Continuing with our goal of seeing new sights on our 395 trek, we took the 30 mile detour to the town of Trona, CA.
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| In 1873, John Searles began mining borax in this desolate area of San Bernardino County. |
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| The town of Trona was officially established in 1913, as a self-contained company town, wholly operated by its resident mining company to house employees. Employees were paid in company scrip instead of cash. The mining company also built a library, a scrip-accepting for-profit grocery store, a school, basic housing, and minimal recreation facilities. The Trona Railway was built in 1913–14 to provide the town with a rail connection to the Southern Pacific (now the Union Pacific) line at Searles. The railway still operates today. |
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| In its heyday, Trona had a population of 6,000 and its school band even play in the Second Annual Disneyland Holiday Festival. How cool is that? |
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| Economic booms and busts followed. Its most notable boom occurred during World War I, when Trona was the only reliable American source of potash, an important element used in the production of gunpowder. Interestingly, during the time of organized claim-jumping of mining claims at Searles Lake, in 1910, Wyatt Earp was arrested at
Slate Range City during the little-remembered Potash Wars. This
eventually led to the founding of Trona and the industrial
development of Searles Valley. |
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| The local high school plays on a dirt football field because the searing heat and highly saline soil kills grass. Besides in Alaska, this is the only high school in America that does not play on grass. At one point it boasted an 18 hole golf course that was all sand except for the "greens", which were a softer grade of brown colored dirt. |
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| Today, Searles Valley Minerals Inc.'s soda ash processing plant remains the largest firm in town. Other operations nearby include evaporative salt extraction from the dry lake bed's surface, and a lime quarry. Searles Valley Minerals is the largest employer in Trona. |
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| We toured the Old Guest House Historical Society Museum with Kathe, who moved there as a teenager in 1946. This gave us great insight into this unique town. Lunch at Esparza Family Restaurant was a welcomed glimpse into the local life. While the town is in decline, I found it very interesting and intriguing. It was a worthwhile detour off the beaten path. |
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| Next stop was a six mile drive, down a bumpy dirt road to visit to the Trona Pinnacles. Described as "being a journey into one of the most unusual geologic wonders in the California Desert. This unique landscape consists of more than 500 tufa (calcium carbonate) pinnacles rising from the bed of the Searles Dry Lake basin. These tufa spires, some as high as 140 feet, were formed underwater 10,000 to 100,000 years ago when Searles Lake formed a link in an interconnected chain of Pleistocene lakes stretching from Mono Lake to Death Valley." |
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| This landscape is surreal, so much so a number of Hollywood films have been made here, including Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Planet of the Apes. |
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| To wander amongst these amazing formations, truly out in the middle of nowhere, was an awe-inspiring experience. It is a "must-do"! |
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| Located in Poison Canyon, this was the image we glimpsed as we left this awesome part of the world. In the 40s, Joe Fox was moved
to add his own artistic touches, on a strange choice of canvas, to what has become a beloved landmark to residents and tourists, alike. |
So far, this is one of my most favorite detours off our road frequently traveled. I really recommend an explore of Trona and its treasures.
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3 comments:
It reads like a busy day. You must have been tired! The pinnacles are incredibly interesting. I think Fred and I will have to see them some time. Thanks for the research!
Great photo of Trona Shipping in the Borax storage building.
We absolutely LOVE Trona! I hope the earthquake damage was minimal. There is too much history there not to share.
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