Otherkin is a collective noun for an assortment of people who have come to the somewhat unorthodox, and possibly quite bizarre, conclusion that they identify themselves as being something other than human. It is also the label used by a number of communities both on and off line. (The distinction between the two is not always drawn and can lead to some confusion). http://www.otherkin.net

The town of Tecopa was named after the great chief of the Paiutes meaning wildcat. If you wish to read about the chief feel free to Click Here: Chief Tecopa Cemetery the burial location of this historic figure in relation to the area. Many people yearly visit Tecopa for its springs which were believed for centuries to have healing powers.

Tecopa is located in Ca it sits and has for centuries on a major trading route. Prior to it being called Tecopa a village sat near the springs named Yaga. Eventually the Spaniards came through here then the white man. Chief Tecopa and his tribe shared the springs with the settlers in the area and in return it turned out to be very beneficial to his tribe.

New Tecopa has quite a few interesting sites besides the springs such as a library, veteran cemetery, bakery, nursery and hotel. Most visitors come on up here to camp while others visit St. Mary's hill a place where a giant wood cross overlooks the area. Rumor has it the Mormon people put it their as a signal to other travelers in search of water.

Many dirt roads surround the Tecopa area one of them leading to the China Ranch Date Farm which is also a very well known historical site and desert oasis. You can check them out at http://www.chinaranch.com/ and of course a real in depth history not only on the ranch but area can be found at http://www.chinaranch.com/category_s/25.htm The ranch was relevant in the fact that it provided fruit, vegetables, meat and even fresh water for the miners. Many miners came up here during the great gold rush and since Tecopa sat on the edge of death valley the conditions were very harsh.

Some of the minerals in Tecopa mined were Lead, Silver, Gypsum, Talc and Borax. The area goes way beyond the 1850s as the natives had inhabited since 10,000 B.C. Within the great basin and canyons are petroglyphs depicting the springs in Tecopa. The question is are their ghost that haunt the area? Well its an ancient site at times their were raids...gun fights....and even murders.

The town of Old Tecopa was left behind as their was a need to relocate the town closer to the Tonapah and Tidewater Railroad which ran near the town for almost 35 years. Deep in the mountains outside of new Tecopa lays the original town site an area we set up a campfire at. Their is a historic sign which gives you a brief history. Within that area many secrets are left behind such as old tools with brush growing around them......wagon trails....foundations....an old cemetery....and the mines.

My first experience in the town was fairly sad I took a group of people out in the Las Vegas area who acted rather distant, lazy and were not at all very serious. I think they cared more about eating and sitting on their asses staring into a telescope then they did about the areas history and paranormal activity. Which leads me back to my theory that some people are just not cut out for the paranormal while having chemistry with others can create good positive results when you work together in search of ghost or the unknown rather.

I have cut off my ties to the other kin as I took sometime to learn about them and even attend a fetish party to learn more about their paranormal experiences in how it relates to their beliefs. At the party they took turns inflicting pain on one another. They did fireplay to which is a wonderful practice if you perform it safely and use caution. Below are photos of my hands on fire it was a new idea I had brought forth to the otherkin and I had stated that I wanted to light my hands on fire. I had them lit a fairly good amount of time as I had them light my hands then I pulled them away from me....then pulled them back to have the fire smoldered out. Its rather invigorating and this is how it is done.

I enjoy meeting new walks of life and interacting with many various cultures however my conclusion when dealing with otherkin is a skeptical one. I do not believe that the individuals on my first investigation here had powers of any kind. I noticed allot of talking and no action. I sensed allot of fear from them such as when the panicked when we entered the canyon road in search of the original town site. The reason you will not see many photos is because all the work done was primarly done by me walking around on a crutch in the middle of the desert.

I had cut my ties with the Otherkin the moment I hiked alone by myself while they continued to stuff their face with marshmallows and gossip about all sorts of members of their society as well as the gothic club. I thought man I am getting to old for this and people go on these investigations never thinking about the history. Tecopa is a special place and I only see a small percentage of the area. But based on the research done their is so much more to see...old railroad beds...foundations....mines etc and not all of them are strip mines but actually tunnels. Its a very intriguing area might even considering taking a dip in the hot springs myself.

When I did arrive at old Tecopa I didnt get much time to explore but I did find in the desert a mine, foundation, pipe line, tools, rusted cans and an old wood fence. I know so much more remains to be seen here. I felt very watched here more then anything. I noticed that its a very gloomy place old and new Tecopa. Their isnt much light enimating from the town especially in the canyon at the old town site. Their is also a dry lake but 100,000 years ago it was filled with lush water and giant mammals such as camels...sloths...etc. It truly is a great area and we hope to bring you more photos and information on this jewel as we have many caves, mines and other abandonments to explore in the region.

Below your going to see a set of day and night photos. The night photos were taken with my trip with the otherkin. The day photos were my second trip here with Tammy. We parked at the same location as the first time and were rather amazed at how many foundations, mines and ghost town remnants in the area. Which proves my point that if the otherkin had night vision then they would have had no problem finding the Anaconda Mill we passed, ghost town of Noonday which sits right off the dirt road and of course the Tecopa Remnants. But they told me nothing is out here boy were they sure wrong and with that in mind my advice goes to anybody that in order to find such locations you must EXPLORE EXPLORE EXPLORE!

As promised we returned to bring our viewers some good photos. Their is also a caretaker on the property his wife and him are both very friendly people and we thank them for letting us traverse the ghost town property and town site. We actually parked at Tecopa and were able to walk to the Anacaonda Mill site which is just a couple hundred feet away so we also brought you coverage of this in another section on our site!

© By

Lord Rick

Old Tecopa Town Site

New Tecopa & St. Marys Hill

Tecopa Town Site At Night First Visit

Brief History Of Tecopa

http://www.tecopaca.com/History/tecopa.history.htm

"Tecopa" comes from a Paiute word meaning wildcat, like this local resident. The Tecopa Hot Springs have been a source of healing since time immemorial, used by Shoshone, Paiute, and intertribal travelers and traders. In the last 150 years of immigration, mines and whole towns have come and gone, along with numerous jobs and businesses. But the hot springs remain. 

A large Native community called Yaga  was located just east of the springs, at least through the 1930's. For thousands of years, the area was traversed by a major trading route. With the arrival of the Spanish, this route later became known as the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles.

When mining communities expanded, a treaty agreement was reached with Paiute Pawinavi  Tecopa, a renowned negotiator,  (also recorded as Tecopet and Tecopur) about shared use of the hot springs, so that everyone could continue to benefit from their healing powers. This agreement specified separate gender bathing, open hours, no pollutants and no charge for use. The agreement has been honored by everyone from the mid-1800s until November 1, 2004, when Inyo County administration sub-leased the springs to a private corporation. 

During the local mining boom, The Tonapah and Tidewater (T&T) Railroad later also used the springs to refill the trains. n the late 1920’s, Harry Rosenberg and Jim Francis paid $10.00 to the T&T President, J.B. Johnson, for the right to “open up [the] spring ½ mile east of the Squaw spring in order that the people of this community can build a pool for the use of the public.” they built a tin shelter around the springs.  In 1930, the springs were permanently reserved for public use by a Presidential decree. 

Unfortunately, the BLM now holds that a private corporation charging a fee is still "public use", and most local residents boycott the current regime. However, Tecopa's powerful healing  waters continue to provide relief from a long list of ailments to local residents and  visitors from all over the world, at private spas, at the hot creek in the local marsh and at the "public" facility.

Time Line

Above The Yaga Labrynth Near Tecopa

http://www.tecopaca.com/History/History2.htm

The Native village surrounding the hot springs was called Yaga, the largest of 20-25 villages from the Panamints to the Kingston range. In the Coso mountains, petroglyphs show a bent man with a stick entering the springs and then emerging erect, his stick abandoned.

1775- The first recorded white visitor for a stopover and rest was Father Garces.

1830- New Mexican horse traders opened up the Old Spanish Trail, formerly a major Native trade route. They stopped at Yaga for water, home to 70 people at the time.

1845- General John C. Fremont recorded an April stop at nearby Resting Springs.

1851-52- California Natives signed 18 treaties with the federal government. They were never ratified but placed under a Congressional order of secrecy until 1905, the year Chief Tecopa died. It is unknown whether the Tecopa Treaty was one. However, oral tradition  kept the ‘traditional use’ agreement firmly alive for about 150 years.

1863- The Ruby Valley Treaty of Peace and Friendship, between the U.S. and representatives of tribes of the Western Shoshone Nation, is ratified by Congress and signed by President Grant. It gives right of way across lands but does not cede territory. Tecopa lies within its boundaries.

1860’s on- Gold, silver, lead and later talc, gypsum, iron and more brought a population that has fluctuated from the thousands to the hundreds and in between.

1872- By then, the mining camp had been named Tecopa by J.B. Osbourne for the Paiute leader, Tecopet or Tecopa. He is the Pakwinavi, or spokesman, for Paiute villages in the region, an extraordinary man who helped keep the peace even when his own son was killed. These were dangerous years of intense immigration by miners, and led to wholesale slaughter elsewhere in California and Nevada. One story states that his famous top hat (see photo above) was given in lieu of the $200 he asked for the use of his name.

1881- A surveyor establishing Inyo County (when it split off from Kern County) surprised everyone by finding the town of Tecopa to be inside the line by a matter of feet, and it was reassigned from San Bernardino County. 

1905- Chief Tecopa passes on. He is  buried in the Pahrump Chief Tecopa  Cemetery.

1907- The Tonapah and Tidewater (T&T) Railroad finally made it through the Amargosa Canyon, and somehow attained the rights to the springs for water supply.

Late 1920’s- For $10, Jim Francis, owner of the Snake Room Bar, and Harry Rosenberg obtained the right from J.B. Johnson, T&T President, to build the first public bathhouse for community use at the hot springs.

1930- On June 4^th,President Herbert Hoover signed an Executive Order withdrawing Tecopa Hot Springs from private use for all time to protect access to the hot spring.

1961- Inyo County signed a 20 year lease, renewed in 1981, “for a campground, community center, and public bath houses and related facilities”.

1974- Hurlbut-Rook Community Center was built, with much labor and materials donated by local people. Earl Hurlbut was the first County Director of Tecopa Hot Springs, and County Supervisor from 1928 to 1952. Carl Rook was a long-time Road Department supervisor.

Throughout this entire time, until November 1, 2004, the Tecopa Hot Springs have been faithfully used in accordance to the agreement made with Chief Tecopa:

2004- Against the strongly voiced opposition of the local community, Inyo County sub-leased the Hot Springs to a private corporation, California Land Management. Unfortunately, community predictions came true immediately: the park is virtually abandoned, CLM has violated the Treaty in most ways possible and grossly polluted the waters.  The local population has dwindled and the economy has been strongly impacted. 

However, desert dwellers are tough and resourceful, and litigation efforts continue, so who knows what will happen next? Meanwhile, you can enjoy the famous Tecopa waters at several local spas.   Many other enjoyable activities are available nearby.

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