Lost Cabin Springs

Clark County

Lost Cabin Springs is/was located on the Pahrump side of the Spring Mountains. This was another spot that was originally shown to me by my friend Josh Dyer as a teenager. Our friends spent many trips up there camping and checking out the area. The reason that I said that it "WAS" located on the Pahrump side, is based on the fact that it was bulldozed and removed by the government. They claim that it was a misunderstanding and that it was never intended to be torn down.

Spring water here was used to run a still and make whiskey in the early 1900's, as well as during prohibition. It was believed to have been built by Tweed Wilson, his brother and possibly their stepfather James Bernard "Twilson" Wilson. Tweed was born in 1876 to George Anderson and a Paiute woman from Panamint named Kayer AKA: Annie. She died in 1878, and Tweed's father was shot to death a year later. Tweed's stepfather James died in 1906, which is why some family members believe that it was built prior to 1906. This location was also used to raise cattle. Tweed's son Russell 'Buster' Wilson and a cowboy friend named Jake Stone used the cabin for cattle and mining ventures up through the 1960's and 1970's. Buster died in 1972. Stone continued to file mining claims for the area through 1981. He claimed that he did this simply to preserve and protect the area. The homemade whiskey and cattle would be taken to be sold to the miners at Goodsprings. Tweed lost a foot to frostbite in this area during a blizzard. Tweed died in 1959.

In 1998, the U.S. Forest Service tore down the lower area cabin and structures. I believe that when we originally heard about it, they said that it had been done accidentally. They said they meant to clean up the area, not destroy it. Again, believe whatever version you want. Either way, we had a lot of good times there. Another piece of Nevada history that is now gone. Out of all our trips there, these photographs below were the only ones that we ever took. I'm very glad to have them though. 

Source: Las Vegas Review Journal- "Archaeologist charting cabin's significance"- October 30, 2000 (By: Keith Rogers).