Papers by Larry M Vredenburgh
This work is a greatly enlarged version of a booklet that I published in 1979, entitled Ghost Tow... more This work is a greatly enlarged version of a booklet that I published in 1979, entitled Ghost Towns of the Central Mojave. Here are the stories of more than 100 vanished towns, camps, and colonies in the desert regions of San Bernardino, Kem, and Los Angeles counties. Many of the places described here were limited-purpose settlements or way stations, but the towns themselves were fairly permanent communities that furnished goods and services to a reasonably distinct trading area. A settlement of any importance tended to support at least a business, such as a store or saloon; an arm of government, such as a post office or voting precinct; or an industrial operation, such as a railroad or mill.
The settlements of the desert rarely developed as fully as those of the California Gold Rush or the Comstock lode. As the native Americans had already realized, the rainfall was too limited and the heat too intense to support large populations or vast farmlands.
Unpublished internal US Bureau of Land Management mineral potential Report, 1982
The Panoche Hills WSA contains or very likely contains the following minerals: diatomite, gypsite... more The Panoche Hills WSA contains or very likely contains the following minerals: diatomite, gypsite, marl, phosphate rock and uranium. Diatomite has been produced from within the WSA, marl and gypsite have been produced within one mile of the WSA in formations which are found area. Uranium in the occurs within a mile of the WSA in a formation found in the area.
Marl was produced from a Miocene non-marine formation which caps the Panoche Hills, and has been, prospected for within the WSA. The diatomite, gypsite, phosphate rock and uranium all occur in the Kreyenhragen formation. This formation is on the extreme eastern edge of the WSA. Phosphate rock has been reported from the Moreno Shale also.
Oil and gas have been produced in other areas from all of the formations which underlie the WSA. All of the WSA except about 600 acres is presently under oil and gas lease. The most important known geologic resource in this area are the fossils. The vertebrate fossils in this area are probably the most important found on BLM administered land in California. It is very important that access to these areas for scientific research be allowed.
Unpublished internal US Bureau of Land Management mineral potential Report, 1982
The Ventana wilderness Contiguous wilderness Study Area (WSA) (CA-040-308) is located about 15 mi... more The Ventana wilderness Contiguous wilderness Study Area (WSA) (CA-040-308) is located about 15 miles southeast of Carmel in the northern Santa Lucia Range. It encompasses less than two square miles of public land on Black Rock Ridge, and Lies in portions of Secs.27, 33, 34 T.17S. R. 2E. MDM. It is located in the Hollister Resource Area of the Bakersfield District.
Unpublished internal US Bureau of Land Management mineral potential Report, 1982
The Pinnacles Wilderness Contiguous Wilderness Study Area (WSA)
(CA-040-303) is located in the G... more The Pinnacles Wilderness Contiguous Wilderness Study Area (WSA)
(CA-040-303) is located in the Gabilan Range about 30 miles south of Hollister. It encompasses 5,838 acres in five separate parcels (see figure 1). Portions of T. 165., R. 7E,, T. 16 S., R. 8E., and T. 17S., R. 7E. are included in this area. All of the parcels, as implied by the name of the WSA, are contiguous with the Pinnacles National Monument.
Geology and Mineral Wealth of the California Transverse Ranges, 1982
Colemanite deposits have been known from northern Ventura County since the late 1890s. Prospectin... more Colemanite deposits have been known from northern Ventura County since the late 1890s. Prospecting for colemanite over an area of as much as 20 square miles in the late 1890s and early 1900s resulted in the discovery of three mines. The Frazier, Columbus and Russell mines produced hand-sorted colemanite ore between 1899 and 1913. Estimated production of crude ore for the Frazier and Columbus mines is about 34,000 short tons. There are no published estimates of production for the Russell mine. These three mines are located in Sections 14 and 23, T. 8 N., R. 21 W. SMB. (see Fig. I). Over 4,276 acres of placer mining claims, and 25 acres of lode and millsite claims were patented between 1904 and 1949 in the township. These claims cover some ground which has not proven productive.
THIS WORK IS THE FIRST VOLUME of a greatly enlarged edition of a booklet published in 1979: Ghost... more THIS WORK IS THE FIRST VOLUME of a greatly enlarged edition of a booklet published in 1979: Ghost Towns of the Central Mojave, by Alan Hensher. Here are the stories of about 35 vanished towns, large camps, and colonies in San Bernardino County's desert region. (A second volume will cover the deserts of Kern and Los Angeles counties.) All the settlements depended on mines, farms, railroads, or trade for their sustenance. With some reluctance, we have left out settlements that were meant to be temporary, such as military posts and most construction camps.
Although boom towns only rarely grew into cities, they were still more than ephemeral, limited‐purpose settlements or way stations. We define a town here as a fairly permanent settlement that provided goods and services to a trade area. Services could include culture and education, entertainment and recreation.
Our research has yielded a few surprises. First, the number of vanished towns and camps is astonishing‐‐several hundred in Southern California alone. Then, too, the larger settlements turned out to be family communities, noted more for romance than drunken brawls. Best of all, the stories of these communities and their people are available to everyone, in published diaries, government documents, and old newspapers and magazines.
This report surveys the mineral character of 40 acres of public land
during the period 1848 to ar... more This report surveys the mineral character of 40 acres of public land
during the period 1848 to around .l900. The land in question lies in E]
Dorado County, about 2 miìes northwest of Garden Valley.
An application to patent the subject land pursuant to the Act of October
17, 1978 was received July 23, 1985. The General Land Office in a decision
on November 9, l901 found that two mining claims on the subject land were mineral in character. The railroad could obtain patent to the remainder of the lands in the E1/2SE1/4 Sec. 29 T. 12 N., R. 10 E. provided they surveyed these claims. That was never done. There is today no way to
reconstruct the Madrona mining claim, however the other claim, the
Buckeye, was apparently 'surveyed when it was located (Attachment 31, p. 71). As a result this application may be presumed to include land the
railroad was never entitled to.
Proceedings: First Death Valley Conference on History and Prehistory, 1987
Reilly is certainly one of the Death Valley region's more obscure
mining camps. However, this sho... more Reilly is certainly one of the Death Valley region's more obscure
mining camps. However, this short-lived silver camp situated at the base
of the Argus Range just north of the Slate Range Crossing appeared on
maps for twenty years. Today Reilly stands out among the other obscure
camps of the region because of its unusual combination of easy access and well preserved ruins.
Unpublished internal US Bureau of Land Management mineral potential Report, 1981
The geology of the Dale Lake GEM Resource area (GRA) is dominated by
Precambrian gneiss, Paleozoi... more The geology of the Dale Lake GEM Resource area (GRA) is dominated by
Precambrian gneiss, Paleozoic sediments, Mesozoic granitics, Tertiary
extrusive rocks, hypabyssal rocks and sediments and Quaternary sediments. Structure is dominated by the east-west trending Pinto Mountain Fault and Blue Cut Fault and the northwest trending Sheep Hole Fault and Mesquite Fault.
The area is noted for the Dale Mining District, from which millions of
dollars worth of gold and lesser amounts of silver, copper and lead have
been produced. Production of iron, sand and gravel and sodium sulfate
have been substantial. Uranium, rare earth minerals and quartz crystal
have also been prospected for. There may be potential for geothermal
development. Interest in the area remains high as evidenced by the 359
unpatented claims located here as of January, 1991.
Unpublished internal US Bureau of Land Management mineral potential Report, 1980
The central portion of the Argus Range (Fig. 1) extends from
Water Canyon in the south, to Highwa... more The central portion of the Argus Range (Fig. 1) extends from
Water Canyon in the south, to Highway 190 in the north and is bounded
by China Lake Naval Weapons Center on the west. The northern end of
the area lies adjacent to the Darwin mining district, the southern
edge of the study area is about 20 miles north of Trona, the nearest
railhead. There is access to the range from the paved Trona-Wildrose
road in Panamint Valley via numerous unmaintained dirt roads, the
paved Westend Quarry haulage road, as well as maintained roads up
Water Canyon, to the Sinclair Mine, up Shepherd Canyon, to the mouth
of Bendire Canyon, up Knight Canyon, up Snow Canyon, and to the
Defense and Minnietta Mines. There is a landing strip east of the
Minnietta Mine and a power line connects the Westend Quarry to Trona.
Water was flowing during the fall of 1978 in Revenue Canyon and Knight
Canyons. Springs supply water in Water Canyon, Shepherd Canyon, south
of Bendire Canyon, north of Revenue Canyon and in Snow Canyon.
Unpublished internal US Bureau of Land Management mineral potential Report, 1982
The Providence Mountains have yielded substantial amounts of iron, silver,
Lead, and gold ore A m... more The Providence Mountains have yielded substantial amounts of iron, silver,
Lead, and gold ore A minimum of nineteen mines have been productive.
There has been recovery of iron, gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc and
tungsten from ore produced. In addition to these metals, molybdenum, cadmium, tantalum, barite, fluorite, perlite, pumice and clay occur in the
area. Geochemical sampling indicates potential for tin. Lead, silver,
zinc, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, cadmium, tantalum and fluorite
are strategic materials.
Materialization is widespread, with past producers or prospects scattered
over most of the area. The highest concentration of mines and prospects
is on the east side of the range, in Foshay Pass, near Cornfield Spring,
near Colton Well, and on the west side of the range from Tough Nut Spring north to the Mid Hills.
Unpublished internal US Bureau of Land Management mineral potential Report, 1982
There has been past production gold, copper and semi-precious stone from the Turtle Mountains GEM... more There has been past production gold, copper and semi-precious stone from the Turtle Mountains GEM Resource Area, and there is today small scale production of gold.
Substantial reserves of gold exist in the Turtle Mountains GEM Resource
Area, which should soon prove to make this an important gold producing
area. At the Desert Placer Claims, Marco Resources, Inc., expects to
process 700,000 tons of gold bearing sediment each year for the next 75 years. At the Grand Reef Claims there are 10 million tons of rock which
grades .05 oz. per ton gold and 2 million tons which grade .103 oz. per
ton gold and 1.87 oz. per ton silver.
Total contained gold is 706,000 oz. of gold worth $233,156,500 (at $330.25 per oz.) Total contained silver is 740,000 oz. worth $26,965,400 (at $7.21 per oz) .
Presently there is small scale production of gold from mines and prospects in the Carson's Wells area and in the southern part of the Mopah Range. There are 148 claims in the area. A Large variety of semi-precious stone is found associated with volcanic rock in the area. This material is collected by rock-hounds for recreation.
Unpublished internal US Bureau of Land Management mineral potential Report, 1981
Located in the northeastern Mojave Desert at the southern end of Death
Valley, the 2761480 acre A... more Located in the northeastern Mojave Desert at the southern end of Death
Valley, the 2761480 acre Avawatz Mountains GRA encompasses an area of diverse geology and mineral resources. Thick sedimentary sequences of Precambrian, Precambrian-Cambrian, Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks have been intruded by Jurassic volcanic rocks and Mesozoic plutonic rocks. During Tertiary time extrusive volcanics and hypabyssal dikes and plugs intruded all older rocks in the Soda Mountains. Sediment were again deposited in Tertiary time.
A wide diversity of metallic and non-metallic minerals have been produced and prospected. The most profitable and productive deposits have been Iron and talc, although gold and silver have been the most eagerly sought. Commodities known from this area include: iron, gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum, barite, talc, gypsum, salt, celestite, bentonite, and sand and gravel. There is potential for uranium and zeolites.
Presently iron is produced and there is renewed exploration for
silver in the central Avawatz Mountains.
Preprint , 1992
This report is based on existing reports and recently gathered field data. It discusses mineral r... more This report is based on existing reports and recently gathered field data. It discusses mineral resource potential of Tertiary playas in the Fort Irwin region. An estimated 1.3 million tons of measured salt "reserves", and 20 million tons of indicated salt resources, have been identified north of the Fort. Other indicated resources include 300,000 tons of celestite, 800,000 tons of gypsum, and 10 million tons of selenite. Zeolitic tuff was mined south of Fort Irwin from 1978 to 1984, and unexplored occurrences are widespread. Calcium-bentonite is mined near Barstow, and more may exist, including valuable sodium- and lithium based bentonites.
- - - -
This paper was authored by John S. Rapp and Larry M. Vredenburgh
California Geology, 1981
The examination of mines and mining prospects at Fort Irwin was done concurrently with Division o... more The examination of mines and mining prospects at Fort Irwin was done concurrently with Division of Mines and Geology (DMG) regional geologic mapping and other mineral resource studies in the region. Mapping, field checking, and geologic data of the Fort Irwin region were collected between January 1982 and May 1990 . DMG conducted an investigation of the mineral resource potential of the Fort Irwin region to develop geologic and mineral information in a region of California where very little published mineral resource information exists. This article was adapted from an unpublished DMG Special Report that will be entitled The minera l reso urce potential, geology, and abandoned mines of Fort Irwin , San Bernardino County, California .
Mojave Road Report, 2025
Dennis Casebier introduced us to Alva Carothers, Goffs resident and schoolteacher, in his book, G... more Dennis Casebier introduced us to Alva Carothers, Goffs resident and schoolteacher, in his book, Goffs and Its Schoolhouse. In his book we learn Alva was the second teacher to serve at Goffs School, and the first teacher in the still standing, 1914 Goffs schoolhouse. Also, we learn she lived in a private home in town and that she taught school at Goffs from 1912 through June 1916. But there is so much more to her life than this brief sojourn in Goffs. This paper will attempt to fill in more about her fascinating life. The Needles Desert Star mentions her twice. First, as one the attendees of a January 20, 1915 "dancing party" in the new schoolhouse.
An ancient trade route across the East Mojave Desert connected the Mojave people, who lived along... more An ancient trade route across the East Mojave Desert connected the Mojave people, who lived along the Colorado River near the present location of Needles, with coastal California. The first non-native visitors to the Mojave villages were Francisco Garcés in 1776 and Jedediah Smith in 1826. These men were led across the East Mojave by Mojave guides. Over time this trade route became known as the Mojave Road. It became the primary route linking California with New Mexico and other points to the east. During the 1860s and 1870s there was considerable traffic on the Mojave Road. In 1883 a transcontinental railroad was built across the East Mojave Desert. Almost immediately the Mojave Road faded from memory.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that Dennis Casebier “discovered” the Mojave Road and wrote several books based on his extensive research that the public became aware of this historic route across the East Mojave Desert. The Friends of the Mojave Road, a group of explorers and adventurers founded by Dennis Casebier, helped to write a trail guide, and assisted in making the Mojave Road accessible.
A second trail, the East Mojave Heritage Trail (EMHT), was developed by the Friends of the Mojave Road beginning in 1984. Unlike the Mojave Road that linked the Colorado River with the coast of California, the EMHT was laid out as a “sightseeing” route that was pieced together by joining historic mining and ranching roads, abandoned railroad berms, roads left from World War II training, utility corridors, and abandoned highway alignments. The Desert Protection Act of 1994 established Wilderness Areas that broke up the EMHT because about 90 miles of the EMHT were closed to vehicle travel. In 2019 by exploring alternative routes that bypassed routes closed by wilderness designations, Billy Creech, currently president of the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association (MDHCA), resurrected the EMHT. The MDHCA is a non-profit organization that has followed in the footsteps of the Friends of the Mojave Road.
Mines of the Mojave, 2023
Soda Springs is a wonder! Abundant potable water flows out of the ground without ceasing in the m... more Soda Springs is a wonder! Abundant potable water flows out of the ground without ceasing in the middle of the Mojave Desert. There is a reason the world’s largest thermometer is in Baker, about 9 miles away – this place is hot, being just some 40 miles from Death Valley. Soda Springs was a life saver. Native Americans lived here, as did soldiers during the 1860s and a few miners and prospectors from time to time. It was a critical stopping point on the Mojave Road beginning around 1859. If you are attracted to the vast, empty vistas of the Mojave Desert, this is your place. This place also attracted Curtis Howe Springer. He established a “Haven of Rest” here, though it wasn’t his first. His stated purpose for Zzyzx was to give people a place to relax and unwind. As an unapologetic teetotaler, Springer made Zzyzx the perfect refuge from that addiction.
Mines of the Mojave, 2023
This is an informal one-day trip with no provision of food or water. Be prepared with your own pr... more This is an informal one-day trip with no provision of food or water. Be prepared with your own provisions. Make sure vehicles are packed with all your personal gear and a full tank of gas. Carry water and snacks, plan your clothing for the conditions. Wear hard toed boots. Bring hats and sunscreen. Watch for harmful plants and animals. Note that some roads are on Federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service. Respect the land and leave it as you found it: no rock or artifact collecting, digging, or harming of plants and wildlife is allowed. Part of this day's route is within the Mojave National Preserve where special use permits are required for field trips with more than a limited number of vehicles or visitors. We will visit two active mines and tour an underground mine. Please be mindful that we are guests on the mine properties and show the respect that is deserved: honor their rules and requests. STOP 1 -Mountain Pass mine UTM 11S 633510 3925680; 35.465662, -115.528572 The field trip starts when we meet at the Mountain Pass mine at 7:30 a.m. Don't be late: the tour starts at 8:00 a.m. sharp! The tour of the facility is limited to 20 people. You must have signed up prior to the trip.
Mines of the Mojave, 2023
Convene at the Desert Studies Center. Make sure vehicles are packed with all your personal gear a... more Convene at the Desert Studies Center. Make sure vehicles are packed with all your personal gear and have a full tank of gas. Check your spare tires. Carry water and snacks, plan your clothing for the conditions. Wear sturdy shoes. Bring hats and sunscreen. Watch for harmful plants and animals. Note that some stops are on Federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service. Respect the land and leave it as you found it: no rock or artifact collecting, digging, or harming plants and wildlife is allowed. Part of this day's route is within the Mojave National Preserve where special use permits are required for field trips with more than a limited number of vehicles or visitors. Carpooling is mandatory today. Make carpool arrangements at the symposium on Friday or Saturday. At one stop the trip requires high clearance -4WD due to soft sand. Please leave less road-worthy vehicles at Zzyzx. We will return to Zzyzx Sunday night.
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Papers by Larry M Vredenburgh
The settlements of the desert rarely developed as fully as those of the California Gold Rush or the Comstock lode. As the native Americans had already realized, the rainfall was too limited and the heat too intense to support large populations or vast farmlands.
Marl was produced from a Miocene non-marine formation which caps the Panoche Hills, and has been, prospected for within the WSA. The diatomite, gypsite, phosphate rock and uranium all occur in the Kreyenhragen formation. This formation is on the extreme eastern edge of the WSA. Phosphate rock has been reported from the Moreno Shale also.
Oil and gas have been produced in other areas from all of the formations which underlie the WSA. All of the WSA except about 600 acres is presently under oil and gas lease. The most important known geologic resource in this area are the fossils. The vertebrate fossils in this area are probably the most important found on BLM administered land in California. It is very important that access to these areas for scientific research be allowed.
(CA-040-303) is located in the Gabilan Range about 30 miles south of Hollister. It encompasses 5,838 acres in five separate parcels (see figure 1). Portions of T. 165., R. 7E,, T. 16 S., R. 8E., and T. 17S., R. 7E. are included in this area. All of the parcels, as implied by the name of the WSA, are contiguous with the Pinnacles National Monument.
Although boom towns only rarely grew into cities, they were still more than ephemeral, limited‐purpose settlements or way stations. We define a town here as a fairly permanent settlement that provided goods and services to a trade area. Services could include culture and education, entertainment and recreation.
Our research has yielded a few surprises. First, the number of vanished towns and camps is astonishing‐‐several hundred in Southern California alone. Then, too, the larger settlements turned out to be family communities, noted more for romance than drunken brawls. Best of all, the stories of these communities and their people are available to everyone, in published diaries, government documents, and old newspapers and magazines.
during the period 1848 to around .l900. The land in question lies in E]
Dorado County, about 2 miìes northwest of Garden Valley.
An application to patent the subject land pursuant to the Act of October
17, 1978 was received July 23, 1985. The General Land Office in a decision
on November 9, l901 found that two mining claims on the subject land were mineral in character. The railroad could obtain patent to the remainder of the lands in the E1/2SE1/4 Sec. 29 T. 12 N., R. 10 E. provided they surveyed these claims. That was never done. There is today no way to
reconstruct the Madrona mining claim, however the other claim, the
Buckeye, was apparently 'surveyed when it was located (Attachment 31, p. 71). As a result this application may be presumed to include land the
railroad was never entitled to.
mining camps. However, this short-lived silver camp situated at the base
of the Argus Range just north of the Slate Range Crossing appeared on
maps for twenty years. Today Reilly stands out among the other obscure
camps of the region because of its unusual combination of easy access and well preserved ruins.
Precambrian gneiss, Paleozoic sediments, Mesozoic granitics, Tertiary
extrusive rocks, hypabyssal rocks and sediments and Quaternary sediments. Structure is dominated by the east-west trending Pinto Mountain Fault and Blue Cut Fault and the northwest trending Sheep Hole Fault and Mesquite Fault.
The area is noted for the Dale Mining District, from which millions of
dollars worth of gold and lesser amounts of silver, copper and lead have
been produced. Production of iron, sand and gravel and sodium sulfate
have been substantial. Uranium, rare earth minerals and quartz crystal
have also been prospected for. There may be potential for geothermal
development. Interest in the area remains high as evidenced by the 359
unpatented claims located here as of January, 1991.
Water Canyon in the south, to Highway 190 in the north and is bounded
by China Lake Naval Weapons Center on the west. The northern end of
the area lies adjacent to the Darwin mining district, the southern
edge of the study area is about 20 miles north of Trona, the nearest
railhead. There is access to the range from the paved Trona-Wildrose
road in Panamint Valley via numerous unmaintained dirt roads, the
paved Westend Quarry haulage road, as well as maintained roads up
Water Canyon, to the Sinclair Mine, up Shepherd Canyon, to the mouth
of Bendire Canyon, up Knight Canyon, up Snow Canyon, and to the
Defense and Minnietta Mines. There is a landing strip east of the
Minnietta Mine and a power line connects the Westend Quarry to Trona.
Water was flowing during the fall of 1978 in Revenue Canyon and Knight
Canyons. Springs supply water in Water Canyon, Shepherd Canyon, south
of Bendire Canyon, north of Revenue Canyon and in Snow Canyon.
Lead, and gold ore A minimum of nineteen mines have been productive.
There has been recovery of iron, gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc and
tungsten from ore produced. In addition to these metals, molybdenum, cadmium, tantalum, barite, fluorite, perlite, pumice and clay occur in the
area. Geochemical sampling indicates potential for tin. Lead, silver,
zinc, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, cadmium, tantalum and fluorite
are strategic materials.
Materialization is widespread, with past producers or prospects scattered
over most of the area. The highest concentration of mines and prospects
is on the east side of the range, in Foshay Pass, near Cornfield Spring,
near Colton Well, and on the west side of the range from Tough Nut Spring north to the Mid Hills.
Substantial reserves of gold exist in the Turtle Mountains GEM Resource
Area, which should soon prove to make this an important gold producing
area. At the Desert Placer Claims, Marco Resources, Inc., expects to
process 700,000 tons of gold bearing sediment each year for the next 75 years. At the Grand Reef Claims there are 10 million tons of rock which
grades .05 oz. per ton gold and 2 million tons which grade .103 oz. per
ton gold and 1.87 oz. per ton silver.
Total contained gold is 706,000 oz. of gold worth $233,156,500 (at $330.25 per oz.) Total contained silver is 740,000 oz. worth $26,965,400 (at $7.21 per oz) .
Presently there is small scale production of gold from mines and prospects in the Carson's Wells area and in the southern part of the Mopah Range. There are 148 claims in the area. A Large variety of semi-precious stone is found associated with volcanic rock in the area. This material is collected by rock-hounds for recreation.
Valley, the 2761480 acre Avawatz Mountains GRA encompasses an area of diverse geology and mineral resources. Thick sedimentary sequences of Precambrian, Precambrian-Cambrian, Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks have been intruded by Jurassic volcanic rocks and Mesozoic plutonic rocks. During Tertiary time extrusive volcanics and hypabyssal dikes and plugs intruded all older rocks in the Soda Mountains. Sediment were again deposited in Tertiary time.
A wide diversity of metallic and non-metallic minerals have been produced and prospected. The most profitable and productive deposits have been Iron and talc, although gold and silver have been the most eagerly sought. Commodities known from this area include: iron, gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum, barite, talc, gypsum, salt, celestite, bentonite, and sand and gravel. There is potential for uranium and zeolites.
Presently iron is produced and there is renewed exploration for
silver in the central Avawatz Mountains.
- - - -
This paper was authored by John S. Rapp and Larry M. Vredenburgh
It wasn’t until the 1960s that Dennis Casebier “discovered” the Mojave Road and wrote several books based on his extensive research that the public became aware of this historic route across the East Mojave Desert. The Friends of the Mojave Road, a group of explorers and adventurers founded by Dennis Casebier, helped to write a trail guide, and assisted in making the Mojave Road accessible.
A second trail, the East Mojave Heritage Trail (EMHT), was developed by the Friends of the Mojave Road beginning in 1984. Unlike the Mojave Road that linked the Colorado River with the coast of California, the EMHT was laid out as a “sightseeing” route that was pieced together by joining historic mining and ranching roads, abandoned railroad berms, roads left from World War II training, utility corridors, and abandoned highway alignments. The Desert Protection Act of 1994 established Wilderness Areas that broke up the EMHT because about 90 miles of the EMHT were closed to vehicle travel. In 2019 by exploring alternative routes that bypassed routes closed by wilderness designations, Billy Creech, currently president of the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association (MDHCA), resurrected the EMHT. The MDHCA is a non-profit organization that has followed in the footsteps of the Friends of the Mojave Road.