Trona in San Bernardino County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

John & Dennis Searles Wagon Routes

1875 - 1895

Photographed by Michael Kindig, December 4, 2011

1. John & Dennis Searles Wagon Routes Marker

Inscription. This monument commemorates two wagon routes used by the Searles brothers to haul borax from their plant on Borax Lake (now Searles Lake) to the railhead at Mojave. The southern route traveled west of the Trona Pinnacles to Searles' freight station at Garden City. This is the present route of the Trona Railway which connects with the Union Pacific at Searles Station. Garden City was a virtual oasis, providing food and shelter for the teamsters and a barn accommodating 100 mules. The western route went through Salt Wells Canyon (Poison Canyon) to a dry station one mile from the head of the canyon and on to garden City where both routes joined. It then continued through Garlock and connected with the road to Mojave.

Erected 2000 by Billy Holcomb Chapter No. 1069, E Clampus Vitus in cooperation with Searles Valley Historical Society. (Marker Number 101.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Natural Resources • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list.

Location. 35° 40.884′ N, 117° 23.475′ W. Marker is in Trona, California, in San Bernardino County. It is at the intersection of Trona Road (California Route 178)

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and Pinnacle Road, on the right when traveling east on Trona Road. This marker is located on the southeast corner. This site is about 16 miles east of Ridgecrest and 7 miles south of Trona. It is 7.3 miles east of where SR-178 is joined by Trona Road coming up from Red Mountain and US 395 to the south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 78625-78639 Pinnacle Road, Trona CA 93562, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles,

in the Mojave Desert,

in the Peninsular Ranges,

and specifically in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Epsom Salts Monorail (here, next to this marker); Famous Trona Pinnacles (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to the Trona Pinnacles (approx. 4.6 miles away); Searles Lake Borax Discovery (approx. 5.3 miles away); Old Guest House Museum (approx. 5½ miles away); Austin Hall (approx. 5½ miles away); Trona Unified School (approx. 6.3 miles away); Valley Wells (approx. 10.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Trona.

Regarding John & Dennis Searles Wagon Routes. In 1860 John and Dennis Searles discovered borax while searching for gold with the Dr. S.G. George party. In 1870 the brothers saw Borax Smith mining borax in Nevada and were reminded of their earlier findings. They rushed back to what is now Searles Dry Lake and staked their claims, then quickly sold enough borax to earn themselves $200,000 to finance improvements. Later, railroad

Photographed by Michael Kindig, December 4, 2011

2. John & Dennis Searles Wagon Routes Marker

tracks were laid to haul the ore. Many different rare materials are beneath the surface of the dry lake and should last for many years.
SOURCE: Billy Holcomb Chapter 1069 35th Anniversary Plaque Book by Phillip Holdaway

Also see . . . John Wemple Searles. Son of George and Helen Wemple Searles was born at Tribes Hill, Montgomery county, New York. He inherited fortitude and tenacity from ancestors who won renown with the American army in the Revolutionary war. He came to California to find gold, but found riches and and built a legacy of benefits and blessings through the discovery of the glittering borax crystals in the lake bed which now bears his name. (Submitted on December 7, 2011, by Michael Kindig of Elk Grove, California.)

John & Dennis Searles Wagon Routes (Left) and Epsom Salts Monorail Marker (Right) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael Kindig, December 4, 2011

3. John & Dennis Searles Wagon Routes (Left) and Epsom Salts Monorail Marker (Right)

Death Valley National Monument, California image. Click for full size.

Ferris H. Scott, Santa Ana, Ca. - Western Resort Publications. Santa Ana, Ca. Color by Josef Muench

4. Death Valley National Monument, California

This postcard image of a 20-mule team hauling borax in Death Valley shows an example of the form of transportation used in the desert to transport the borax to the railroad in Mojave.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2011, by Michael Kindig of Elk Grove, California. This page has been viewed 1,883 times since then and 38 times this year. Last updated on November 3, 2014, by Michael Kindig of Elk Grove, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 6, 2011, by Michael Kindig of Elk Grove, California. 4. submitted on June 20, 2010. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.