J.D. Ryan was a Montana rancher and pioneer mining operator in Joshua Tree National Park. The popular park destination

Ryan Mountain Ryan Mountain is a mountain in Joshua Tree National Park. The trail to the peak is a strenuous hike, ascending in . Ryan Mountain is a popular attraction in the park, because it leads to panoramic views of Pinto Basin, Lost Horse Valley, Qu ...

is named after him. Ryan was a wealthy rancher who in 1895, bought out one of the main mining interests in the area from

Johnny Lang Johnny Lang was an American cattle driver who discovered Lost Horse Mine in Joshua Tree National Park. He claimed that he had moved to the area because his brother had been gunned down in New Mexico with six other cowboys. In 1890, in the process ...

. He located a steam-powered mill, large at the time, near the Colorado River, then had it disassembled to move it to the Lang mine site. In this desert area, he was able to provide the steam for the mill by building a 3.5 mile long, 2" pipeline from wells at his local ranch, now a historic site known as Ryan House and Lost Horse Well, to a reservoir near the mill. Fuel to run the pumps piping the water up the needed elevation gain was provided from burning trees from nearby desert mountains. The deforestation that resulted is still visible in 2014, in the denuded hills.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, J. D. Joshua Tree National Park Ranchers from Montana Year of birth missing Year of death missing