- Mojave Road
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Vehicles traveling the Mojave Road stop for a break at Marl Springs.
The Mojave Road or Mojave Trail is a historic route and present day 'four-wheel drive road' across what is now the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert of California, United States.
Contents
History
A traditional thoroughfare of desert-dwelling Native Americans, the road much later served Spanish missionaries, explorers, and foreign colonizers and settlers from the 18th to 19th centuries, and ran between watering holes across the Mojave Desert between the Colorado River and San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California.[1][2]. The watering holes recur at intervals of about 60 to 70 miles.[3] The trail is 138 miles (222 km) long and usually requires 2 or 3 days to travel.
Francisco Garcés, the Spanish Franciscan missionary, traveled the trail with the expedition of Juan Bautista de Anza in 1776. José María de Zalvidea, the zealous Franciscan administrator of Mission San Gabriel also crossed the trail in 1806, reportedly converting five indigenous Mohave Native Americans near present-day Hesperia. In 1826, Jedediah Smith became the first American to travel the Mojave Road from Utah to California.
The land passed to American hands in 1848, and the trail came under the purview of the U.S. government. Army posts were established at Fort Mojave in 1859 and at Camp Cady in 1860, with smaller outposts along the trail and regular patrols. The army protected the settlers and travelers from the territorial attacks of the resident Paiute, Mojave and Chemehuevi Native Americans. This also opened the way for agricultural development in the Victor Valley area.
The eastern end of the Mojave Road begins at the edge of the Colorado River north of Needles, California and the western terminus lies beyond the Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area and the Afton Canyon Natural Area near the Manix Wash.[4]
Landmarks
Traveling east to west
- The Colorado River - Where the trail begins -mile 0 35°02′47″N 114°37′40″W / 35.046280°N 114.627890°W
- Piute Creek - Natural spring with trees and plants growing all year round. -mile 23 35°06′54″N 114°59′07″W / 35.115020°N 114.985260°W
- Fort Piute - Next to the spring, this fort was built in 1867 by the US infantry -mile 23 35°06′54″N 114°59′07″W / 35.115020°N 114.985260°W
- Lanfair Valley - Cattle ranches have been here since 1880. -mile 34 35°05′41″N 115°01′10″W / 35.094780°N 115.019520°W
- Indian Hill, Indian Well - North of the Mojave Road at mile 40, there is an old well of debatable origin. -mile 40 35°08′37″N 115°09′15″W / 35.143530°N 115.154260°W
- Joshua Tree Forest - The road gets very narrow in this thick forest in Lanfair Valley. -mile 47 35°08′36″N 115°17′29″W / 35.143340°N 115.291460°W
- Rock Spring - The biggest watering hole along the Mojave Road. The stream flows down large boulders. There is an old cabin here. -mile 49 35°09′10″N 115°19′38″W / 35.152830°N 115.327300°W
- Government Holes - Another water supply near Rock Spring, with an old concrete trough -mile 52 35°08′51″N 115°21′33″W / 35.147490°N 115.359200°W
- Cedar Canyon - The highest point of the trip, crossing the Mid Hills you will reach 5,000 ft (1,500 m) elevation -mile 56 35°09′10″N 115°21′43″W / 35.152900°N 115.362000°W
- Kelso-Cima Road - In the middle of the trip, this is the last paved road you will see for a long time -mile 62 35°10′34″N 115°30′32″W / 35.176210°N 115.509010°W
- Marl Springs - Another spring with a primitive concrete trough. -mile 70 35°10′15″N 115°38′51″W / 35.170700°N 115.647590°W
- Mojave Road Mail Box - Sign your name at this solitary flagpole and continue on. -mile 74 35°11′07″N 115°41′34″W / 35.185400°N 115.692840°W
- Willow Wash - Heavy sand alongside the Cinder Cones lava flow, parallels Kelbaker Rd. -mile 77 35°09′46″N 115°50′32″W / 35.162850°N 115.842090°W
- Kelbaker Road - The paved road between Baker and Kelso Junction.35°13′21″N 115°52′44″W / 35.2226°N 115.8789°W
- Soda Lake - A large dry lake; proceed with caution. You may have to drive around in the winter - mile 97 35°09′09″N 116°03′10″W / 35.152410°N 116.052710°W
- Soda Springs (Zzyzx) - Small private building on the edge of Soda Lake 35°08′34″N 116°06′17″W / 35.142790°N 116.104740°W
- Travelers Monument - Also known as Government Monument, travelers carry a rock across the dry lake and add it to the pile -mile 100 35°07′51″N 116°05′43″W / 35.130840°N 116.095270°W
- Rasor OHV Area - Open use area -mile 103 35°06′32″N 116°08′37″W / 35.108780°N 116.143630°W
- Sand Dunes - There are a few soft sand dunes along here that you can play on -mile 106 35°04′50″N 116°11′38″W / 35.080507°N 116.193786°W
- Afton Canyon - Deep canyon with steep walls, riparian habitat]] restoration, and plenty of scenery -mile 116 35°02′34″N 116°18′34″W / 35.042720°N 116.309500°W
- Mojave River crossing - The only water crossing on this trail -mile 121 35°02′16″N 116°22′52″W / 35.037740°N 116.381120°W
- Manix Wash - The exit point of the Mojave Road -mile 133 34°58′28″N 116°32′27″W / 34.974380°N 116.540800°W
See also
- Category: Mojave National Preserve
- Category: Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert
- Category: Protected areas of the Mojave Desert
- Desert Region of California
External links
References
- ^ "Mojave Road". Dirtopia. http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/Mojave_Road. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
- ^ Wilcox, Len. "The Mojave Road". DesertUSA. http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/nov/stories/mojavetrail.html. Retrieved 2007-0-05.
- ^ Robinson, W.W. (1962). The Story of San Bernardino County. San Bernardino: Title Insurance and Trust Company. pp. 78.
- ^ http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/afton.html . accessed 6/20/2010
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History of California to 1899 Precontact · First explorations · Later explorations · Spanish colonization · Russian colonization · Mexican rule · California Trail · Mexican-American War · U.S. rule · Gold Rush · Civil War
since 1900 By topic By city Los Angeles · Riverside · Sacramento · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Francisco · San Jose
Categories:- Historic trails and roads in California
- History of the Mojave Desert region
- Mojave National Preserve
- Native American trails in the United States
- Geography of San Bernardino County, California
- Trails and roads in the American Old West
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