Location: San Bernardino County, California
Named for the Lost Horse Mine which is at the northwest base of this mountain. Area pioneer Johnny Lang was camping in nearby Pleasant Valley and lost his horse. He discovered it in the possession of the locally infamous Jim McHaney gang of horse thieves and cattle rustlers. McHaney told Lang that his horse wasn’t lost because it now belonged to him. Later, Lang met Dutch Diebold, a miner who had had similar bad dealings with McHaney. He had found a gold prospect but was unable to claim it because of the gang. Lang and his father purchased rights to it for $1000. When he struck it rich, Lang had the last laugh by naming his mine for his earlier loss. This mine was to provide a fabulous recompense–making $3,000 per day during its peak years.
Today the peak is denuded of most vegetation since anything that could burn was cut by the mine operators to fuel the boilers for their stamp mill operation. Lost Horse Mountain was on the original HPS Peak List but not at this location. Name and location were changed on USGS Twentynine Palms topo (1955). The location which is now named Ryan Mountain was originally named Lost Horse Mountain. The previously unnamed high point of the Lost Horse Mountains was then given the name of Lost Horse Mountain.
Name first appears on USGS Lost Horse topo (1958).
Peak was added to the HPS Peak List in 1962.
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