Darwin was named after Dr. E. Darwin French, who explored the area in 1860 and gave his name to the falls, canyon, and wash. The first recorded mine, the Promontorio, was discovered by Rafael Cuervo in October 1876. Darwin became the center of activity of the New Coso Mining District, and by 1877 three furnaces were in operation. The greatest producing mines were the Christmas Gift, Defiance, and Lucky Jim. Recorded production of the district between 1875 and 1951 was 5,914 ounces of gold, 7,630,492 ounces of silver, 117,566,900 pounds of lead, 52,124,942 pounds of zinc, and 1,489,396 pounds of copper.