Johnny Lang was an American cattle driver who discovered

Lost Horse Mine Lost Horse Mine is a historic gold and silver mine in the Lost Horse Valley of Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of ...

Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees (''Yucca brevifolia'') native to the Mojave Desert. Origin ...

.Lost Horse Mine, Joshua Tree National Park, National Park Service
/ref> 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 of herding their cattle, they lost their horses in what is now known as

Lost Horse Valley Lost Horse Valley is a valley in Joshua Tree National Park. It has been called "the centerpiece of the park" because of the quality of its stands of Joshua trees and its geological formations. It contains the Lost Horse Mine Lost Horse Mine is a ...

. He tracked them to what is now known as

Keys Desert Queen Ranch The Keys Ranch is the prime example of early settlement in the Joshua Tree National Park area. Bill Keys was the area's leading character, and his ranch is a symbol of the resourcefulness of early settlers. The ranch is an extensive complex of sm ...

, which at that time was believed to be occupied by cattle rustlers from what known as the McHaney Gang, but did not find the horses. He then claimed he then met "Dutch" Frank, who claimed he discovered a rich gold claim but was afraid to develop it because he had been threatened by the purported rustlers. Lang and his father bought the rights to the mine, purportedly for $1,000.00, and named it "Lost Horse". He claimed to have taken on three partners as back-up, out of fear of the gang of purported rustlers or having his claim jumped. The four men filed their claim, set up a two- stamp mill and began to produce substantial amounts of gold. Lang's claim and mill were then sold to a

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

rancher named J.D. Ryan. Much of this history was provided by longtime Joshua Tree area resident William F. Keys, for whom Keys Ranch was named.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Johnny American cattlemen Place of birth missing Year of birth missing Date of death missing American gold prospectors Joshua Tree National Park