What was Burro Schmidt Really Tunneling For? 

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I spent 30 years working in a cubicle, accomplished less, and couldn't get anybody to go on a tour afterwards. Who's insane?

Nearly 70 years since his death and people are still talking about him. Thats his legacy.

He had a choice between tunnelling and listening to someone nag him about drapes, carpet and 'why don't you get a better job'! Yeah - 'Burro' Schmidt made a good choice!

I went there once around 1987. Mrs. Seger told me the story of "Burro" Schmidt. She offered flashlight rentals for $2 or $3 dollars. I felt for the woman and gave her $20, her being out in the middle of nowhere with not many resources. I believe she said he was from one of the Scandinavian countries, was diagnosed with TB and was advised to move to a drier, warmer climate. He figured if he only had a shorter time to live, he would pursue his dream to go to the American South West for the climate and become a gold miner. He found an outcropping of gold bearing quartz and began his journey of chasing the vein into the "mountain". She said he was able to find enough gold to sustain himself and his burros with enough left over to purchase dynamite, rails, an ore car and other basic mining supplies. He never found enough to make him rich, he only found enough to keep the "gold fever" going and enough to pursue the endeavor. You've got to give the guy credit for persistence and determination! I only wish he had found his fortune and become rich, he certainly deserved to.

If he was clinically insane spending his life digging a tunnel was probably far better than being locked away in an asylum--at least I think so. He had his burros and a purpose to get up every morning.

I went out there around 1999 and a woman lived in the cabin next to the tunnel. She organized tours of the tunnel for maybe $5 and there was maybe 10 people in it with us. She was in her 90s too, but she owned the property after Burro Schmidt and had no connection to him. Really cool to see it again.

A friend and I walked through the tunnels more than 30 years ago. My friend knew the woman who owned the property so we brought groceries and household supplies for her.

Thanks for the details especially the old topo map. As an old surveyor I visited the tunnel today 6-23-24. I like your poetic concept and my thinking and I would a quote from a Mark Knofler tune "it was my fate from birth to make my mark upon the earth" Burro Schmidt definitely did that

The real hero in that area just across Burro Schmidt was Walt Bickel. Walt served in the military then afterwards decided later to live out in the El Pasos as a miner and spent years prospecting and helping the other camps nearby. Terrible thing happened to Walt, in 1987, The Federal Govt (BLM) forcibly removed him from his cabin and way of life , he ended up in a rest home in Ridgecrest, Ca where he shortly died after. The BLM, which is no friend to anybody, sought to destroy Bickel Camp for decades and it would have done so if it hadnt been for the hard work of Charlie Hattendorf, a local who loved the history and knew Walt and who was able to work with BLM and preserve the camp to this day.

🤔 Well, if I were to guess, hauling the rock all the way out was beginning to take it’s toll, all mining can be considered as a material handling operation, after dragging all that rock all that way he lost patience and he went to the other end and he started in from the other end, he kept digging and digging, getting more and more tired (hence the tunnel getting smaller and smaller) knowing at that point he should have hit his tunnel he realized that his main shaft still needed to go further he went back to it and doggedly kept on going and finally broke through. The size difference is what suggests this to me, long main tunnels can only really be so small. Equipment has to be brought in, turned around and taken out loaded. Hand dug shafts can be considerably smaller. The small cross shaft seems to be so small that he would have had problems getting his burros in to help, the shaft is so much smaller because he would have had problems making it a whole lot bigger. Now there is the question about how he could have brought the shafts together so accurately. 🤔 Well, oddly enough there actually WAS a couple of non-surveying ways to do that. The more sophisticated method was the boiling point method. A fine thermometer used to measure the temperature at which water boiled could produce a fairly precise indication of altitude. The method was accurate enough that expeditions to locate the source of the Nile river used it. It could be further refined by making repeated observations over a period of time to eliminate effects of weather. A less sophisticated but more direct method would be to set charges with a very long delay. Usually a candle. Then to reach the intercepting tunnel and try to determine the direction of the sound at the time of the blast. It’s not especially accurate but in-fact, the shape of the tunnel suggests exactly that. When the intercept tunnel was being blasted it would have been necessary to set the charge and then race around to the mouth of the main tunnel and hurry to the end. The crudeness of the operation would have meant that overshooting the main tunnel would have been a very realistic possibility. 🤔 An elderly miner might have taken quite a while to realize that the explosions he was hearing from his main line were actually starting to get fainter rather than louder.

I've been there a few times and went through the tunnel more than once. I never knew all of the interesting facts you had in this video. Thanks for the information, was Kool to learn about the man that made the tunnel.

This fellow reminds me of a story I read about a farmer in Saskatchewan Canada who for decades collected rocks in his field 8hours a day and arranged them to make a large wall .It was referred to as the Great wall of Saskatchewan . Why he did it we can only speculate ,but as this man that loved tunnelling another picked rocks .I think that some people find them selves at a cross road in life and when their original purpose or desires are met or reached they just find something new to occupy their time even if it is strange to us .

I can’t help but think it had something to do with loosing his siblings. We may never know. Thanks for the tour.

All this reminded me of is that old guy we all have in our lives that is stubborn to a fault, and insists on doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

I went there about 20 years ago and am still fascinated by it. You only spoke of (and showed) the little shed, but there is a house there with a livingroom/bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. There are also interpretive signs that talk about his wife living there with him???

you know when it is cold. a good days work will keep you warm.

Today we spend our free time staring at our phones. I'm kind of jealous that Burro found something real he was so passionate about.

I ride my motorcycle, sail my boat, and play video games, among many other fruitless pursuits. It is human nature to expend time getting lost in activities that might have no practical end. This happened to be Burro's mindless bliss.

Woah this video blew up: 128,000 views. It's crazy how a some of your videos suddenly get picked up by the algorithm. I hope you're theorizing about patterns in the topic selection, script, or the thumbnails and title and then running the experiments on your future videos. Even modestly improving your hit ratio will greatly assist your subscriber count growth and give you more opportunities to gain more "sticky" patreon supporters to!

What I think is no matter what that's a helluva lot of digging. I've done a good bit in my life and couldn't even imagine that. Every winter for 38 years. Damned

Some guys will do anything to avoid mowing the lawn

So many interesting things got built because of TB diagnoses... I believe that was the same reason Boyce Gully left his family, moved to Phoenix, and built the Mystery Castle.

I read about Schmidt's endeavor... I had to go out and check that place out... that area has a few good stories... fun place to visit

We’re all insane to one degree or another.

Given the information you've provided, I think it makes sense that he might have become more focused - possibly obsessively so - with completing the tunnel for its own sake. Leaving it unfinished may not have crossed his mind, especially given his diagnosis of TB and having lost so many family members to it. I'm not sure if he was or wasn't mentally stable, and I don't know that it's as relevant to the story as wanting to have the self-satisfaction of having done something he set his mind to. To call it finished, complete. I imagine it's similar to the way mountain climbers et al feel about their pursuits - to Do something simply because you believe you can. Thanks as always for the lovely videos, you've got a knack for finding unique and curious stories and presenting them in fun ways!

I wasn't diggin' for nuthing. There was this little mark, see? Right where I always had to look at it. I never did get rid of that mark...

Great well-presented poetic story, thanks-

Na. He was chasing an ore body. Nobody just digs. Especially if he had a mine. He had a hunch the ore body dipped . Gold makes a man dig. Especially like that.

The man had a purpose. That's enough.

This is the true story of Burro Schmidt Tunnel: In the early 1900s, Burro Schmidt, a quiet and reclusive man, moved to El Paso in search of a fresh start. He had always been a loner, haunted by dreams of wealth, and the arid deserts of the Southwest promised gold hidden in its desolate hills. It was in one of these remote settlements where he crossed paths with an old gypsy woman, a mysterious figure known in whispered circles as "Esmeralda the Bane." One fateful night, Schmidt found himself irresistibly drawn to the gypsy’s camp. There, under the cover of darkness, he stole a small but radiant nugget of gold from her possessions, believing it to be just another trinket in his journey to fortune. But Esmeralda was no ordinary old woman. She sensed the theft almost immediately and summoned him to her fire-lit tent. Her piercing eyes glowed unnaturally in the dim light as she raised her crooked finger, cursing Schmidt to dig a tunnel through the mountains until the day he died. “And for your greed,” she hissed, “you will not dig alone. The two donkeys you travel with... are not what they seem. They will be your companions, but know this-they are demons in disguise, bound to ensure your suffering.” Schmidt’s donkeys, two seemingly loyal beasts that had accompanied him on his travels, now seemed strange to him. Their eyes shone with an otherworldly gleam, and their silent, unwavering gaze followed him wherever he went. He dared not defy the curse. Thus began Burro Schmidt’s endless digging. He toiled day and night, digging deep into the heart of the desert mountains. Each swing of his pickaxe echoed in the hollow tunnel, and behind him, the two demon donkeys stood as silent sentinels, never resting, never moving. It was said that Schmidt dug not one, but three tunnels-one for himself, and two for the demonic donkeys that now haunted his every waking moment. Years passed, and the tunnel grew longer and longer, a seemingly never-ending path of dirt and stone. But finally, after countless days of labor and torment, Schmidt completed the tunnel. The moment his pickaxe struck the final rock, the air shifted. The curse was broken. Schmidt, now a hollow shell of the man he once was, felt the weight of the curse lift from his shoulders. Without a second thought, he sold the land and the tunnel to the first buyer he found, leaving behind the cursed ground as quickly as he could. Some say he was never seen again in El Paso. The old gypsy, Esmeralda, vanished just as mysteriously as she had appeared. And the two donkeys? They were never found, though some locals swear they still hear the faint bray of donkeys late at night near the mouth of the tunnel, long after Schmidt’s departure. I hope this answer your questions

Reminds me of Forest Gump, Running because he just wanted too and because he could. Thank you for sharing this story.

As usual, great entertaining content. Here's a comment for the algorithm!

TBH in light of global circumstances I reckon alot of these tunnels and mineshafts are going to be repurposed as bunkers when the shit finally hits the ceiling

I imagine he'd say "I'm not risking my ass on that trail again".

Thank you for the info on the Walt family and why the Mole man all lost there mines but I did find some info as to why there was a T in his tunnel .That tunnel left me with lots of ?? Thank you .❤️⛏️

This is awesome to contemplate great video of one man’s perseverance. I think personally that the moment of seeing sunlight from the other side of the tunnel would be the stimulus motivation to complete the tunnel maybe feeling that it would not be good for wildlife to leave the tunnel halfway done could be another reason but i think the real clues lie in the left side of the t in the tunnel this is the most irregular part of the tunnel that could indicate the possibility of being unsure of where to get out of the hillside and then maybe surveying his progress more accurately instead of digging further he accounted a way out to the right before his death and if he passed before teeing in either direction why did someone else have motivation to complete the tunnel would be my next question

To be remembered is to be immortal, an Ancient Egyptian belief. Mr. Schmidt will be remembered for a very long time.

DAMN ! I had a great comment typed, I was about to leave said comment when the screen jumped to another story about the tunnel, How the hell does stuff like that happen ? Anyway I have been there, I met Toni Seager, the old gal who owned the mine/tunnel and property when I was there. Yes Burro Schmidt's tunnel started out as a gold mine. But that is another story !

He was actually digging a tunnel to China, and when he found out that he didn't get there, his first thought was, "I knew I should've taken that left turn at Albuquerque"

My wife and myself got caught in a storm we stayed with his wife in the little cabin been going out there since the early 60s I know last chance I’ve covered many mine entrances to hide them love that place my second home

Thank you for your reply I had a lot of ?? And now I have found the answers and will look up about Walt as well thank you for the Great info ⛏️🇺🇸

lifes a garden dig it

If a man does not reveal the "why" of something does anyone have the right to suppose the "why." I would say that if he did not reveal it in life, he may have not cared what others might think of him or his project. Anyway, I don't think the "why" matters when the tunnel itself is a monument to the strength of his willpower and we should probably just pay tribute to what one man can accomplish when he challenges himself. Personally, I am amazed that one man could remove so much rock, though pointless it may have been.

Sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do. Working for any purpose can give happyness. Even if you do not earn money.

These days people use gyms regularly to keep fit (despite running and bodyweight exercises being easy to do at home). They have hobbies and still waste hours a day on their phone/tablet. I can totally get with just hard graft to kill time and keep fit over winter.

Maybe he was just a man who started something, and he had to complete it. Simple as that. Self satisfaction. I’m from Rhode Island so surprised to hear that 9:31 This man was from the same place. Funny, I went to school with people of the same last name. Probably no relation but interesting. Who knows.

He loved his mules a lot to dedicate his life to make there work safer. Logic doesn't come into it just love.

I go to the same fishing spot and never catch anything… one day… just maybe…

He was looking for the Crossroads, that was my high school Yearbook.

I’d argue he did find his fortune, he stayed for SOME reason or another. I’d be excited to read his journal (assuming he kept one.) it would provide a much better idea of his mindset and beliefs in life. (Contrary to popular belief, wealth is NOT the sum total of money/cash one has accrued in life. Personally I have come to believe that “heaven” is a perspective rather than a place.)

Maybe he was like forest gump and felt like digging.

Only Burrow knows why he did not want to share his feelings .

Well, if he took tourists through it, I would think he would have answered all these questions

I suspect he was bored. This project gave him something to do in the winter months.

Digging to live, live for digging

Good Man.

I grew up not far from that area. You left out one key detail. Schmidt had help from the Chinese. Another larger tunnel not far from there was also built with the help of the Chinese.

OCD ? WHO CAN SAY THAT TO ANYONE!

Some things are just therapeutic no matter what they are

A man knicknamed 'Burro' dug a tunnel by 'burrowing' just so his 'Burro' wouldn't have to walk around a mountain.

Apparently it was Burros destiny to burrow.

Its called sweat equity, by the time he sold it, tunnels were booming!

He was following a seam of gold ore

If you are standing at the entrance and turn around and walk away from tunnel when you start going down side of mountain twenty five feet down you will see green rock with lots of fools gold and gold and copper ores.

Maybe he was just flat out straight up crazy.

This makes no sense the rock dust would make his tuberculosis so much worse.

People spend half their lives sitting in front of a screen and are considered normal lmao

I wonder where he got money for his basic supplies?...food, dynamite, etc....Maybe there was some gold?

ah, no, this is NOT just another channel that turns out to be mostly.....about a guy's face? I'm not an actor; actors are people that pretend to be other people. The difference is that I "pretend" to be an actor; see how I can make my expressions change to emphasize what I'm rambling about? "listen people, there's a secret here; and I am the ONLY one who truly knows the ANSWER!" Pretty darn convincing isn't it? I do "research" and then I tell you what I've "discovered" my qualifications? well um...look ....I have this channel on youtube. Hey , stop pestering me ; I have over 13,000 subscribers; which clearly shows that people love what I do I even had a groupie once....in Bakersfield ...her name was Lucy

Must have been a certain amount of madness eventually. Interesting story and place.

Humans are beasts of burden. We need meaning and purpose.

Interestingly bizarre.

Diggy Diggy Hole! ⛏

I agree. Single minded obsession can be like a disease. It gave him purpose

That is the way of the modern out doors men

Maybe he had Aspbergers

Man this guy would have loved Minecraft

Simple skills, minimal education?, no known religious training, loved outdoors, no wife, no children, needed a job, tunnel became a challenge, challenge became a need, age [& finances] dictated it was time to stop. Dead end.

It's hard to say what drives folks to do the things humans do. this story reminds me of my son's mother who single handedly tried to screw every single male and some women in California. Hell of a son though.

Like Forrest Gump running... one day he just stopped. Sounds like a man to me. Some times we just want to.

Ese si hera UN buen burro😮 perserverencia

Everyone needs a hobby.

Some people are just nuts 🤷

Never underestimate the lengths people will go to for their mental illness.

I think he just wanted to do it so he did it and it made him feel good ! I wonder where he got money just to buy food and live !

Preserved might be a bit strong.

he just needed to get away from the wife

a burro is the offspring of a donkey and a horse. not a donkey!

Maybe he was just a digging aficionado.

But he lived to eighty!

Because he could.

would have been faster and easier ,to improve the trial a bit. than spending 40 years digging.

mayby he was burro

Having a purpose,case closed.

doesnt look like its tall enough for a mule to walk through

^5

Bro you are in a narco tunnel 😂

He went off and dug a hole! So what!

Because he is completely disillusioned with people, that's why I also have a serious mining tunnel 8m deep now.