Shotgun Mary

In 1919, Mary’s mother Eliza Hart, known as Grandma Two-Gun, moved the family to Ballarat from their Ohio roots. The clan did not seem to get along too well with the locals, especially when it came to a fellow named Chris Wicht, who burned down their house once. Gun-pointing was the method of choice in making one’s feelings known.

Anyway, they moved again, this time to the upper reaches of Surprise Canyon, northeast of where the silver town of Panamint City used to thrive. Mary had tied the knot with Harry Thompson, and in their new remote setting, they plunged into the mining business. Mary and Harry apparently did not get along well either, so eventually Harry left, having deeded 50 mines and a house to Mary. In 1924, Mary started the Ballarat Mining Company. Inyo County records show title to about 103 mines, which Mary claimed were worth upwards of ten million dollars, although word is that no ore was ever shipped.

For years, Mary experienced numerous conflicts with neighbors and area visitors, some of which resulted in court appearances, as she was prone to express herself by aiming the business end of her shotgun at them. Word even has it that she pulled that stunt on an Inyo County sheriff’s deputy. One unsubstantiated report also tells that the deputy was shot. After a significant financial failure in the 1960s, Mary moved south to Victorville, where she soon died in 1967 at age 82.