Zzyzx Mineral Springs Resort

Zzyzx Mineral Springs Resort. Desert Studies Center. , The Last Word and the Last Chance , In 1944, radio evangelist Curtis Howe Springer filed a mining claim on public lands here at Soda Springs and established Zzyzx Mineral Springs resort. Over the next 30 years, Springer transformed this desert oasis into the attractive landscape that you see today. , Last Word , Springer created the name Zzyzx as the last word in health, ensuring it would be the last listing in any directory. , Last Chance , When Curtis Springer stocked his new lake with fish from a nearby spring, he inadvertently took the first step in saving the endangered Mohave tui chub. The fish had once lived all along the Mojave River, but by the 1960s, they were found in only one small spring near here. Springer moved some into his lake, where their numbers increased. In recent years, biologists have moved chubs to other ponds, and plan to continue establishing new populations. , Bath House , The bath house at the end of the Boulevard of Dreams included a small pool as well as indoor and outdoor cement tubs for mineral soaks. , Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Resort , By the early 60s, Zzyzx was at its peak, accommodating up to 100 guests. Legal problems caught up with Springer soon after, and Springer was evicted from the site in 1974. , Welcome to the Desert Studies Center , Scientists and students from around the world visit this California State University field station on the edge of Soda Dry Lake to learn about the Mojave Desert. Weekend extended education courses are open to the public. , T&T Railroad , Although abandoned in 1940, you can still see the grade for the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad stretching across Soda Dry Lake. The T&T line was developed in 1907 by Francis “Borax” Smith to carry ore, cargo, and passengers between desert mining districts and the main railway connection at Ludlow. , The Soda Works , The remnants of rectangular evaporating ponds still visible on the dry lake bed were part of a soda extraction facility operating between 1907 and 1912. Compounds such as sodas used in laundry products, baking soda, and caustic soda were extracted from lake brine and shipped on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad. , Explore Zzyzx , Many of the roads, buildings, ponds, and plantings date from the Curtis Springer era, when a radio preacher from Los Angeles developed a health resort here. A nature trail circles the pond and includes exhibits about the area. , Respect the Center and its guests , Leave your vehicle here. Don't drive into the Center unless someone in your party is disabled and can't walk. Vehicles are not allowed on the dry lakebed. Please be quiet as classes may be in session. If so, don't interfere with activities. In an emergency, a buzzer on the door of the main building calls the facility manager.