Subject: Left to right: Beulah Pardee, Jack Pardee, "Dude" Pardee, residents of Ash Meadows, Nevada, ca. 1933


Subject: "Dude" Pardee and her brother Wes Pardee, Ash Meadows, Nevada, residents, ca. 1933

Subject: Jepperson children, Louise and Tom, residents of Ash Meadows, Nevada, ca. 1933. "Seems like I heard Tom was a World War II hero. I think they all moved to Tonopah or Goldfield during the war," says Herb Toles, a former resident himself.


Subject: A. T. Shepperd, Superintendent for the Coen Company, which operated the clay pits, Ash Meadows, Nevada, ca. 1933.

Subject: Jess Toles displays a bobcat taken with bow and arrow, Ash Meadows, Nevada, ca. 1933. Jess Toles, an employee of the clay pits, and A. T. Shepperd, superintendent of the operations, made their own bows and arrows and hunted bobcats, coyotes, and wild dogs.


Subject: Unidentified children swimming in the pool at Crystal Springs, Ash Meadows, Nevada, ca. 1933.





Subject: Clay crew and equipment used to mine clay from the Bell Pit, Ash Meadows, Nevada, ca. 1933. Left to right: Glen Jepperson, dragline operator; Jess Toles, mechanic and driver of the narrow gauge train; Jack Pardee, dump man; Mac McKinna, miner. Resume of Mining Operation and Duties of Crew Members: Mack McKinna - Miner: The boss, as he knew where the best ore was. Mac would point or throw a rock to indicate where he wanted to excavate. The ore was percolating clay, used by oil companies to filter impurities from crude to be distilled in the manufacture of lubrication oils and gasoline. When they began to add lead to gasoline the clay business was about over. Glen Jepperson - Drag Line Operator: Glen would cast the drag line bucket to where Mac had designated, drag the bucket, filling it with ore, boom up and swing and dump ore in narrow gauge ore cars. Jess Toles - Mechanic and Driver of Narrow Gauge Train: He kept all equipment running, drove pusher-puller gas operated locomotives to a ramp alongside the standard gauge, and parked railroad ore cars. Jack Pardee - Dump Man: Jack would spot Jess so he could dump the narrow gauge ore cars into the standard gauge ore cars. These cars, on both railroads, were side dumps. A lever was pulled, releasing a hook; gravity and weight took over. to get them back into position there was a cable or wench which Jack would crank up to a certain point, then gravity and balance took over and the ore car would fall in place and hook. Jack would then signal Jess to move up to dump another. It took approximately eight narrow gauge [cars] to fill a standard [gauge car]. The standard ore cars were side dumps and went through the same operation after they were hauled to the Death Valley Junction Mill. Herb Toles, son of Jess Toles, stated (1990). "As an aside, I was working on a construction project. We were upgrading the highway from Stateline to Lathrop Wells, installing drainage culverts, widening, and paving. Until that time it was just a dusty trail. I was labor and might say I apprenticed in heavy equipment operation. We were headquartered at the T & T Ranch.


Subject: Narrow gauge ore train used to haul clay from the Bell Pit to an off-loading ramp on the standard gauge tracks of the T & T Railroad, Ash Meadows, Nevada, ca. 1933


Subject: Drag line used at Bell Pit, Ash Meadows, Nevada. ca. 1933