This guy is so fortunate to have a G.F who loves the same type of exploration. I'm more fascinated by their interaction than some of the places they visit I've seen many of their locations myself. I hope they do well I love them!

NICE VID! Been there many times, at least 10, on my quad via Last Chance Canyon. Great destination and mid-point stop for lunch. Can't tell you how many times we slammed out heads on the tunnel ceiling on the walk thru, but by the 2rd trip thru, we kept our dirt bike helmets on to avoid the inevitable, but what a view out the other side! 20+ yrs ago, there was an old lady who was supposedly related to Burro Schmidt, or maybe Lee, the partner, that lived in that "cabin group" you went thru. Occasionally got a glance inside - a bit more hoarder than rustic. She would accept "donations" for flash lights to "borrow" before you could walk thru the mine tunnel. Wink-wink mandatory donation that no one would argue with - she was a tough ol' bird, weathered by time like the surrounding desert and she did not take "NO" for an answer. Great thing was, she also accepted beer and cigarettes too so we always stocked up before the 2 hour ride from Red Rock Canyon. She was "eccentric" to say the least, but we loved chatting with her about the good ol' days of Burro Schmidt and we did not hesitate to "donate" when we arrived whether we walked the mine or not - such essentials as flashlight batteries, Jack Daniels and Camel non-filters... to name a few. Can't remember her name or if she ever told us, but we always enjoyed the visit and toasted to her over beers at the next stop...White House Saloon in Randsburg. Amazing and sad how little time it took from that place to fall apart - I have photos of myself there eating lunch with friends, on that little knoll to the left as you drove up, just before y2k and it was intact, secure and occupied. We've also been there in winter on quads and in rails, with a foot and a half of snow on the ground. We saw the smoke from the stack so we knew she was there....we would stuff her "donation box" with "essentials" on the way thru, just because. Good times...thanks for the flash-back!

Alot of people kind of poke fun towards what this man did but it took incredible fortitude to accomplish what he did and i think its amazing and he definitely deserves his spot in history

My mom and I visited the Schmidt Tunnel in the late 1950's. We drove through Last Chance Canyon in a 1948 Studebaker car. Was a good dirt road then but was badly washed out many years later. An old guy was living in the oldest ('brown') cabin. I don't remember the other attached cabins. I bought a small gold nugget from him for $2. I later determined its value to be 58 cents (1960's gold prices) I still have it.

Great video! The construction of it is a fascinating story when you realize one man did it himself. I've been camping in this area for 30 years with visits to the tunnel for almost as long. I have fond memories of sitting in Toni's cabin as a kid with a can of ice cold soda from her fridge. Thank you for showing that the tunnel is more fascinating than scary (unlike other videos that clearly play up the "spookiness" for drama's sake).

Was there a few years back. You came in the easy way. We came from the south, and it was...challenging, even with 4WD and high clearance. There was some sort of critter living toward the end of the left-hand tunnel then, possibly a packrat, by the look of it. Thanks for a chance to revisit with you!

This is one of the best videos I've seen on KZfaq not done by commercial television. Great great job you guys!

That was great. The view was stunning. Thanks for getting out there and exploring.

That was awesome, great job guys. Loved the end when you came out of the tunnel. Great music!!!!!!!

Thank you for another interesting video, Drew and Bethany. You two are the best.

Thanks for another great adventure!

Wow another great video. Thanks for the great history. Hope you are staying safe. Have a wonderful day. Im glad I could join you on the quest.

Unbelivable this was made by just one man. Great job thanks to you places like this wont be forgotten.

Toni Sever was not related to Burro Schmidt, but bought it off Mike, the guy who bought it from him (that made Toni the third owner). I was one of the insane people who helped Toni maintain the place for several years prior to 1999. Rodger who by far helped the most there is featured in Huell Houser's Video (look for the guy who looks like a ole' time miner holding a lantern). He is the person I worked with the most there (yes, for free). The mine tracks you see coming out the front portal is thanks to Rodger and me. In the late ninety's we had the tramming system operational, and it made maintaining the tunnel far easier and it was fun to ride though as well. The tracks along with everything else was stolen after Dave left.

Glad to see you guys back out in action! Awesome video

Was there in the 60's, believe back then someone was living there.

Very interesting story! You guys always deliver the goods! Thank you

amazing video keep up the good work

Guys, you are awesome! I loved the video!

Most under rated channel on KZfaq.

So cool!!

My friend and I went there over 30 years ago. There was an old lady living in the cabin. There was another guy that gave us a tour through the tunnel on a homemade train. It was great. He also drove us to some Borax mines nearby.

Always enjoy your work, well scripted and professional; educational too. For example the maker at 6:16 had as part of the inscription' E Clampus Vitus': (ECV) ( is a fraternal organization dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of the American West, especially the history of the Mother Lode and gold mining regions of the area.) Can't wait until the next one. Cheers!

You explore the kind of places I love. This place is new to me. Thanks for the video!

Good too see you both and thanks for another great and interesting video stay safe

Such a shame what a few bad folks can do. We visited that place about 18 years ago. Other than a coat of dust, Schmidt’s cabin looked as if he’d only stepped out for a few minutes. There was a caretaker living on the property and he kept it up very well. The entrance to the tunnel was much easier to enter standing up. I heard the caretaker had a dispute with the owners and left, and within a few weeks the place was vandalized and nearly destroyed. Seeing your video makes me want to read up on exactly what happened when the caretaker left.

Another awesome video and another place I’ll have to check out!!!

Great video. Enjoyed visiting the tunnel myself.

You two are lots of fun. Thank you for the video.

Brilliant video I enjoyed watching it.You seek out unusual and interesting places 😍👍🇬🇧

Just watched Burro Schmidt again. Love this so much.

Another great video!

I was there in the early 90's. At the time we rented flash lights from the elderly lady that was living there. Inside the tunnel, I remember old railway tracks still lay on the floor. I have pictures of myself, i cannot load here but it was a fun experience.

Always wonderful to see a new place to explore and just the right amount of background information to make things very intriguing.

Enjoyed your video. The history of William "Burro" Schmidt's life is quite interesting. There is a lot more history on the tunnel than you mentioned, he dug it hoping for a shorter route to take his ore from his claims to the smelter in Mojave. It was his miscalculation that caused his tunnel to end up as it did. There used to be a caretaker after 1963, Evelyn "Tonie" Seger, until her passing in 2003 at the age of 95. I met Tonie in the 90's, wow, the stories she would tell! Sadly, the area has been vandalized. My last visit was March 2019, and it saddens me to see even more of the buildings in ruin. William "Burro" Schmidt and Evelyn "Tonie" Seger are buried in nearby Johannesburg, CA. They were not related, nor did Tonie know about Schmidt when she bought the property after his death at 82 years old in 1954.

That was cool , you guys are great for sharing, thank you , !!

Excellent Video

Really like the old caves and the people who dug them.Very interesting.

You two always do such cool videos. Great job. She is adorable.. Keep up the good work.

Thank you for sharing your adventure. You two are the best because you tell us interesting facts about the places you visit and also where they are located.

Thanks for the new video . I always enjoy your videos a cant wait for a new one . Your such an enjoyably couple . THANKS Randy I live on the other side of the country and never been to the west coast it looks nice .

entetaining, as always

Obsolete to most. But a man found his peace here. His go to, the thing we all do and love which keeps us sane. Some run, some drink, some dig. A labour of love, a mans soul, carved into a rock.

Fresh double O! Great job guys, so spooky!

Great work love the location.

Great video

Thanks! You two are great! Regards from Ody Slim

I enjoyed your journey through Burro Schmidts handmade tunnel. What an amazing man with an amazing work ethic. Thank you.

Now that was cool

NEW VID!!! WOOHOO!!! 👍

Was having a crappy morning until I saw you guys had uploaded. Love it!

So much effort put into the videos, yet they are underrated 😭

COOL, I'll put it on my list.

Looking good Drew and Bethany! Have you been working out Bethany? Nice video

Cool stuff.people do some of the craziest things..thanks

Cool. This is a really interesting video. Don't think I have ever seen many tunnels like this.

You guys live the dream! That place and whole idea is a trip. Can't take passion from any man.

Came across your channel by mistake, Very cool videos. Keep them coming and stay safe

It was a dedication to do that I know am an opal miner here in Australia great tour indeed and thank you

Thanks for something I did not know

Cool. Been there done that about fifteen years ago. The fun way to get there is through Last Chance canyon. Fun times!

You are very brave guys... My claustrophobia kicked in half way through the first tunnel. Thanks for taking us along!

Just found your channel from episode with "Through my Lens." I've watched 4 so far. Great stuff!

Thank you guys been there too, also check out the Borax Mine not far from there

Absolutely amazing! Keep it coming you two! Any plans to possibly venture to New Mexico? There are some good places there too.

That is less than 30 miles from the 7.1 earthquake that hit on July 5 2019. You guys are pretty brave to be walking through that. I would go out around that area a lot with my uncle and dad back in the 90s on our motorcycles or in the Suzuki Samari.

👍 Right on, you DID do a video here! Cool! It’s frustrating that people destroy stuff grrrrrrrr

Great video and really good production! I like that you had the graphic showing the map of the tunnel. Wonder why there was that part that went to a dead end? Maybe he was following the Gold vein. I also find it interesting once he got to the end, he just up and left! Look forward to your next video and hope you are both safe and well!

You know what amazes me is how smooth the floor is.

That's a well done set of diggings.after 38 years I'd say he had it down pat.

''Burro'' Schmidt located a vein of rich Silver Ore on the Western Flank of the El Paso Mountains , and instead of backpacking the Ore over the mountain he decided to cut a Haulage Drift through the mountain . When I was there in 1968 , I was visiting with Mrs. Evelyn A. (Tonie) Seger who was living in the cabin and owned the Mining Rights to the mountain , and a Father & Son mining team from Lancaster (who had gotten a Lease on a Silver Deposit nearby) came by to see Tonie and discuss their plans for Blasting the next day . We were all sitting in Tonie's Living Room , and I was quietly listening to the Father & Son team discussing how they were planning on loading and shooting their Blast Holes . During a break in the conversation I advised them that they were doing it Wrong , and explained to them the proper way to do it . They loudly scoffed at me , what did I a young 22 year old kid know about it (what they didn't know was the fact that I had been working with High Explosives since I was 13 years old) . Without saying a word , Tonie got up from her chair and went in to her Bedroom and came back a few minutes later with a copy of the DuPont Blaster's Handbook . She thumbed through the book until she found what she wanted and then proceeded to read it outloud . Everything that I had said was almost verbatim with the DuPont Blaster's Handbook . The next morning we did it MY way . --- < Doc , Miner for over 50 years > .

It seems like ages since “OO” went on an adventure 😝 missed you Guys😢So Much🌸Between quarantine, riots and humans being barbarians. Thank You for sharing a piece of your research 🤔 My Best always ❤️

hey, you guys are back! :)

I grew up spending every 3 and 4 day weekend dirtbike riding at red rock canyon. We used to ride up there all the time. There was an old lady that lived in that cabin by herself. She was somehow related to Schmidt. For a dollar “donation” she would give you a cold coke or beer. I believe she took donations to walk through the tunnel too. Very cool place.

Love the newspaper articles.

at 7:15 that bend is more then likely where the photo showed was taken. The one of him mining where it mentions he started in 1906.

I was just there last weekend taking video for my channel! I camped near a mine on mesquite rd!

Great video! I've seen other videos about this place, but you did the best job to describe the history and showing the map to the mine and also of the actual tunnel. Question: At 5:45 as you approach the opening, a white pickup truck is seen next to a tent thingie. Who was that? Someone charging admission and/or selling something? I may go up there sometime and was wondering.

Guys I really enjoy your exploration and history every time. Not sure if I can ask this here, but how do you guys do the lines on the roads on the maps? Amazing job! Keep it up!

Hi guys! This was really cool. I always do my own little research on the places you visit and not sure if you knew, but Schmidt had a cabin in Garlock. When I looked in street view at a place I thought might be his, I noticed a little stone monument/marker on the side of the road. Unfortunately I can't read it, but wondering if it might be something that commemorates Schmidt. There are a few abandoned dwellings nearby, could one of them be his home? Anyway, not like it's "just around the corner" for you, but if you're ever in that area again, check it out and see what it is. It's about 2 miles north east from your Mesquite Canyon turnoff, on the west side of the road. Love adventuring with you! Stay safe! Looking forward to the next one!

GM O.O. 3:35 am could not wait

I'm glad you two are well. This is really cool. I love historical things. The little nook was probably a small gold vein. You said he started digging the tunnel as a short cut to haul gold ore. He may have been more interested in his tunnel than striking it rich but everyone needs some bit of money. He probably took small amounts of gold to town to buy things. He probably bought coffee, bacon, sugar etc. Things he wouldn't get in nature. He had to have some money for equipment like the tracking and wheel barrel. Lady Beth, you might have been sitting where hundreds of thousands of dollars (in today's prices) in gold resided! Love the videos and adventures. Y'all Take Care and be safe, John

Went out there several times with (Inland Empire 4wheelers) jeep camping in the late 1990's. There was a blind woman living there, She enjoyed cherry pie. The building with all the clippings in it you could walk into, the bush grew some. there was a generator that provided power for the buildings after Mary, I think that was her name, passed a lot of things were removed including the gen. All the damage has been done scene then. The tunnel portal has collapsed to the state it is in now and the ore car rails and ties have been removed, they went all the way through the tunnel. BTW explosives were used during the process. Enjoyed the video.

Just started watching your page and I love it! I just hope your safe when you explore those cave. I would advise some helmets 🪖 Safety first!

I couldn’t help but think how you guys got superimposed into my colonoscopy video.

Tonie Seger lived in the newer house and gave tours of the tunnel she was also featured on a little show with Huell Howser both Tonie and Burro are Buried next to each other in the Johannesburg Cemetery .. When Im in the area I stop by and pay my respects to them both 😎 You should check out Bickel Camp and make a Video on that .. Anyway Good Job 🤘

I was lucky and weird enough that I went there two times before it closed. While they still had the tiny train on th track. It was so cool. Neat talc mines not far off also.

Nice video, I explored in my last video too!

They put the dedication plaque there on my birthday.

Another amazing video. I miss you guys when you are gone. Great adventures.

Neat little hike in Aliso Wood Canyons called Robbers Cave. You should check it out. It's got a bit of history behind it

Hmm wow

Surprised you guys didn’t visit the old Dutch cleanser. Much more extensive and large. Really fun for a lunch time run.

Looks like the entrance collapsed since the last time I was there. I am 6'2" and was able to walk almost upright at the entrance. Wheel barrows? He had an ore cart on rails. The rails are missing now.

You guys rock….tee heee!

Another interesting spot. Glad to see another video - I always enjoy your adventures. Keep up the excellent work!

Awesome video! Me and my wife went there like 4 years ago.. such a cool place. BTW.. I love how professional you guys are with microphones on yourselves and also the camera at the 6:25 mark from the inside of the cave pointing out. Great job and thanks for the little history lesson. Keep it up.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR VIDEOS,I LOVE THEM ALL,,CAN YOU TELL ME PLACES IN LOS ANGELS CALIFORNIA TO HIKE EXPLORE???? I ENJOY THE NIKE BASE,LA 88,I FOUND A SIMILAR ONE,THAT THE BASE WAS STILL ACTIVE,CUS YOU CAN HEAR THE ELECTRIC BOXES ACTIVE,, AND THE DEVIL'S GATE IN PASADENA WAS SCARY BUT KOOL.HOPE FOR MORE VIDEOS IN CALIFORNIA, THANK YOU GUYS.

Tbh this is the best yt channel out there!

👍 Very interesting vid! Glad to see you guys are still OK. Thanks for your ongoing efforts! BTW Bethany, did you loose weight? You look more slim than the last year - and great, I might add!