Providence Mountains State Recreation Area is a remote Mojave Desert park and the home of the Mitchell Caverns. The caverns are located approximately 100 miles east of Barstow, 60 miles west of Needles, and 16 miles north of Interstate 40 along Essex Road at an altitude of 4,300 feet.
The caverns in the Providence Mountains were a sacred place for the Chemehuevi Indians where a number of tools and fire pits have been found. The caves lie within a thick sequence of marine Permian limestone formed during the Pleistocene epoch. Over time, dripping mineral water left deposits of calcium carbonate that formed stalactites, stalagmites and other cave formations.
In 1929, amateur silver miner Jack Mitchell came to the area hoping to revive his fortunes by prospecting in the Providence Mountains. Mitchell developed a silver-lead property on the site and became interested in the narrow cave openings, which pierced the mountainside above his tunnel. After finding a jawbone of a shark-tooth whale at the site, he wrote letters inviting various archeologists to explore the region.
Archeologists uncovered marine fossils and remains of several prehistoric animals including a giant Shasta ground sloth. Scientists soon became frequent visitors bringing classes from colleges and universities throughout the Southwestern United States.
Mitchell believed the caverns should be accessible to the general public, so he built ladders, enlarged some tunnels and opened the attraction to the public in 1934. He also created a rest stop for visitors. He ran the site until 1954 when he sold it to the state of California with the provision that no additions be made that would detract from the natural beauty of the caves.
The site became a state recreation area in 1956. In 1994, the surrounding lands became part of the Mojave National Preserve under the National Park Service, but the caves are still owned and operated by the state. For more information, please visit the California State Parks website.
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