According to the “Mojave Road Guide – An Adventure Through Time” by Dennis G. Casebier (a must-have for anyone looking to explore the Old Mojave Road), the original structure was built by the Van Slyke brothers, who were prospectors and miners. After their house burned, they sold the property to George & Virginia Irwin, who experimented with different crops and raising turkeys. After two years of battling the Mojave environment and natural predators (coyotes, bobcats, etc.) they gave up and abandoned their homestead.
The ruins they left behind are interesting, as you can see it was in the middle of a prehistoric area for the native inhabitants. The surrounding land is littered with ancient rock art. In fact, the remains of the stone house has some of these stones in the construction of their home.
This area is located on the Old Mojave Road, just 1.5 – 2 miles from Fort Piute.
Please click the images below:
The Van Slyke cabin did not burn down my grandparents, mother (when she was about twelve) and my uncle Tony lived in it while my grandfather built a sleeping cabin to the east. what’s left of the one building was the feed storage room. the property was not abandoned they sold it to BLM in the mid 1980s