Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · San Bernardino County, California

Hector Mine

Abandoned clay mine in Hector, California, USA.

Record

About Hector Mine

Hector Mine or The Hector is a mine in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, about 8 miles southwest of Cady Peak. An occurrence of hectorite in the region gave the mineral its name and the 1999 Hector Mine earthquake, whose epicenter was close to The Hector, was also named after the mine.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Hector Mine, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Hector Mine is

USGS topographic map around Hector Mine
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

11 historic USGS maps cover Hector Mine

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Hector Mine

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our California index.

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Hector Mine": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q49417855.
  3. USGS GNIS 1666734.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).