Lane's Crossing was a

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

below the Lower Narrows 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 ti ...

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is locat ...

, United States. "Lane's", a ranch and store for travelers at this crossing on 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 ...

, was established by "Captain" Aaron G. Lane the first pioneer settler on the Mojave River.

History

Located along the Mojave River, the vicinity of modern

Oro Grande, California Oro Grande (Spanish language, Spanish for "Large Gold") is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County, California, United States. It lies on the city bounda ...

was the location for Native American settlements hundreds of years. The river was also the part of a trade route from the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

for tribes in the southwest with those on the coast of Southern California, what was called the

Mohave Trail The Mojave Road, also known as Old Government Road (formerly the Mohave Trail), is a historic route and present day dirt road across what is now the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert in the United States. This rough road stretched ...

. Followed by Spanish padres and soldiers, and later American fur trappers and New Mexican traders the Mohave Trail became part of the Old Spanish Trail between

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

from 1830. After the Americans acquired

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

pioneers began the

a wagon road from

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on the western part of the Old Spanish Trail that crossed the Mojave River just below the Lower Narrows of the Mojave River. This was called the ''Last Crossing of the Mojave'' because the travelers on the road from here left the river to cross the remaining desert to

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 Andr ...

. In 1859, the year after the

Mojave Road The Mojave Road, also known as Old Government Road (formerly the Mohave Trail), is a historic route and present day dirt road across what is now the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert in the United States. This rough road stretched fr ...

Fort Mohave Fort Mohave was originally named Camp Colorado when it was established on April 19, 1859 by Lieutenant Colonel William Hoffman (U.S. Army), William Hoffman during the Mohave War. It was located on the east bank of the Colorado River, at Beale's ...

was established, Aaron G. Lane a veteran of the Mexican War and a Forty-niner established the a ranch and store for travelers on the road at this crossing, that came to be called Lane's Crossing. This was the first settlement on the Mojave River. He sold out in 1865 and moved down river to establish a ranch at Bryman, and others took over his old ranch and store. However the name "Lane's" stuck for years thereafter, appearing on maps of the area as late as the 1880s. Map of the 6th Operating Division of the Western Division, Atlantic & Pacific R.R., From Needles to Mojave. Saml. M. Rowe, Resident Engineer. Drawing No. J-2-902., Atlantic & Pacific Railroad, Albuquerque, 1882
Shows ''Lane's'' at the Lower Narrows Today Lane's Crossing has been renamed to Turner Ranch just west of Mojave Heights, and southwest of Oro Grande. A historical marker in front of Turner Ranch signifies the location of Lane's Crossing.

References

{{San Bernardino County, California Former settlements in San Bernardino County, California Mojave River Populated places in the Mojave Desert Populated places established in 1859 1859 establishments in California Mohave Trail Old Spanish Trail (trade route) Mormon Road