Lila C, California

Lila C
—  Former settlement  —
Lila C Location in California
Coordinates: 36°14′36″N 116°29′56″W / 36.24333°N 116.49889°W / 36.24333; -116.49889Coordinates: 36°14′36″N 116°29′56″W / 36.24333°N 116.49889°W / 36.24333; -116.49889
Country	United States
State	California
County	Inyo County
Elevation[1]	2,562 ft (781 m)

Lila C (also, Ryan^[1] and Old Ryan^[2]) is a former settlement in Inyo County, California.^[1] It was located 6.25 miles (10 km) southwest of Death Valley Junction,^[2] at an elevation of 2562 feet (781 m).^[1]

Borax Company

The settlement was connected by rail to the Lila C mine, which produced Colemanite for the Pacific Coast Borax Company, from which it got its name.^[2] The property was named by its owner William Tell Coleman, for his daughter, Lila C. Coleman.^[2] Francis Marion Smith subsequently obtained the property and started the first borax operations there in 1907. Production began several months before the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad had reached the mine, and mule teams were used to cover the remaining distance until the railroad arrived. The name was also changed to Ryan at that time, in honor of John Ryan, "Borax" Smith's trusted supervisor.^[2][3][4]

The Ryan post office was opened here in 1907, and transferred to (new) Ryan in 1914. After that, Lila C was then also known as "Old Ryan."^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lila C, California
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 1198. ISBN 9781884995149. 
3. ^ Hildebrand, GH. (1982) Borax Pioneer: Francis Marion Smith. San Diego: Howell-North Books. ISBN 0-8310-7148-6
4. ^ "The Great Desert Railroad Race" Documentary written and produced by Ted Faye