The Mojave Road, also known as Old Government Road (formerly the
Mohave Trail
The Mohave Trail was a Native American trade route between Mohave Indian villages on the Colorado River and settlements in coastal Southern California.
History
Starting from Mohave villages along the Colorado River in the upper Mohave Valley, t ...
), is a historic route and present day
dirt road
A dirt road or track is a type of unpaved road not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone; made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable ...
across what is now the
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 in California, Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31 ...
in the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. This rough road stretched from
Beale's Crossing
Beale's Crossing was a river crossing on the Colorado River, near the head of the Mohave Valley, between New Mexico Territory (now Arizona) and California along the 35th Parallel route of Beale's Wagon Road. It was at what became the site of Fort ...
(the river crossing site on the west bank of the
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
, opposite old
Fort Mohave
Fort Mohave was originally named Camp Colorado when it was established on April 19, 1859 by Lieutenant Colonel William Hoffman during the Mohave War. It was located on the east bank of the Colorado River, at Beale's Crossing, near the head of t ...
, roughly southwest of
Bullhead City, Arizona
Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the em ...
), to
Fork of the Road
Fork of the Road was the locale along the Mojave River where the junction of the Mojave Trail / Mojave Road and the Old Spanish Trail / Mormon Road was located in San Bernardino County, California. The location of Fork of the Road was on the nor ...
location along the north bank of the
Mojave River
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, ...
where the old Mojave Road split off from the route of the
Old Spanish Trail/
Mormon Road
Mormon Road, also known to the 49ers as the Southern Route, of the California Trail in the Western United States, was a seasonal wagon road pioneered by a Mormon party from Salt Lake City, Utah led by Jefferson Hunt, that followed the route of S ...
.
A
four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
vehicle is required for all but a few short stretches of this road, which is unmaintained. The old road from Fork of the Road eastward along the Mojave River is interrupted after by private property, below the site of the old
Camp Cady
Camp Cady (1860–1861, 1866–1871) was a U.S. Army Camp, on the Mojave Road near the Mojave River in the Mojave Desert, located about 20 miles east of modern-day Barstow, California in San Bernardino County, at an elevation of 1690 feet. ...
(on the north bank of the
Mojave River
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, ...
, roughly northeast of
Newberry Springs, California
Newberry Springs is an unincorporated community in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, United States.
Newberry Spring is a spring that in the 19t ...
). The road is resumed at an access point from the north in
Manix Wash Manix Wash is a 2.5 mile long tributary stream of the Mojave River, in San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Calif ...
. Under optimal conditions, its full length of from Beale's Crossing to Manix Wash can be travelled in 2 to 3 days.
History
Mohave Trail
A traditional thoroughfare of desert-dwelling
Native Americans, the
Mohave Trail
The Mohave Trail was a Native American trade route between Mohave Indian villages on the Colorado River and settlements in coastal Southern California.
History
Starting from Mohave villages along the Colorado River in the upper Mohave Valley, t ...
much later served Spanish missionaries, explorers, and foreign colonizers and settlers from the 18th to 19th centuries who called it the Mojave Trail, and ran between watering holes across the Mojave Desert between the Colorado River and Mojave River then following it to the
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass (; Spanish: ''Puerto del Cajón'' or ''Paso del Cajón'') is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas ...
, the gap between the
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain ...
and
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains ( es, Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Tr ...
, into
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
ending at
Drum Barracks
The Drum Barracks, also known as Camp Drum and the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, is the last remaining original American Civil War era military facility in the Los Angeles area. Located in the Wilmington section of Los Angeles, near the Port ...
. The watering holes recur at intervals of about to .
Francisco Garcés
Francisco Hermenegildo Tomás Garcés (April 12, 1738 – July 18, 1781) was a Spanish Franciscan friar who served as a missionary and explorer in the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain. He explored much of the southwestern region of North Amer ...
, the Spanish
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
, traveled the trail with
Mohave guides, after leaving the
expedition of
Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 6 or 7, 1736 – December 19, 1788) was an expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as one of the founding fa ...
in 1776. José María de Zalvidea, the zealous Franciscan administrator of
Mission San Gabriel
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
also crossed the trail in 1806, reportedly converting five indigenous Mohaves near present-day
Hesperia. In 1826,
Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Strong Smith (January 6, 1799 – May 27, 1831) was an American clerk, transcontinental pioneer, frontiersman, hunter, trapper, author, cartographer, mountain man and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the Western United States, and ...
led an expedition of the first US citizens to travel the Mojave Trail.
Old Spanish Trail
From 1829 to 1830, Mexican traders from
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
established the routes that came to be called the
Old Spanish Trail trade route to California. The first of these,
Armijo's route, intercepted the Mohave's trail at the mouth of the Mojave River near
Soda Lake
A soda lake or alkaline lake is a lake on the strongly alkaline side of neutrality, typically with a pH value between 9 and 12. They are characterized by high concentrations of carbonate salts, typically sodium carbonate (and related salt complex ...
.
Subsequently, in 1830, the Mohave's trail became part of what became the
Main Route or Central Route of the Old Spanish Trail, linking up with it from the north west of the Colorado River in
Piute Valley
The Piute Valley is a north–south valley southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and northwest of Needles. The north of the valley is at Searchlight, with some of the valley extending northwest from Searchlight. At the center-north lies Cal-Nev-Ari, ...
and following it westward to the link up with Armijo's route at the Mojave River mouth, and later with a shortcut from
Salt Spring
A brine spring or salt spring is a saltwater spring.
Brine springs are not necessarily associated with halite deposits in the immediate vicinity. They may occur at valley bottoms made of clay and gravel which became soggy with brine seeped downslo ...
through
Bitter Spring and
Spanish Canyon
Spanish Canyon, is a canyon that has its head near the middle of the southwest slope of Alvord Mountain below Impassable Pass at and trends south to its mouth, 1.6 miles east northeast of Alvord Well at an elevation of . The canyon is named for ...
at a point just east of
Yermo. This place was later called "
Fork of the Road
Fork of the Road was the locale along the Mojave River where the junction of the Mojave Trail / Mojave Road and the Old Spanish Trail / Mormon Road was located in San Bernardino County, California. The location of Fork of the Road was on the nor ...
" where the
Old Spanish Trail or from 1849, the ''Southern Route'' of the
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail f ...
or the
Mormon Road
Mormon Road, also known to the 49ers as the Southern Route, of the California Trail in the Western United States, was a seasonal wagon road pioneered by a Mormon party from Salt Lake City, Utah led by Jefferson Hunt, that followed the route of S ...
to
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, divided from what came to be the Mojave Road to the Colorado River.
Now consolidated the Old Spanish Trail then followed the Mohave's trail along the
Mojave River
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, ...
but instead of crossing over the mountains into
San Bernardino Valley
The San Bernardino Valley ( es, Valle de San Bernardino) is a valley in Southern California located at the south base of the Transverse Ranges. It is bordered on the north by the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains; ...
they followed a new route Armijo called "Cañon de San Bernardino" from the upper Mojave River west through
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass (; Spanish: ''Puerto del Cajón'' or ''Paso del Cajón'') is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas ...
and down
Crowder Canyon
Crowder Canyon, originally Coyote Canyon, is a valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its mouth was at an elevation of at its confluence with Cajon Canyon. Its source was at an elevation of 4200 feet at near Cajon Summit. The canyon runs s ...
and
Cajon Canyon
Cajon Canyon, originally named El Cajon De San Gabriel De Amuscopiabit, ''El Cajon'' in Spanish meaning "the box" in English, is a long valley ending in a box canyon in the northeastern San Gabriel Mountains, within San Bernardino County, Californi ...
, known to the
vaqueros
The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...
of the
San Bernardino de Sena Estancia
The San Bernardino de Sena Estancia (also known as the San Bernardino Rancho or Asistencia) was a ranch outpost of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in what is now in Redlands, California, United States. It was built to graze cattle, and for Indian ...
who had come to their aid with food.
Mojave Road
![Mojave Road Plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Mojave_Road_Plaque.jpg)
The land was ceded from Mexico to the US in 1848 following the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
. In early 1858 the Mohave Trail became the Mojave Road, a wagon road connected to the newly pioneered
Beale's Wagon Road
In 1857, an expedition led by Edward Fitzgerald Beale was tasked with establishing a trade route along the 35th parallel from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles, California.
The wagon trail began at Fort Smith and continued through the New Me ...
across northern
New Mexico Territory
The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...
from
Fort Defiance to
Beale's Crossing
Beale's Crossing was a river crossing on the Colorado River, near the head of the Mohave Valley, between New Mexico Territory (now Arizona) and California along the 35th Parallel route of Beale's Wagon Road. It was at what became the site of Fort ...
on the Colorado River where it linked up with the Mojave Road. Wagon trains of settlers coming west on the
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, th ...
soon followed Beale's Wagon Road and the Mojave Road into Southern California. Beale's road was shorter than the route via the more southern
Southern Emigrant Trail
:''The Southern Emigrant Trail should not be confused with the Applegate Trail, which is part of the Northern Emigrant Trails.''
Southern Emigrant Trail, also known as the Gila Trail, the Kearny Trail, Southern Trail and the Butterfield Stage ...
and it was cooler in summer, snow-free in winter, had better forage, and was better watered. Soon hostilities began between the Mohaves and the settlers, triggering the
Mohave War
The Mohave War was an armed conflict between the Mohave people and the United States from 1858 to 1859. With the California Gold Rush of 1849, thousands of American settlers headed west through Mohave country and into California. The influx of m ...
.
From the time of the Mohave War the Mohave Road came under the purview of the U.S. government. Army posts were established at
Fort Mojave
Fort Mohave was originally named Camp Colorado when it was established on April 19, 1859 by Lieutenant Colonel William Hoffman during the Mohave War. It was located on the east bank of the Colorado River, at Beale's Crossing, near the head of t ...
, at Beale's Crossing in 1859, and, after the
Bitter Spring Expedition
The Bitter Spring Expedition of 1860 was a U. S. Army expedition from Fort Tejon, by Company K, First Regiment of Dragoons, led by Major James Henry Carleton, to punish suspected Southern Paiute raiders that had attacked travelers at Bitter S ...
at
Camp Cady
Camp Cady (1860–1861, 1866–1871) was a U.S. Army Camp, on the Mojave Road near the Mojave River in the Mojave Desert, located about 20 miles east of modern-day Barstow, California in San Bernardino County, at an elevation of 1690 feet. ...
, east of
Fork of the Road
Fork of the Road was the locale along the Mojave River where the junction of the Mojave Trail / Mojave Road and the Old Spanish Trail / Mormon Road was located in San Bernardino County, California. The location of Fork of the Road was on the nor ...
at its junction with the
Mormon Road
Mormon Road, also known to the 49ers as the Southern Route, of the California Trail in the Western United States, was a seasonal wagon road pioneered by a Mormon party from Salt Lake City, Utah led by Jefferson Hunt, that followed the route of S ...
, in 1860. Smaller outposts were established later in the 1860s east of Camp Cady along the trail and regular patrols instituted. The army protected the settlers and travelers from the attacks of the resident
Paiute
Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set. The term "Pai ...
,
Mojave, and
Chemehuevi
The Chemehuevi are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. They are the southernmost branch of Southern Paiute. Native Americans until 1871. This also opened the way for large mining development in the Mojave Desert region of
San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...
and agricultural development in the
Victor Valley
The Victor Valley is a valley in the Mojave Desert and subregion of the Inland Empire, in San Bernardino County in Southern California.
It is located east of the Mojave's Antelope Valley, north of the Cajon Pass and the San Bernardino Valley, n ...
area.
The route today
The eastern end of the Mojave Road begins at the edge of the
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
, near the site of Beale's Crossing, north of
Needles and the western terminus lies beyond the
Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area and the Afton Canyon Natural Area near the Manix Wash.
Landmarks
The following list of markers follows east to west travel.
*The
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
– Where the trail begins, near
Beale's Crossing
Beale's Crossing was a river crossing on the Colorado River, near the head of the Mohave Valley, between New Mexico Territory (now Arizona) and California along the 35th Parallel route of Beale's Wagon Road. It was at what became the site of Fort ...
on the west side of the river across the river from what became the site of
Fort Mohave
Fort Mohave was originally named Camp Colorado when it was established on April 19, 1859 by Lieutenant Colonel William Hoffman during the Mohave War. It was located on the east bank of the Colorado River, at Beale's Crossing, near the head of t ...
. (mile 0)
*
Beaver Lake – A
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
, sometimes a
slough
Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...
of the Colorado River during spring floods. The original road passed the lake on the north – from the river crossing, in the 19th century. The
Mohave War
The Mohave War was an armed conflict between the Mohave people and the United States from 1858 to 1859. With the California Gold Rush of 1849, thousands of American settlers headed west through Mohave country and into California. The influx of m ...
Battle of Beaver Lake
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
was fought there just north of the lake. In the 20th century, cutoff from the spring floods of the river by the construction of dams above it, Beaver Lake dried up, becoming playa, desert or farmland. The modern trail cuts across the middle of this former water feature.
*
Piute Creek – With
Piute Spring, a natural
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
, as its source, a desert
oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
with trees and plants growing all year round, in the
Piute Range. (mile 23)
*
Fort Piute – Next to the mouth of Piute Creek where the oasis ends, this fort was built in 1867 by the US infantry, one of several to guard the Government Road between Fort Mohave and San Bernardino. (mile 23)
*
Lanfair Valley
Lanfair Valley is located in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California near the Nevada state line. It is bounded on the north by the New York Mountains and Castle Mountains, on the east by the Piute Range, and on the south by the Woods Mountai ...
– Cattle ranches have been here since 1880. (mile 34)
*
Indian Hill ,
Indian Well – About a mile north of the Mojave Road at mile 40, there is Indian Hill, the summit on the south end of the
Lanfair Buttes Lanfair Buttes, also known as Eagle Mountain, Indian Hill, Eagle Hill, Graveyard Hills is a summit in the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. The Lanfair Buttes lie 3 miles (4.8 km) east-southea ...
. Indian Well an old well of debatable origin lies to the northwest of Indian Hill.(mile 40)
*Joshua Tree Forest – The road gets very narrow in this thick forest in Lanfair Valley. (mile 47)
*
Rock Spring – The biggest watering hole along the Mojave Road. The stream flows down large boulders. There is an old cabin here. (mile 49)
*
Government Holes – Another water supply in
Round Valley, west of Rock Spring, with an old concrete trough. (mile 52)
*
Cedar Canyon – The highest point of the trip, crossing the
Mid Hills you will reach elevation. (mile 56)
*Kelso-Cima Road – In the middle of the trip, this is the last paved road you will see for a long time (mile 62)
*
Marl Spring – Another spring with a primitive concrete trough. (mile 70)
*Mojave Road Mail Box – Sign your name at this solitary flagpole and continue on. (mile 74)
*
Willow Wash – A wash with heavy sands south and west of the
Cima Volcanic Range and Volcanic_Fields, parallels Kelbaker Rd. to where it breaks up into distributary washes beyond Seventeen Mile Point. (mile 77)
*
Kelbaker Road
Kelbaker Road is a Road surface, paved road in San Bernardino County, California, that serves as the primary and busiest route through the Mojave National Preserve. It also connects the communities of Kelso, California, Kelso and Baker, Californi ...
– The section of the paved road between Baker and Kelso Junction.
*
Seventeen Mile Point – Mountain marking the halfway point between Soda Spring and Marl Spring. Site of Seventeen Mile Point mining camp.
*
Soda Lake
A soda lake or alkaline lake is a lake on the strongly alkaline side of neutrality, typically with a pH value between 9 and 12. They are characterized by high concentrations of carbonate salts, typically sodium carbonate (and related salt complex ...
– A large dry lake; proceed with caution. You may have to drive around in the winter. (mile 97)
*
Soda Springs in (
Zzyzx) – Small private building on the edge of Soda Lake.
*Travelers Monument – Also known as Government Monument, travelers carry a rock across the dry lake and add it to the pile. (mile 100)
*
Rasor OHV Area – Open use area. (mile 103)
*Sand Dunes – There are a few soft sand dunes along here that you can play on. (mile 106)
*
Afton Canyon
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, ...
– Deep canyon with steep walls,
riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...
habitat restoration, and plenty of scenery. (mile 116)
*
Mojave River
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, ...
crossing – The only water crossing on this trail. (mile 121)
*
Manix Wash Manix Wash is a 2.5 mile long tributary stream of the Mojave River, in San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Calif ...
– The exit point of the Mojave Road. (mile 133)
*
Camp Cady
Camp Cady (1860–1861, 1866–1871) was a U.S. Army Camp, on the Mojave Road near the Mojave River in the Mojave Desert, located about 20 miles east of modern-day Barstow, California in San Bernardino County, at an elevation of 1690 feet. ...
– a former
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
Camp along the old Mojave Road, on the
Mojave River
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, ...
(mile 136.1)
*
Fork of the Road
Fork of the Road was the locale along the Mojave River where the junction of the Mojave Trail / Mojave Road and the Old Spanish Trail / Mormon Road was located in San Bernardino County, California. The location of Fork of the Road was on the nor ...
– Location along the north bank of the Mojave River were the old Mojave Road split off from the route of the
Old Spanish Trail/
Mormon Road
Mormon Road, also known to the 49ers as the Southern Route, of the California Trail in the Western United States, was a seasonal wagon road pioneered by a Mormon party from Salt Lake City, Utah led by Jefferson Hunt, that followed the route of S ...
east of
Yermo. (mile 147)
*
Drum Barracks
The Drum Barracks, also known as Camp Drum and the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, is the last remaining original American Civil War era military facility in the Los Angeles area. Located in the Wilmington section of Los Angeles, near the Port ...
the end of the trail in the west in
Wilmington, Los Angeles
Wilmington is a neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, covering .
Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest oil field in the continental United States, this neighborhood has a high percentage of La ...
.
Historic designations
Mojave Road Los Angeles became a
California Historic Landmark
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
Criteria
Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
(No.963) on 19 March 1985, and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2021.
California Historic Marker reads:
*''NO. 963 THE MOJAVE ROAD – Long ago, Mohave Indians used a network of pathways to cross the Mojave Desert. In 1826, American trapper Jedediah Smith used their paths and became the first non-Indian to reach the California coast overland from mid-America. The paths were worked into a military wagon road in 1859. This "Mojave Road" remained a major link between Los Angeles and points east until a railway crossed the desert in 1885.''
Camp Cady also is a California Historical Landmark Marker #963-1 on the site reads:
Marker Database 963-1 Camp Cady
/ref>
*''NO. 963-1 Camp Cady was located on the Mojave Road which connected Los Angeles to Albuquerque. Non-Indian travel on this and the nearby Salt Lake Road was beset by Paiutes, Mohaves, and Chemehuevis defending their homeland. To protect both roads, Camp Cady was established by U.S. Dragoons in 1860. The main building was a stout mud redoubt. Improved camp structures were built 1/2-mile west in 1868. After peace was achieved, the military withdrew in 1871. This protection provided by Camp Cady enabled travelers, merchandise, and mail using both roads to boost California's economy and growth.''
See also
*
*California Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles County
List table of the properties and districts — listed on the California Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles County, Southern California.
:*Note: ''Click the "Map of all coordinates" link to the right to view a Google map of all properties and di ...
* Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert
* Protected areas of the Mojave Desert
* Desert Region of California
The Deserts of California, collectively known as the California Deserts, are a List of regions of California, region of California made up of distinct deserts that each have unique ecosystems and habitats. The region is home to a sociocultural and ...
References
External links
Mojave National Preserve, Mojave Road
Mojave Road
at dirtopia.com
Topo Maps of the GPS Track of the Mojave Road off-road trail, (map panels connect sequentially from east to west) from mojave-road.com.
Topographical Sketch showing the Outward and Inward Route of a Party, while examining as to the practicability of a Diversion of the Colorado River for Purposes of Irrigation, Lithograph by Eric Bergland, 1875. From, Wheeler, G.M., Topographical Atlas Projected To Illustrate United States Geographical Surveys West Of The 100th Meridian Of Longitude Prosecuted In Accordance With Acts Of Congress Under The Authority Of The Honorable The Secretary Of War, And The Direction Of Brig. Genl. A.A. Humphreys, Chief Of Engineers, U.S. Army. Embracing Results Of the Different Expeditions Under The Command Of 1st Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps Of Engineers. Julius Bien, lith., G. Thompson, Washington, 1876
from davidrumsey.com accessed 3 December 2014. Shows the Colorado River above Ehrenburg, Arizona
Ehrenberg, also historically spelled "Ehrenburg", is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,470 at the 2010 census. Ehrenberg is named for its founder, Herman ...
to Stones Ferry at the mouth of the Virgin River
The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long.Calculated with Google Maps and Google Earth It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the ...
; in Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
, parts of Nevada, and Arizona. Includes the roads and railroads of the time, including the detailed routes of the Bradshaw Trail
Today's Bradshaw Trail is a historic overland stage route in the western Colorado Desert of Southern California. It is a remnant of the much longer Bradshaw Road, also known as the Road to La Paz, or Gold Road, established in 1862 by William D. ...
and the Mojave Road and the Old Spanish Trail/Old Mormon Road
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
*Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
to Salt Lake City, from Los Angeles to Forks of the Road. From a Wheeler Annual Report. Gift to the David Rumsey collection by Mark Sappington.
The Mojave Road in 1863. The Pioneering Photographs of Rudolph s'Heurese. By Jeff Lapides, 2018, published by the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association.
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Mohave Trail
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
History of Southern California
National Register of Historic Places in San Bernardino County, California
Native American history of California