From the Wall Street Mill trailhead, follow the well-defined trail as it travels northeast alongside a wash. Shortly after you start, look for a side trail leading off to the left towards a series of pink walls.
This is the Wonderland Ranch, also known as the Ohlson House. Very little is known about the Ohlson family, besides that they were originally drawn here by the gold rush. Besides the house, you can also find a large cistern used to store water during dry summers. Once you’re done exploring the house, head about 100 feet west into the wash and look for a series of small caves. A short wall tells us that the Ohlson family used these caves as cold storage for food. Take a closer look at you might glimpse one of the petroglyphs and bedrock mortars which indicate that this site has been used for hundreds of years.
The remains of Wonderland Ranch (AKA Ohlson House)
Continue east along another side trail to rejoin the main trail to Wall Street Mill, crossing the wash at 0.4 miles.
Shortly after the wash you’ll pass by a crumbling wind mill at the Desert Queen Well. William Morgan dug this 116 foot deep well to support the operations of the Desert Queen Mine and livestock. Despite it’s small stature, the Desert Queen Well was a key watering hole for many years.
This windmill used to be an important watering hole for livestock and mining operations
Continue ahead as the trail parallels the wash for another 0.5 miles. The next time the trail dips into the wash is just before the mill site.
Wall Street Mill is the best-preserved gold mill in the area and is protected under the National Register of Historic Places. Learn all about how important this mill was for processing gold ore at the interpretive sign, then spend some time wandering around the mill site. A variety of old cars in various states of disrepair mark the landscape along with discarded mill waste.
One of the very rusty cars near Wall Street Mill
Once you are done, be careful to follow the trail (not the wash) back towards the car.
