Bruce was a local miner who used to live in the Jawbone Canyon area called Red Mountain. He was one of the area's more "colorful" characters. He loved telling stories to the tourists, some true, some not.
The place that he lived in had no running water or plumbing facilities, so people tended to be a little standoffish from him (if you know what I mean). No matter what time of the year, he wore a heavy overcoat, even in the 100 + weather. He never owned a vehicle that I can remember, and could always be seen "hitching" down the road. The locals would pick him up, even it it meant "airing" out their vehicle for a while! He remembered everyones vehicle and would let them know if they passed him by without picking him up.
1920 United States Federal Census Record
about Bruce K Minard
Name: Bruce K Minard
Age: 17 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1903
Birthplace: Texas
Race: White
Home in 1920: Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California
Sex: Male
Marital status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Mother's Birth Place: Texas
Father's Birth Place: Illinois
Image: 319
Emunerated in the household of William and Bess Minard.
"Bruce Minard, East Kern's ultimate desert rat"
An aversion to work, fighting, and bath water
by David Desmond
Mojave Desert News 4/13/2006
The term desert rat is a phrase that has become a sobriquet for many desert dwellers, both past, here in the East Kern desert as well as many other desert regions of the western United States.
If one was to take resumes of those past and present for the title of the ultimate desert rat, Bruce Minard (1903 -1978) would have a good shot at the title.
Minard was born in Houston, Texas, on June 16, 1903. Bruce originally had the surname of Dickerson. Bruce's Mother married "Happy" Minard and the family consisted of two brothers, Ed and Bill.
Minard's family moved to the Tonto Basin in Arizona In 1916. Bruce learned the Apache Indian language as well as their traditions as a youth.
Bruce and his family arrived in Mojave in 1920. Back in those days in the East Kern Desert there was two types of work, mining and railroading. Minard chose mining. He became a fixture in the placer mines north of Mojave. He also made ventures to the mines outside of the town of Ely, Nevada.
Big discovery
Minard's big claim to fame would come in 1933. Minard and Virgil Dew were prospecting on Soledad Mountain which overlooks Mojave. It was there that the two prospectors found rich "float" (particles of gold so small and thin that they float on water).
Unfortunately for Minard, discovering a gold mine and developing it are two different stories. Bruce dug a twelve foot deep shaft but did not find the gold vein. He sold his interest in the mine for $500 to Judge Cy Townsend of Mojave. Nearby a prospector named George Holmes would sink a 90 foot shaft and hit the mother lode of the East Kern Desert, the Golden Queen Mine. Holmes would sell his interests in 1935 for $3.17 Million plus royalties to the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa. The Golden Queen would be the last great gold rush in California.
Bruce Minard's mother operated an adobe boarding house in Mojave for many years. Minard claimed his parents raised 56 homeless children in their lifetime.
Avoiding water
Bruce used to tell people there was three things he avoided: hard work, fighting, and bathing.
The sinking of a twelve foot shaft and walking away from rich gold float was probably good, solid evidence of his predisposition to being lazy.
As for his aversion to fighting, Deric English of Boron came across evidence for this in an article entitled "Bruce Minard the man with the Midas Touch" by Jack Edward Branstetter (Hi-Desert Spectator, Volume 3, Number 4, May - June 1964)
Branstetter tells a story of Bruce Minard's antipatby to violence.
"He (Minard) had a school chum, with whom he'd grown up. One day he got angry with this chum and wanted to punch his nose but was afraid. He went to the freight yards and picked up a bum off a freight car who claimed he'd had previous training as a pugilist. Bruce housed, fed and clothed the bum, making him work out every day for a week. Then came the day for the big fight! Bruce accompanied his well-trained athlete to the place where his chum was working. Bruce aggravated a quarrel between them, and they stepped outside and went to it. Bruce's
chum almost killed the would be prize fighter, forcing Bruce to leave town for a while to keep the bum from beating the socks off Bruce. "
As for Bruce Minard's bathing record, Glen Settle, our 94 year old icon of the East Kern Desert and the Antelope Valley, treasures one of his favorite stories which involved Bruce Minard.
"In 1970 I was helping the Hollywood motion picture companies find locations for their films in the East Kern desert. A movie company was getting ready to film a movie called 'Zabriskie Point,'" Settle recalled.
"They asked me to locate a typical 'desert rat' for the film. I immediately led them to Bruce Minard. Bruce was so perfect for the part that no make-up artist work was required for him. The director even encouraged him not to bathe."
Zabriskie Point (1970) is another one of those desert cult films which have a large following among film students. The actor,
actors in the film include Sam Shepard, Rod Taylor, Paul Fix (a stock actor in many John Wayne films) and G.D. Spradlin.
I interviewed G.D. 'Geavis' Spradlin for an article on the film: 'Hells Angels 69'. Old G.D. must have spent some of his apprenticeship here in the East Kern desert before he became one of the great character actors favored by Francis Ford Coppola. A young unaccredited actor named Harrison Ford has a bit part as an airport worker.
Zabriskie Point can be ordered from Amazon.com. For rock enthusiasts the soundtrack from the movie includes 'Pink Floyd.'
Moving to Cantil.
Bruce moved to Red Hill near Cantil in 1942 with his mother and his brother Bill.
Bruce Minard valued friendship. He was known as a 1 st class story teller and a gentleman. Many movie stars who filmed at Red Rock Canyon befriended Minard over the years. A former Governor of California, the late Goodwin Knight, called Bruce "The finest prospector I've ever known." Knight's father, Jess Knight, was one of the mining legends of the east Kern desert.
In 1952, Minard made his last big mining discovery. He discovered the 'Silver King' mine near Cinco, located 19 miles north of Mojave. His lifelong friend the now 93-year-old Roger White, was in partnership in this venture.
In Bruce's last years he lived at his cabin at Red Hill. His younger brother Bill lived in Mojave. Bruce spent much of his time at the 'Jawbone Cafe' spinning tales and trying to sell mines to the visiting tourists.
Cindy Mitchell of Mojave remembers fondly visiting Bruce at his cabin at Red Hill. "I was living in Cantil in 1970. I visited Bruce at his cabin at Red Hill. He took me over to his refrigerator and opened the door. Inside the refrigerator were several frozen rattlesnakes. He said he would take them out and unthaw them for the movie people".
Most people in the east Kern desert for over 40 years probably have their own favorite Bruce Minard story. Bruce passed away in 1978 followed a few months later with the passing of his brother Bill.
Bruce Minard may not have lead a conventional life, but his was definitely a life worth recording.
Bruce K Minard
in the 1920 United States Federal Census
Record Image VIEW
View blank form
Add alternate information
Report issue
Name: Bruce K Minard
Age: 17
Birth Year: abt 1903
Birthplace: Texas
Home in 1920: Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California
Street: South Figueroa Street
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's name: W F Minard
Father's Birthplace: Illinois
Mother's name: Bess Minard
Mother's Birthplace: Texas
Able to Speak English: Yes
Attended School: No
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
W F Minard 49
Bess Minard 47
Bruce K Minard 17
William S Minard 14
The place that he lived in had no running water or plumbing facilities, so people tended to be a little standoffish from him (if you know what I mean). No matter what time of the year, he wore a heavy overcoat, even in the 100 + weather. He never owned a vehicle that I can remember, and could always be seen "hitching" down the road. The locals would pick him up, even it it meant "airing" out their vehicle for a while! He remembered everyones vehicle and would let them know if they passed him by without picking him up.
1920 United States Federal Census Record
about Bruce K Minard
Name: Bruce K Minard
Age: 17 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1903
Birthplace: Texas
Race: White
Home in 1920: Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California
Sex: Male
Marital status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Mother's Birth Place: Texas
Father's Birth Place: Illinois
Image: 319
Emunerated in the household of William and Bess Minard.
"Bruce Minard, East Kern's ultimate desert rat"
An aversion to work, fighting, and bath water
by David Desmond
Mojave Desert News 4/13/2006
The term desert rat is a phrase that has become a sobriquet for many desert dwellers, both past, here in the East Kern desert as well as many other desert regions of the western United States.
If one was to take resumes of those past and present for the title of the ultimate desert rat, Bruce Minard (1903 -1978) would have a good shot at the title.
Minard was born in Houston, Texas, on June 16, 1903. Bruce originally had the surname of Dickerson. Bruce's Mother married "Happy" Minard and the family consisted of two brothers, Ed and Bill.
Minard's family moved to the Tonto Basin in Arizona In 1916. Bruce learned the Apache Indian language as well as their traditions as a youth.
Bruce and his family arrived in Mojave in 1920. Back in those days in the East Kern Desert there was two types of work, mining and railroading. Minard chose mining. He became a fixture in the placer mines north of Mojave. He also made ventures to the mines outside of the town of Ely, Nevada.
Big discovery
Minard's big claim to fame would come in 1933. Minard and Virgil Dew were prospecting on Soledad Mountain which overlooks Mojave. It was there that the two prospectors found rich "float" (particles of gold so small and thin that they float on water).
Unfortunately for Minard, discovering a gold mine and developing it are two different stories. Bruce dug a twelve foot deep shaft but did not find the gold vein. He sold his interest in the mine for $500 to Judge Cy Townsend of Mojave. Nearby a prospector named George Holmes would sink a 90 foot shaft and hit the mother lode of the East Kern Desert, the Golden Queen Mine. Holmes would sell his interests in 1935 for $3.17 Million plus royalties to the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa. The Golden Queen would be the last great gold rush in California.
Bruce Minard's mother operated an adobe boarding house in Mojave for many years. Minard claimed his parents raised 56 homeless children in their lifetime.
Avoiding water
Bruce used to tell people there was three things he avoided: hard work, fighting, and bathing.
The sinking of a twelve foot shaft and walking away from rich gold float was probably good, solid evidence of his predisposition to being lazy.
As for his aversion to fighting, Deric English of Boron came across evidence for this in an article entitled "Bruce Minard the man with the Midas Touch" by Jack Edward Branstetter (Hi-Desert Spectator, Volume 3, Number 4, May - June 1964)
Branstetter tells a story of Bruce Minard's antipatby to violence.
"He (Minard) had a school chum, with whom he'd grown up. One day he got angry with this chum and wanted to punch his nose but was afraid. He went to the freight yards and picked up a bum off a freight car who claimed he'd had previous training as a pugilist. Bruce housed, fed and clothed the bum, making him work out every day for a week. Then came the day for the big fight! Bruce accompanied his well-trained athlete to the place where his chum was working. Bruce aggravated a quarrel between them, and they stepped outside and went to it. Bruce's
chum almost killed the would be prize fighter, forcing Bruce to leave town for a while to keep the bum from beating the socks off Bruce. "
As for Bruce Minard's bathing record, Glen Settle, our 94 year old icon of the East Kern Desert and the Antelope Valley, treasures one of his favorite stories which involved Bruce Minard.
"In 1970 I was helping the Hollywood motion picture companies find locations for their films in the East Kern desert. A movie company was getting ready to film a movie called 'Zabriskie Point,'" Settle recalled.
"They asked me to locate a typical 'desert rat' for the film. I immediately led them to Bruce Minard. Bruce was so perfect for the part that no make-up artist work was required for him. The director even encouraged him not to bathe."
Zabriskie Point (1970) is another one of those desert cult films which have a large following among film students. The actor,
actors in the film include Sam Shepard, Rod Taylor, Paul Fix (a stock actor in many John Wayne films) and G.D. Spradlin.
I interviewed G.D. 'Geavis' Spradlin for an article on the film: 'Hells Angels 69'. Old G.D. must have spent some of his apprenticeship here in the East Kern desert before he became one of the great character actors favored by Francis Ford Coppola. A young unaccredited actor named Harrison Ford has a bit part as an airport worker.
Zabriskie Point can be ordered from Amazon.com. For rock enthusiasts the soundtrack from the movie includes 'Pink Floyd.'
Moving to Cantil.
Bruce moved to Red Hill near Cantil in 1942 with his mother and his brother Bill.
Bruce Minard valued friendship. He was known as a 1 st class story teller and a gentleman. Many movie stars who filmed at Red Rock Canyon befriended Minard over the years. A former Governor of California, the late Goodwin Knight, called Bruce "The finest prospector I've ever known." Knight's father, Jess Knight, was one of the mining legends of the east Kern desert.
In 1952, Minard made his last big mining discovery. He discovered the 'Silver King' mine near Cinco, located 19 miles north of Mojave. His lifelong friend the now 93-year-old Roger White, was in partnership in this venture.
In Bruce's last years he lived at his cabin at Red Hill. His younger brother Bill lived in Mojave. Bruce spent much of his time at the 'Jawbone Cafe' spinning tales and trying to sell mines to the visiting tourists.
Cindy Mitchell of Mojave remembers fondly visiting Bruce at his cabin at Red Hill. "I was living in Cantil in 1970. I visited Bruce at his cabin at Red Hill. He took me over to his refrigerator and opened the door. Inside the refrigerator were several frozen rattlesnakes. He said he would take them out and unthaw them for the movie people".
Most people in the east Kern desert for over 40 years probably have their own favorite Bruce Minard story. Bruce passed away in 1978 followed a few months later with the passing of his brother Bill.
Bruce Minard may not have lead a conventional life, but his was definitely a life worth recording.
Bruce K Minard
in the 1920 United States Federal Census
Record Image VIEW
View blank form
Add alternate information
Report issue
Name: Bruce K Minard
Age: 17
Birth Year: abt 1903
Birthplace: Texas
Home in 1920: Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California
Street: South Figueroa Street
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's name: W F Minard
Father's Birthplace: Illinois
Mother's name: Bess Minard
Mother's Birthplace: Texas
Able to Speak English: Yes
Attended School: No
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
W F Minard 49
Bess Minard 47
Bruce K Minard 17
William S Minard 14
Bruce was a local miner who used to live in the Jawbone Canyon area called Red Mountain. He was one of the area's more "colorful" characters. He loved telling stories to the tourists, some true, some not.
The place that he lived in had no running water or plumbing facilities, so people tended to be a little standoffish from him (if you know what I mean). No matter what time of the year, he wore a heavy overcoat, even in the 100 + weather. He never owned a vehicle that I can remember, and could always be seen "hitching" down the road. The locals would pick him up, even it it meant "airing" out their vehicle for a while! He remembered everyones vehicle and would let them know if they passed him by without picking him up.
1920 United States Federal Census Record
about Bruce K Minard
Name: Bruce K Minard
Age: 17 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1903
Birthplace: Texas
Race: White
Home in 1920: Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California
Sex: Male
Marital status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Mother's Birth Place: Texas
Father's Birth Place: Illinois
Image: 319
Emunerated in the household of William and Bess Minard.
"Bruce Minard, East Kern's ultimate desert rat"
An aversion to work, fighting, and bath water
by David Desmond
Mojave Desert News 4/13/2006
The term desert rat is a phrase that has become a sobriquet for many desert dwellers, both past, here in the East Kern desert as well as many other desert regions of the western United States.
If one was to take resumes of those past and present for the title of the ultimate desert rat, Bruce Minard (1903 -1978) would have a good shot at the title.
Minard was born in Houston, Texas, on June 16, 1903. Bruce originally had the surname of Dickerson. Bruce's Mother married "Happy" Minard and the family consisted of two brothers, Ed and Bill.
Minard's family moved to the Tonto Basin in Arizona In 1916. Bruce learned the Apache Indian language as well as their traditions as a youth.
Bruce and his family arrived in Mojave in 1920. Back in those days in the East Kern Desert there was two types of work, mining and railroading. Minard chose mining. He became a fixture in the placer mines north of Mojave. He also made ventures to the mines outside of the town of Ely, Nevada.
Big discovery
Minard's big claim to fame would come in 1933. Minard and Virgil Dew were prospecting on Soledad Mountain which overlooks Mojave. It was there that the two prospectors found rich "float" (particles of gold so small and thin that they float on water).
Unfortunately for Minard, discovering a gold mine and developing it are two different stories. Bruce dug a twelve foot deep shaft but did not find the gold vein. He sold his interest in the mine for $500 to Judge Cy Townsend of Mojave. Nearby a prospector named George Holmes would sink a 90 foot shaft and hit the mother lode of the East Kern Desert, the Golden Queen Mine. Holmes would sell his interests in 1935 for $3.17 Million plus royalties to the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa. The Golden Queen would be the last great gold rush in California.
Bruce Minard's mother operated an adobe boarding house in Mojave for many years. Minard claimed his parents raised 56 homeless children in their lifetime.
Avoiding water
Bruce used to tell people there was three things he avoided: hard work, fighting, and bathing.
The sinking of a twelve foot shaft and walking away from rich gold float was probably good, solid evidence of his predisposition to being lazy.
As for his aversion to fighting, Deric English of Boron came across evidence for this in an article entitled "Bruce Minard the man with the Midas Touch" by Jack Edward Branstetter (Hi-Desert Spectator, Volume 3, Number 4, May - June 1964)
Branstetter tells a story of Bruce Minard's antipatby to violence.
"He (Minard) had a school chum, with whom he'd grown up. One day he got angry with this chum and wanted to punch his nose but was afraid. He went to the freight yards and picked up a bum off a freight car who claimed he'd had previous training as a pugilist. Bruce housed, fed and clothed the bum, making him work out every day for a week. Then came the day for the big fight! Bruce accompanied his well-trained athlete to the place where his chum was working. Bruce aggravated a quarrel between them, and they stepped outside and went to it. Bruce's
chum almost killed the would be prize fighter, forcing Bruce to leave town for a while to keep the bum from beating the socks off Bruce. "
As for Bruce Minard's bathing record, Glen Settle, our 94 year old icon of the East Kern Desert and the Antelope Valley, treasures one of his favorite stories which involved Bruce Minard.
"In 1970 I was helping the Hollywood motion picture companies find locations for their films in the East Kern desert. A movie company was getting ready to film a movie called 'Zabriskie Point,'" Settle recalled.
"They asked me to locate a typical 'desert rat' for the film. I immediately led them to Bruce Minard. Bruce was so perfect for the part that no make-up artist work was required for him. The director even encouraged him not to bathe."
Zabriskie Point (1970) is another one of those desert cult films which have a large following among film students. The actor,
actors in the film include Sam Shepard, Rod Taylor, Paul Fix (a stock actor in many John Wayne films) and G.D. Spradlin.
I interviewed G.D. 'Geavis' Spradlin for an article on the film: 'Hells Angels 69'. Old G.D. must have spent some of his apprenticeship here in the East Kern desert before he became one of the great character actors favored by Francis Ford Coppola. A young unaccredited actor named Harrison Ford has a bit part as an airport worker.
Zabriskie Point can be ordered from Amazon.com. For rock enthusiasts the soundtrack from the movie includes 'Pink Floyd.'
Moving to Cantil.
Bruce moved to Red Hill near Cantil in 1942 with his mother and his brother Bill.
Bruce Minard valued friendship. He was known as a 1 st class story teller and a gentleman. Many movie stars who filmed at Red Rock Canyon befriended Minard over the years. A former Governor of California, the late Goodwin Knight, called Bruce "The finest prospector I've ever known." Knight's father, Jess Knight, was one of the mining legends of the east Kern desert.
In 1952, Minard made his last big mining discovery. He discovered the 'Silver King' mine near Cinco, located 19 miles north of Mojave. His lifelong friend the now 93-year-old Roger White, was in partnership in this venture.
In Bruce's last years he lived at his cabin at Red Hill. His younger brother Bill lived in Mojave. Bruce spent much of his time at the 'Jawbone Cafe' spinning tales and trying to sell mines to the visiting tourists.
Cindy Mitchell of Mojave remembers fondly visiting Bruce at his cabin at Red Hill. "I was living in Cantil in 1970. I visited Bruce at his cabin at Red Hill. He took me over to his refrigerator and opened the door. Inside the refrigerator were several frozen rattlesnakes. He said he would take them out and unthaw them for the movie people".
Most people in the east Kern desert for over 40 years probably have their own favorite Bruce Minard story. Bruce passed away in 1978 followed a few months later with the passing of his brother Bill.
Bruce Minard may not have lead a conventional life, but his was definitely a life worth recording.
Bruce K Minard
in the 1920 United States Federal Census
Record Image VIEW
View blank form
Add alternate information
Report issue
Name: Bruce K Minard
Age: 17
Birth Year: abt 1903
Birthplace: Texas
Home in 1920: Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California
Street: South Figueroa Street
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's name: W F Minard
Father's Birthplace: Illinois
Mother's name: Bess Minard
Mother's Birthplace: Texas
Able to Speak English: Yes
Attended School: No
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
W F Minard 49
Bess Minard 47
Bruce K Minard 17
William S Minard 14
The place that he lived in had no running water or plumbing facilities, so people tended to be a little standoffish from him (if you know what I mean). No matter what time of the year, he wore a heavy overcoat, even in the 100 + weather. He never owned a vehicle that I can remember, and could always be seen "hitching" down the road. The locals would pick him up, even it it meant "airing" out their vehicle for a while! He remembered everyones vehicle and would let them know if they passed him by without picking him up.
1920 United States Federal Census Record
about Bruce K Minard
Name: Bruce K Minard
Age: 17 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1903
Birthplace: Texas
Race: White
Home in 1920: Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California
Sex: Male
Marital status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Mother's Birth Place: Texas
Father's Birth Place: Illinois
Image: 319
Emunerated in the household of William and Bess Minard.
"Bruce Minard, East Kern's ultimate desert rat"
An aversion to work, fighting, and bath water
by David Desmond
Mojave Desert News 4/13/2006
The term desert rat is a phrase that has become a sobriquet for many desert dwellers, both past, here in the East Kern desert as well as many other desert regions of the western United States.
If one was to take resumes of those past and present for the title of the ultimate desert rat, Bruce Minard (1903 -1978) would have a good shot at the title.
Minard was born in Houston, Texas, on June 16, 1903. Bruce originally had the surname of Dickerson. Bruce's Mother married "Happy" Minard and the family consisted of two brothers, Ed and Bill.
Minard's family moved to the Tonto Basin in Arizona In 1916. Bruce learned the Apache Indian language as well as their traditions as a youth.
Bruce and his family arrived in Mojave in 1920. Back in those days in the East Kern Desert there was two types of work, mining and railroading. Minard chose mining. He became a fixture in the placer mines north of Mojave. He also made ventures to the mines outside of the town of Ely, Nevada.
Big discovery
Minard's big claim to fame would come in 1933. Minard and Virgil Dew were prospecting on Soledad Mountain which overlooks Mojave. It was there that the two prospectors found rich "float" (particles of gold so small and thin that they float on water).
Unfortunately for Minard, discovering a gold mine and developing it are two different stories. Bruce dug a twelve foot deep shaft but did not find the gold vein. He sold his interest in the mine for $500 to Judge Cy Townsend of Mojave. Nearby a prospector named George Holmes would sink a 90 foot shaft and hit the mother lode of the East Kern Desert, the Golden Queen Mine. Holmes would sell his interests in 1935 for $3.17 Million plus royalties to the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa. The Golden Queen would be the last great gold rush in California.
Bruce Minard's mother operated an adobe boarding house in Mojave for many years. Minard claimed his parents raised 56 homeless children in their lifetime.
Avoiding water
Bruce used to tell people there was three things he avoided: hard work, fighting, and bathing.
The sinking of a twelve foot shaft and walking away from rich gold float was probably good, solid evidence of his predisposition to being lazy.
As for his aversion to fighting, Deric English of Boron came across evidence for this in an article entitled "Bruce Minard the man with the Midas Touch" by Jack Edward Branstetter (Hi-Desert Spectator, Volume 3, Number 4, May - June 1964)
Branstetter tells a story of Bruce Minard's antipatby to violence.
"He (Minard) had a school chum, with whom he'd grown up. One day he got angry with this chum and wanted to punch his nose but was afraid. He went to the freight yards and picked up a bum off a freight car who claimed he'd had previous training as a pugilist. Bruce housed, fed and clothed the bum, making him work out every day for a week. Then came the day for the big fight! Bruce accompanied his well-trained athlete to the place where his chum was working. Bruce aggravated a quarrel between them, and they stepped outside and went to it. Bruce's
chum almost killed the would be prize fighter, forcing Bruce to leave town for a while to keep the bum from beating the socks off Bruce. "
As for Bruce Minard's bathing record, Glen Settle, our 94 year old icon of the East Kern Desert and the Antelope Valley, treasures one of his favorite stories which involved Bruce Minard.
"In 1970 I was helping the Hollywood motion picture companies find locations for their films in the East Kern desert. A movie company was getting ready to film a movie called 'Zabriskie Point,'" Settle recalled.
"They asked me to locate a typical 'desert rat' for the film. I immediately led them to Bruce Minard. Bruce was so perfect for the part that no make-up artist work was required for him. The director even encouraged him not to bathe."
Zabriskie Point (1970) is another one of those desert cult films which have a large following among film students. The actor,
actors in the film include Sam Shepard, Rod Taylor, Paul Fix (a stock actor in many John Wayne films) and G.D. Spradlin.
I interviewed G.D. 'Geavis' Spradlin for an article on the film: 'Hells Angels 69'. Old G.D. must have spent some of his apprenticeship here in the East Kern desert before he became one of the great character actors favored by Francis Ford Coppola. A young unaccredited actor named Harrison Ford has a bit part as an airport worker.
Zabriskie Point can be ordered from Amazon.com. For rock enthusiasts the soundtrack from the movie includes 'Pink Floyd.'
Moving to Cantil.
Bruce moved to Red Hill near Cantil in 1942 with his mother and his brother Bill.
Bruce Minard valued friendship. He was known as a 1 st class story teller and a gentleman. Many movie stars who filmed at Red Rock Canyon befriended Minard over the years. A former Governor of California, the late Goodwin Knight, called Bruce "The finest prospector I've ever known." Knight's father, Jess Knight, was one of the mining legends of the east Kern desert.
In 1952, Minard made his last big mining discovery. He discovered the 'Silver King' mine near Cinco, located 19 miles north of Mojave. His lifelong friend the now 93-year-old Roger White, was in partnership in this venture.
In Bruce's last years he lived at his cabin at Red Hill. His younger brother Bill lived in Mojave. Bruce spent much of his time at the 'Jawbone Cafe' spinning tales and trying to sell mines to the visiting tourists.
Cindy Mitchell of Mojave remembers fondly visiting Bruce at his cabin at Red Hill. "I was living in Cantil in 1970. I visited Bruce at his cabin at Red Hill. He took me over to his refrigerator and opened the door. Inside the refrigerator were several frozen rattlesnakes. He said he would take them out and unthaw them for the movie people".
Most people in the east Kern desert for over 40 years probably have their own favorite Bruce Minard story. Bruce passed away in 1978 followed a few months later with the passing of his brother Bill.
Bruce Minard may not have lead a conventional life, but his was definitely a life worth recording.
Bruce K Minard
in the 1920 United States Federal Census
Record Image VIEW
View blank form
Add alternate information
Report issue
Name: Bruce K Minard
Age: 17
Birth Year: abt 1903
Birthplace: Texas
Home in 1920: Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California
Street: South Figueroa Street
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's name: W F Minard
Father's Birthplace: Illinois
Mother's name: Bess Minard
Mother's Birthplace: Texas
Able to Speak English: Yes
Attended School: No
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
W F Minard 49
Bess Minard 47
Bruce K Minard 17
William S Minard 14
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
