Newberry Springs, California

Newberry Springs
—  Unincorporated area  —
Newberry Springs Location within the state of California
Coordinates: 34°49′40″N 116°41′15″W / 34.82778°N 116.6875°W / 34.82778; -116.6875Coordinates: 34°49′40″N 116°41′15″W / 34.82778°N 116.6875°W / 34.82778; -116.6875
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Bernardino
Population (2000)
- Total	2,895
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	92365
Area code(s)	760
FIPS code
GNIS feature ID

Newberry Springs is an unincorporated area in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA. The population at the 2000 census was 2,895.

Location, geography, and climate

Newberry Springs is located 20 mi (32 km) east of Barstow, approximately 40 mi (64 km) due west of the Mojave National Preserve, and approximately 100 mi (160 km) south of Death Valley National Park. The town is (117 sq mi (300 km²) in area. It is approximately 3,000 ft (910 m) above sealevel.

The region maintains an average daytime summer temperature of 107 °F (42 °C). In the winter, lows generally get into the 20's, with a dry, cold climate, the immediate area receiving less than 10 in (250 mm) of rain per year.

Newberry Springs is a typical desert oasis. Ancient volcanic rock formations, lava beds, sand dunes, mineral springs, and hidden mud baths are found in the area.

The area is irrigated by the Mojave Aquifer, the largest aquifer in the Western United States,^{[citation needed]}, which makes possible a diverse and abundant agriculture and a number of man-made lakes.^{[citation needed]}

Transportation

Interstates 15 and 40 and California State Route 58 run through the area. The Union Pacific Railroad runs through the town on trackage rights on BNSF Railway's main line to Salt Lake City. Historic Route 66 runs approximately 8 mi (13 km) south of the town.

History

The original name of Newberry Springs was "Water". Since its earliest days the area in and around Newberry Springs has been a source of water for the surrounding arid region. Camp Cady, located just a few miles from present-day Newberry Springs, was a resting place and watering hole along the Mojave River for wagon trains coming to California in the 1850s on the old Mormon Trail. In the 1880s the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad hauled tank cars of water from Newberry Springs to the stations and towns in the region, making life in this arid land possible.^{[citation needed]}

The area has often been used as a venue for location filming.^{[citation needed]}

Agriculture

The climate in Newberry Springs is relatively mild and ideal for many crops, including pistachios, apricots and alfalfa.^{[citation needed]} Newberry Springs has many farms and ranches, which produce ostrich, horse, buffalo, duck, turkey, catfish, and koi.^{[citation needed]}

Recreation

Water skiing is important to the area. Newberry Springs contains some man-made oval lakes and other water race courses used for water–ski and jetski racing, including the privately owned Cheyenne Lake. The Horton Lakes Water Ski School and Wet Set Village, which has hosted water ski tournaments seen on ESPN,^{[citation needed]} are in Newberry Springs

There are also desert courses used for motocross, dune buggy, and ATV racing. The area also supports camping, hunting, fishing, wilderness backpacking, and paraflying. Paraflyte Ranch, a paraflying school, is in the area.

Attractions

Nearby to Newberry Springs is the Calico Ghost Town, the Calico Early Man Site, the Camp Cady wildlife reserve, the Solar One green energy project, and the Silver Valley Sun Naturist Club.

Every November, the town is the host of the annual Newberry Springs Pistachio Festival.

North of Newberry Springs is the currently vacant site of the former Lake Dolores/Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark.

The motion picture Bagdad Café was filmed in the area and the truck stop featured in the film still exists as a working motel and restaurant.

Newberry Springs is home to the Holy Resurrection Monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Rite of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Newberry Mountains are home to the nearby Newberry Mountains Wilderness Area.^[1]

References

1. ^ "Newberry Mountains Wilderness". United State Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. http://www.blm.gov/ca/pa/wilderness/wa/areas/newberry_mountains.html. Retrieved March 14, 2011. 

Further reading

• The Mojave Desert (Images of America: California) by John Swisher (Paperback - Sep 27, 1999)
• Mojave Desert (American Deserts Handbook) by Rose Houk (Paperback - May 2001)
• Mojave Desert Trails by Florine Lawlor (Paperback - Jul 2004)
• California Desert Byways: 68 of California's Best Backcountry Drives by Tony Huegel (Spiral-bound - Jan 15, 2007)
• Calico Ghost Town; S. California's Greatest Silver Camp by n/a (Paperback - Jan 1, 1966)
• Bill Cook's Ghostly Guide to Calico Ghost Town by Bill Cook (Paperback - Feb 1, 2009)
• When the Rivers Run Dry: Water—The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century by Fred Pearce (Paperback - Mar 7, 2007)
• The Water Slide (Rigby PM Benchmark Collection Level 14) by Annette Smith and Trish Hill (Paperback - Jan 2000)
• Jet Ski (Built for Speed) by Luke Thompson (Paperback - Mar 2000)

External links

• City of Barstow website
• Holy Resurrection Monastery website
• Mojave River Valley Museum website