Desert Queen Mine, Historic gold mine in Joshua Tree National Park, California, US.

Desert Queen Mine is an abandoned gold mine in Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California. Four vertical shafts, five inclined shafts and ten horizontal adits remain, along with tailings piles and scattered machinery. The structures are largely ruinous.

The mine was established in the 1890s and changed hands several times during its operation, with disputes between early operators. Production continued across many decades, shaping the mining story of this part of the desert.

The mine's name recalls the lost "Peg-Leg" mine of prospector Thomas Long "Pegleg" Smith, as it was reported to be when Jim McHaney first claimed it. Visitors can still see four vertical shafts, five inclined shafts and ten horizontal adits, plus tailings piles and scattered machinery.

The site is reachable via marked hiking trails within Joshua Tree National Park that lead to different areas of the mine. Visitors should prepare for uneven terrain and bring plenty of water, as the desert environment can be hot and dry.

When Jim McHaney first claimed the mine, it was reported to be the lost "Peg-Leg" mine of prospector Thomas Long "Pegleg" Smith. McHaney sent Charley Martin and a man named Myers to demand the property from Frank L. James; Martin shot James with a gun borrowed from Myers after forcing him to sign over the claim, and was acquitted of murder on grounds of self-defense.