The Original Mojave Cross

The Original Mojave Cross. . , The Mojave Memorial Cross was erected on public land in 1934 by prospectors and homesteaders who had served in World War I to honor their fallen brethren. Army combat veteran J. Riley Bembry maintained the monument for many years, dedicating it to the military dead of all wars through the ages. It stood atop Sunrise Rock on Cima Road in the East Mojave for over 60 years, but became the subject of a 2001 lawsuit contending that it violated constitutional provisions against the separation of church and state because it was located within the boundaries of the newly-designated Mojave National Preserve. While Bembry's friends, Henry and Wanda Sandoz, fought an unfavorable district court ruling, the Mojave Cross remained covered by a wooden box. Henry and Wanda arranged a land swap, trading their own five-acre inholding for one acre around sunrise rock. This parcel was then donated to the VFW. The U.S. Supreme Court ratified the land exchange on April 28, 2010, thus ending eleven years of litigation. Subsequently, the original metal cross was stolen and found abandoned two years later in Half Moon Bay, California, with a note of apology attached. By then, a reproduction cross had been installed at Sunrise Rock. This original cross was donated by Wanda Sandoz on March 16, 2022 to the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association to create an educational display at the Goffs Schoolhouse Museum. This cross honors all veterans, memorializes the landmark Supreme Court decision, and recognizes those who have championed the Mojave Memorial Cross.