They say he fled Arizona after killing three men, helped defeat three angry grizzly bears, according to an 1888 Los Angeles Times article, and discovered Big Horn Mine while hunting for Big Horn Sheep on Mt. Baden-Powell near Wrightwood in the late 1800s. The man at the center of this tale is Charles Tom Vincent, a Civil War veteran whose real name was Charles Vincent Dougherty.
But like its founder, the mine now is more tale than tall. Once touted as the “granddaddy” of the San Gabriel Canyon mines, in its heyday the Big Horn Mine yielded only $200,000 in gold under the Lowell and California Company from 1902 to 1910.
Today, the long-abandoned stamp mill is a destination to be seen at the end of a two-mile hike off of Highway 2 at Vincent’s Gap, just 10 miles west of downtown Wrightwood, in the Angeles National Forest.
The abandoned stamp mill sits at the end of the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. The four-mile round trip hike off Highway 2 at Vincent’s Gap is just 10 miles west of downtown Wrightwood. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Hikers make their way along the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Fallen boulders block some of the path as hikers make their way along the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The view from the abandoned stamp mill at the end of the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest is beautiful on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A portion of the inside of the abandoned stamp mill is crumbling at the end of the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A hiker looks at the view from the abandoned stamp mill at the end of the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Hikers make their way along the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A fallen tree lays on the trail as hikers make their way along the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The sun shines through one of the many giant trees along the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A hiker looks at the view from the abandoned stamp mill at the end of the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A hiker enjoys the view at the end of the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Hikers make their way along the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Hikers make their way along the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The Mine Gulch Trail leads to Vincent’s cabin below the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, June 30, 2019. Charles Tom Vincent discovered the Big Horn Mine in the late 1800s, a four-mile round trip hike off Highway 2 at Vincent’s Gap, 10 miles west of downtown Wrightwood. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Vincent’s cabin sits just off of the Mine Gulch Trail, below the Big Horn Mine Trail, in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, June 30, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Visitors can see inside of Vincent’s cabin, which is just off of the Mine Gulch Trail, below the Big Horn Mine Trail, in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, June 30, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The Mine Gulch Trail, which leads to Vincent’s cabin, is below the Big Horn Mine Trail in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, June 30, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Vincent’s cabin is just off of the Mine Gulch Trail, below the Big Horn Mine Trail, in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, June 30, 2019. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The hike, in all, is a four-mile round trip adventure on an old wagon road, with an offshoot trail to Vincent’s cabin where he lived as a recluse for many years, located closer to the trailhead. It’s described as an easy 500-foot elevation gain hike, but there are a handful of sections of the trail where it is very narrow and slippery and can be difficult for new hikers and small children. Also, be aware of any and all No Trespassing signs as well as the closed-off mine shafts.
The Big Horn Mine Trail is only one of the many trails in the Angeles National Forest, including 176 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, and Big Horn Sheep, Black Bears, Bobcats and Mountain Lions are some of the animals that inhabit the forest.
A National Forest Adventure Pass is required and can be purchased at the Grassy Hollow Visitor Center on the way to the Vincent Gap parking area.