MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. -- What do you call a person who has appeared in the “Vigilantes Series” on the History Channel, or “Million Dollar Mysteries” from Sacramento, Calif., FOX Channel 40? People who saw those programs would recognize Smokey Jack. Maintenance Center Barstow carries him on the payroll as Robert Hiltbold, who is a hydraulics specialist by day and a good/bad guy by nights and weekends as part of the Mojave Muleskinners.
Hiltbold has been working as a genuine western character for 11 years at the White Horse Ranch at Landers in Yucca Valley. He’s been pulling iron for tourists at the ranch and at Calico Ranch, along with other dedicated re-enactors showing the West as it truly was, and in support of that, Smokey has rebuilt a turn-of-the-century chuck wagon down to the tiniest details.
“There were probably 150 wagon manufacturers around that time,” Smokey said. “The little ones were bought up by the three largest manufacturers.” He was referring to Sears, John Deere and Baker. Asked about his wagon, Hiltbold said he designed his after a Baker wagon.
“I worked with Art Croffit, a history professor, who researched everything with me so what I was doing would be authentic,” Hiltbold said. “I wanted it right and it took me six months of evenings and weekends to get where I am now.” Seeing the wagon, you immediately understand the care and craftsmanship used in the restoration.
“I used the same type of wood milled to the same thickness as an original,” Hiltbold said. “They were 2x14 boards and 7 of them cost me $400.”
Hiltbold came to Maintenance Center Barstow after McClellan Air Force Base was closed due to the Base Realignment and Closure commission. He started work at MCB in 1998 and in the next month will retire after 32 years of federal service.
“When the air base was closed because of BRAC, this is what I was offered and I came down here. I still have a house up close to Sacramento and after I retire I’ll go back up there,” he said.
There are more than 150 members of the Mojave Muleskinners who take part in re-enactments throughout Southern California, Arizona and Utah. You may have seen them in action and not realized some of them work at our various military installations.
Hiltbold, reflecting on his memories, talked about his episode of Million Dollar Mysteries, a short lived series on FOX. His story goes... ”There was this legend of a prospector who struck it rich out here somewhere and took his money and went back East. He had made a coded map of the location of his mine so no one could find it. (The story becomes a little vague because the map was coded.) The man died and left the map to his heirs, but the mine was never located. I played a character looking for the mine on the show,” he said.
Asked if the .45-caliber revolver he carries as a member of the Mojave Muleskinner is authentic, Hiltbold said, “Yes, it is. It’s a black powder gun. An interesting thing is we use florist foam to hold in the powder in the cartridges.” Apparently, it has something to do with dispersion as the round is fired through the barrel. You can rest easy though, Smokey and his fellow cowboys don’t use real ammunition – it’s just a show.
Retirement looks good to Hiltbold to have more time to devote to his restorations and travel around to enactments. Maintenance Center Barstow is losing a good employee but, “It’s time to turn it over to younger guys,” Hiltbold said. “They deserve a chance to learn and make a living.”
After all, Hiltbold has bad guys to shoot, mines to find and cattle drives waiting on him. What else is retirement for?