HECTORITE MINE 

Oral History, October 14, 1967

Mr. Grose, former engineer on the Hectorite mine, largest operating in this district since 1940, started in 1938.  This Bentonite property is located near Mt. Pisgah (extinct volcano) is some 45 miles east of Barstow.  The discovery was made by a Mr. Horner, owner of the Mojave Camp Gas Station.  One Sunday morning he was rabbit hunting near Mt. Pisgah.  During the he stepped into “the slipperiest and stickiest” clay he had ever seen.  He brought a sample back and placed it on the bench sear at his gasoline station.  The following day a Mr. Williams, of the Los Angeles Mineral Company noticed the sample and took it along to run a test.  It was found to be extra high grade Bentonite holding some 160 lbs of water to the ton, usual good Bentonite held 100 lbs per ton.  A mine was opened, over a mile west of Pisgah.  Bentonite people I worked for from Upton, Wyoming, developed a mine about a mile west of Pisgah.  We sank a shaft thru 40’ of lava, some 30’ of sedimentary and 12’ of brownish Bentonite when we struck a bedded plane of Wax Bentonite some 11’ thick. 

Sample sent to L.A. Chamber of Commerce who sent it on to U.S. Bureau of Mines, their engineer came out and named it Hectorite after Hector, our Railroad loading station.  This Hectorite was the highest grade Bentonite ever found and from the start sold to Vanderbilt Labs, for $150 per ton where the best other Bentonite was only $15 per ton. 

Hectorite originated in ancient giant lake beds, when Pisgah erupted thru this with many geyserites activities, it refined this Bentonite into the worlds best.  Mr. Shundler, Midwest mine operator, was in on the development of the Hectorite and later purchased the property.  He had it some two months and sold to National Lead Corporation for approximately $3,000 cash, it was claimed.  This Corporation put in a processing plant at Newberry Springs for refining to minute granulization of the Bentonite.  It sells at $2,000 to $2,500 per ton, used principally in food, medicine and cosmetics.  This plant has shipped some $24,000,000, it is claimed.