wallaces raised the money to pay Pete Ressler for his claims and the Kokoweef property as the clause in the lease written in 1935 allowed. Pete took the Wallaces to court to attempt to stop the forced sale of his property. Pete lost the court case and the Kokoweef property to the Wallaces because of the clause in the lease. World War II began in Europe.



1947		Bill Herkert got involved with the Wallaces and Crystal Cave Mining Company. He helped the Wallaces out by providing them funding and labor as a miner.



1954		Bill Herkert continued to help out Crystal Cave Mining Company and was able to Patent 80 acres of land on top of Kokoweef. Four 20-acre properties were patented: Kokoweef Mine, Crystal Cave Mine, Kinsabe Mine, and Carbonate King Zinc Mine.



1957		Earl Dorr died from a concussion from a dynamite blast on a job he was doing.



1964		Crystal Cave Mining Company formed another corporation called Crystal Cave Development Company, Inc., to lease the property to whoever wanted to develop the property.



1972 – 1984		Legendary Kokoweef Caverns established and maintained a lease from Crystal Cave Development Company, Inc. They would hire anyone they could find to work for food and booze. That just didn't work out. Many of these workers just ended up getting drunk and doing damage to the property. Legendary Kokoweef Caverns stopped paying their corporation fees and became insolvent. They were no longer able to comply with the terms of their lease.



1984 – 2006	Explorations, Incorporated, of Nevada (EIN) took over the Kokoweef property lease from Crystal Cave Development Company, Inc. EIN has continued the mining operations in search of the River of Gold since then and has maintained the lease with Crystal Cave Development Company, Inc., to the present day.