Dedicated to the memory of
John Mgrdichian,
business leader and founder of the High
Desert Casino. Mr. Mgrdichian cared
deeply about the Adelanto community
and often said he felt this was his second
home. His wife, Jasmine, wishing . . . — — Map (db m245851) HM
Albert Okura, a third-generation Japanese-American, was born and raised in Southern California during the
Baby Boom era. Growing up during the economic boom in the United States after World War II, he
considered himself a proud American who . . . — — Map (db m263606) HM
Amboy, settled as early as 1858, became a water stop when the Southern Pacific Railroad laid its tracks through the Cadiz Valley in 1883-84. Following the course of the railroad and the National Old Trails Highway, Route 66 was opened in 1926. Amboy . . . — — Map (db m78532) HM
Amboy Crater, formed of ash and cinders, is 250 feet high and 15,000 feet in diameter. It is situated in one of the youngest volcanic fields in the United States. It is located in the Barstow-Bristol trough, a conspicuous west-northwest trending . . . — — Map (db m249852) HM
Amboy Crater, formed of ash and cinders, is 250 feet high and 1500 feet in diameter. The crater is in one of the youngest volcanic fields in the United States. Six distinct periods of eruptions created the resulting nested group of volcanic cinder . . . — — Map (db m78561) HM
Perhaps no other highway in the U.S. is as fabled as old Route 66. It has been immortalized in song, literature, and even a T.V. series as the main street of America. Automobiles came early to the desert, following the railroad with its reliable . . . — — Map (db m78574) HM
Founded in 1858, Amboy provided a vital rest stop for weary sun drenched travelers seeking a better life in California.
Amboy owned and operated by Juan Pollo restaurants. — — Map (db m193157) HM
First named for Saint Bridget when it was founded in 1950 by the Diocese of San Diego, the parish at Amboy was renamed Saint Raymond's a year later. Founding pastor Father Patrick Malone leased a house here in Amboy for use as a rectory and . . . — — Map (db m288502) HM
Panel 1:
The Story of Route 66
Commissioned in 1926 and soon dubbed "The Mother Road," Route 66 was a great asphalt river linking Chicago and Los Angeles – a highway of hope that led thousands of people to a new life. . . . — — Map (db m33446) HM
America has always been a nation in motion: west to the Mississippi after the Revolution, west to the Continental Divide Following the Louisiana Purchase, West again to the Pacific Coast after the War with Mexico. Like many of today's railroads, . . . — — Map (db m310173) HM
The Legend of Cap Jenks
Captain Lorin Shaw Jenks ("Cap Jenks") thought this area looked like a good place for a trout pond. In the 1870's, he built an earthen and log dam and diverted water from the South Fork of the Santa Ana River. The . . . — — Map (db m197549) HM
Ranching in the Mountain Meadows
By the mid-1800s, historically rich grasslands in the valleys
surrounding the San Bernardino's were supporting sheep
and cattle ranchers. Between 1862 and 1865, a severe
drought had dried up many . . . — — Map (db m256305) HM
Captain Joseph McConnell began his illustrious military career during
World War II as a navigator of a B-24 Liberator with the 448th Bombardment
Group of the 8th Air Force. By 1948, he earned his pilot's wings and flew the
F-80 Shooting Star . . . — — Map (db m263250) HM
Family Home of B.J. Westlund, then Roy Rogers
Town of Apple Valley Historical Point of Interest.
Please scan QR code for more details on this property. — — Map (db m81130) HM
100 Year Time Capsule,
placed in floor of Palisades Ranch Museum on January 19, 1990,
to be opened January 19, 2090.
By the Robert T. Older family,
Mohahve Historical Society,
and the
Helendale School Dist.
Located 1½ . . . — — Map (db m268173) HM
In 1932, during the Great Depression, California launched a large public works project to aid recovery. A major component was the construction of masonry walls, parapets and fountains along the historic "Rim of the World" highway. This work, widely . . . — — Map (db m51261) HM
During the years 1930 and 1931 the Department of Defense built a network of emergency airfields for use by commercial aviation. During WWII the government converted many of them to military use.
This is the location of Bagdad Auxiliary . . . — — Map (db m241176) HM
The dry lake bed before you was once part of ancient Lake Mojave. During the last ice age, a cooler and wetter climate produced the Mojave River. It flowed inland about 150 miles from the San Bernardino Mountains, until its waters became trapped . . . — — Map (db m83467) HM
The waters here at Soda Springs have sustained people of many cultures for thousands of years. Nomadic Chemehuevi people and the agrarian Mohave Indians visited these springs during hunting, gathering, and trading trips through the area. Their . . . — — Map (db m83465) HM
Home of the "best" fresh strawberry pie & butter thin pancakes!
First opened in Baker, CA in 1956.
Founder: Willis Herron and partner J.O. Failing.
Original Building 1956-1990, one of three restaurants in Baker.
Restaurant was . . . — — Map (db m263496) HM
Francis Marion "Borax" Smith built the railroad to move borax out of the hills and Death Valley in 1907 to replace the twenty mule teams that crossed this way to Ludlow. — — Map (db m123898) HM
Some 100 wagons found themselves in Salt Lake City too late to cross the Sierra Nevada. They banded together under the name of Sand Walking Co. and started for the gold fields in California over the old Spanish Trail. After being in Death Valley . . . — — Map (db m159400) HM
Marl Springs
Marl Springs was named in 1854 by Army Surveyor Lt. Amiel Whipple for the clay-like soil around the two waterholes. With the establishment of Fort Mojave in 1859, the Mojave (or Old Government) Road came into existence. Marl . . . — — Map (db m159025) HM
Though they comprise less than 9 percent of the 270 million acres of public lands administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, riparian and wetland areas, such as Salt Creek, are considered the most productive resources found on public lands. . . . — — Map (db m72926) HM
This area was the focus of both prehistoric...American activities and historic...mining. The rich environment provides...for numerous species.
Please...protect these natural and c... This ACEC is open for hiking and non...d vehicle use. . . . — — Map (db m72928) HM
In 1860 the U.S. Army established an outpost at Soda Springs to protect government supplies from Indians. Later, miners processed the adjacent lake minerals. In 1906 the Tonopah & Tidewater railroad arrived. From 1944 to 1974 Dr. Curtis H. Springer . . . — — Map (db m78587) HM
[Panel #1]
1776 - 1830: Early Explorers
Francisco Garces
1776 - As the Revolutionary War broke out, California was still a province of Spain, and the Spanish government decided to help feed a hungry Mexico by farming the . . . — — Map (db m83575) HM
Dedicated on this
Saturday, October 11, 2014,
to Willis and Barbara Herron,
original owners / founders of the
World’s Tallest Thermometer.
Facts:
Built in 1991, 134 feet tall,
representative of the world's hottest . . . — — Map (db m159379) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m221075) HM
His Expedition (sic) for a transcontinental railroad, crossed the Colorado River on Feb. 27, 1854 and 3 weeks later reached Los Angeles, receiving aid from the Mojave Indians. The Atcheson, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad followed Whipple’s trail for . . . — — Map (db m50577) HM
Harvey Houses were legendary in the history of Western rail travel. Operated by Fred Harvey in conjunction with this Santa Fe Railway, the network of restaurant-hotels set a new standard in quality meal service. Barstow's Spanish-Moorish "Casa Del . . . — — Map (db m50666) HM
The mural depicts the interesting places and people of Barstow Route 66.
On the far left of the mural you will see a 1947 three wheeled Harley Davidson Service Car used by Barstow Police department for parking enforcement to collect money and . . . — — Map (db m286075) HM
One of the finest surviving examples of California's depot-hotels built around the turn of the 19th century. It's also home to the Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum and the Western American Railroad Museum (W.A.R.M.).
Recognized by Hampton . . . — — Map (db m193156) HM
Brubaker Mann Inc. started production in 1950 when two cousins, Ronald Brubaker and William Mann conceived a new project – naturally colored rock to be used for roofing and landscaping. Growing up in Pomona, the two men developed a love for the . . . — — Map (db m288445) HM
April 6, 1881, S.C. Warden, Hues Thomas and John C. King located claims on Calico Mountain and named it the Silver King Mine. Below there, the town of Calico grew from 100 people in the spring of 1882 to over 1,200 at the peak of the rush. . . . — — Map (db m108837) HM
Dedicated in honor of Barstow-Kennedy High School student Eugene F. Christiansen – US Army.
Born February 16, 1949.
M.I.A. February 6, 1969, Republic of Viet Nam.
Barstow, California – 1990 — — Map (db m50539) HM
In early 1776, he set out northward from Yuma Villages on the Colorado River on a journey that took him across the Mojave Desert to the Mission of San Gabriel. He was a master of finding guides who would escort him through their own lands. — — Map (db m50562) HM
Prehistory
Ancient hunters first wandered into the
Fort Irwin area over 10,000 years ago. They
hunted Late Pleistocene animals like the
giant mammoth with large fluted spear-points. These hunters and gatherers lived in
small . . . — — Map (db m192882) HM
The training center serves as the
Army’s premier training center.
The area has a rich history dating
to the Pinta Indians, Father
Garces, Jedidiah Smith, Capt. John
Fremont, and Kit Carson. The Old
Spanish Trail goes through . . . — — Map (db m263529) HM
In 1857, under orders to survey a wagon road from New Mexico to California, General Edward Beale followed the 35th parallel to paths opened by Francis Aubry and Lt. A.W. Whipple. Beale’s orders required importation of camels and drivers to . . . — — Map (db m50561) HM
He was “the Father of the US Calvary” and President Polk named him “Commander of the Army of the West”. In 1848 he went from Santa Fe, NM on to CA with 100 men on an arduous trip across our desert and on to a battle at San . . . — — Map (db m50576) HM
1849 marked the “Gold Rush” in California. Despite the promise of riches, many gold prospectors did not find enough gold to be successful. Conditions were harsh and many went home broke taking other jobs like farming, moving to other gold and silver . . . — — Map (db m288443) HM
Chronicled in the National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Highway 66 or “Route 66” is arguably the oldest, most popular highway in America. Also known as “The Mother Road” and “America's Main Street”, its 2,448 miles first connected Chicago to . . . — — Map (db m288501) HM
In 1826 he led a party of 17 men through the territory of the Mojave Indians, then west across our Great desert. During the trek, the heat became so intense that it forced him and his men to bury themselves in the sand to keep cool. They were the . . . — — Map (db m50571) HM
Called “Pathfinder”, he was known as the west’s greatest adventurer, noted for bravery and his meticulously recorded notes on vegetation and geography. On his 3rd expedition across California in 1845 he, along with Kit Carson, led the . . . — — Map (db m50572) HM
At 19, he was hired for an expedition to California. They traveled south of the Grand Canyon, crossed the Colorado, then followed the dry bed of the Mojave River and crossed the mountains at Cajon Pass to arrive at San Gabriel Mission in early 1830. . . . — — Map (db m50573) HM
Around the time of the Civil War, railroads were being built at a frantic pace. By the early 1870s there were 60,000 miles of track in the U.S., increasing to 250,000 by the 1930s. The war had produced a generation of young men used to living under . . . — — Map (db m114804) HM
This cabin was originally built at Lake Baldwin in the 1800's. It
was going to be demolished, so it was disassembled, pieces numbered,
trucked here and reassembled.
It is named in honor of Dr. Austin Arthur Gaddis, DVM, father . . . — — Map (db m263735) HM
The MCLB was established as the Marine Corps Depot of Supplies on December 28, 1942. The Navy turned it over to the corps as a storage site for supplies and equipment. By the end of WWII, the base had outgrown its facilities. An additional 2,000 . . . — — Map (db m286053) HM
You are now traveling the Old Mojave Trail, a natural riverbed highway.
First used by Ute, Mojave, Chemehuevi & Paiute Indians on the move.
1776 Padre Garces - missionary, explorer & martyr.
1826 Jedediah Smith - of Salt Lake City, . . . — — Map (db m231282) HM
The Mojave Indian Runners helped get messages and information to far flung villages. They could run up to 100 miles a day barefoot and only donned sandals on very rocky or spiney [sic] areas. A group of them met Capt. John Fremont in 1844 near where . . . — — Map (db m50542) HM
• In 1844, Captain John C. Fremont, accompanied by Kit Carson, was the first member of the US Army to visit the Fort Irwin area.
• 8 August 1940: Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range established by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• 4 November 1942: Camp . . . — — Map (db m192890) HM
Barstow s Main Street, which was originally called Elm Street, was located between the railroad tracks in front of the Harvey House. The train tracks were split around the street. South of the street were freight trains and North of the Street were . . . — — Map (db m286087) HM
When families headed west to California in the early
1920's, they came on the old National Trails
Highway through Barstow. "Dusty Rusty" the
large rabbit can be seen in each Main
Street Mural on Main Street. This was the first
mural by the . . . — — Map (db m50530) HM
From 1919-1933 liquor flowed from the Mojave Desert into Los Angeles, an endless supply of liquid wealth. Water, isolation, and labor created the 3 ingredients for favorable moonshine operations.
Law enforcement used large Joshua trees for . . . — — Map (db m286098) HM
The Slash X Ranch was started in 1942 by Lee and Mary Berry. Lee was known as the "Cattle Baron" of the Mojave Desert. At its peak the Slash X ran about 3000 head of cattle. Mary, his wife, did not want drinking and carousing in her house. So using . . . — — Map (db m78519) HM
Previous to the building of Stoddard Wells Road, the primary route of travel between the Fish Ponds (present-day Daggett) and Little Meadows (present-day Victorville) was by way of the Mojave River and Lane's Crossing. Although it later became known . . . — — Map (db m92810) HM
On August 29, 2023, this location was dedicated to
Susie De Ridder, TA Citizen Driver. Susie grew up in a trucking
family and would often accompany her Dad on trucking trips as a
young girl. She noticed from a very young age the lack of . . . — — Map (db m240867) HM
The Beacon Hotel (or Tavern) was built behind a retired aviation beacon which advertised a Richfield gas station. The building, with 50 rooms, was built soon after the stock market crash in 1929. At that time it was the largest hotel between Los . . . — — Map (db m288448) HM
With the discovery of gold in California in 1848, it’s statehood in 1850, and the resulting emigration to the west, the interest of the government in exploring a rail link to the Pacific became serious in the early 1850’s. Not only would a Pacific . . . — — Map (db m50558) HM
In the late 1800’s to 1930’s, rail travel was considered the choice of transportation, Fred Harvey had set up a string of dining rooms and boarding houses for Santa Fe passengers.
In 1911, Mr. Harvey opened million dollar “Casa Del . . . — — Map (db m50535) HM
The Southern Route of the Mormon Trail followed paths explored by Father Garces and Jedediah Smith. In 1848, Mormon Battalion Captain Jefferson Hunt trailed cattle to Utah on this trail. The Daniel Davis family, also of the Mormon Battalion, . . . — — Map (db m50580) HM
[Text from the bottom panels, left to right]
The first explorers kept detailed journals of their expeditions detailing the route taken and the friendly and hostile encounters with Indians along the way. Journals assisted those who followed . . . — — Map (db m50615) HM
The 1,200-mile long Old Spanish Trail
connected Santa Fe, New Mexico, with
Los Angeles, California. It is considered
one of the most arduous trade routes
in the United States. The Spaniards
explored parts of the trail in the late
1700s and . . . — — Map (db m284663) HM
This standard station in Barstow began as a Chevrolet Dealership in the 1920’s owned by Ed Bauer and Slim Slanton.
Around 1937 the dealership was converted to a gas station. By taking out the display windows and modifying the walls, paving . . . — — Map (db m286105) HM
In 1885, the California Southern R.R. Co. connected with the Atlantic and Pacific R.R. line on the Mojave River creating Waterman Junction.
Being named for Governor Waterman, owner of Waterman Mine and a mill nearby.
A post office was . . . — — Map (db m107132) HM
The water came first.
Melting snow from the surrounding mountains drains into
Holcomb Valley. The underlying rocks and soils prevent the
water from percolating down, thus creating a wet meadow.
The water stays for most of the . . . — — Map (db m256238) HM
A typical miner's dwelling during the Gold Rush Days.
Built in 1860, called The Pigmy Cabin, it was partially
destroyed over the years by vandals seeking firewood and souvenirs.
Restoration done as a Boy Scout Eagle Project
by Michael . . . — — Map (db m256240) HM
The stamp mill was an early machine
used to crush gold bearing ore.
Many miners were employed at the
large scale mines and Big Bear
was one of the many mining towns.
Gold Mountain and Rose mines were
the largest, having 40 stamps each
on . . . — — Map (db m197824) HM
Southern California's largest gold rush followed the discovery of rich placer deposits by William F. Holcomb and Ben Choteau on May 4, 1860. Miners rushed to the valley and established boom towns. Belleville, the largest, rivaled San Bernardino in . . . — — Map (db m50702) HM
This building was built by Guy Maltby of
Big Bear Valley Milling & Lumber Company in 1927-1928.
It was the original community market in
Big Bear City, & was sold to Frank & Freda Jakobi
who lived upstairs. It was replaced in 1936
with todays . . . — — Map (db m236792) HM
Originally located in Bear City Park, this
miniature Maltby building was once the golf
shack of the Peter Pan Woodland Club. The
club was known for its beautiful golf course,
pools, and equestrian trails. Builder Guy
Maltby was known for . . . — — Map (db m197826) HM
BBSO is home to the world's largest aperture,
and highest resolution solar telescope. The 1.6
meter primary mirror of the New Solar
Telescope (NST) is housed in the first facility-class solar telescope made in the USA in a
generation. The . . . — — Map (db m197808) HM
Big Bear Lake, as you see it now, is a hub for recreation and outdoor activities.
Did you know if you stood on this spot in the 1880's you wouldn't see a lake at all?
Until 1885, the lake in front of you was a sprawling wet meadow laced by a . . . — — Map (db m197780) HM
Over 400 years ago, as the Spanish adventurer Cabrillo was
exploring what is now Southern California, the mighty pine
above you had just peeked through the soil. By the time
Benjamin Davis Wilson discovered our valley in 1845, this tree
had . . . — — Map (db m197487) HM
In January 1996: A family of "Three Strikes" Grizzly Bears were captured outside of
Yellowstone National Park. US Fish and Wildlife Bear Management guidelines directed the
rangers to either find them a permanent home in a zoological facility . . . — — Map (db m197752) HM
Named for William Francis "Bill" Holcomb, pioneer prospector who, in this valley discovered Southern California's richest gold field - May 5, 1860. — — Map (db m50610) HM
In 1884 Frank Brown built an unusual dam here to supply irrigation water for the Redlands area. The single-arch granite dam formed Big Bear Lake, then the world’s largest man-made lake. Engineers claimed the dam would not hold, and declared it “The . . . — — Map (db m128510) HM
Founded in late 1859, Bellevill was named after Belle Van Dusen, the first child born in Holcomb Valley. She was the daughter of Ted Van Dusen, the town blacksmith and early pioneer. — — Map (db m78590) HM
In Memory of his Contribution
Captain Milburn G. “Mel” Apt, USAF
Pilot of the Bell X-2
First human being to reach and exceed Mach 3 — 2094 MPH
Perished near this site on September 27th 1956
while returning to base on . . . — — Map (db m125805) HM
The Randsburg Railway
The Randsburg Railway was built in response to the rapid growth of the Rand Mining District after gold was discovered near what would become Randsburg (about 28 miles north of this marker) in 1895. As mining expanded, . . . — — Map (db m313557) HM
From Chicago to Santa Monica Route 66 was dotted with roadside cafes and gas stations. These stops provided a respite for those traveling The Mother Road offering a refreshing soft drink, a burger and fries, or an eye-popping cup of coffee as well . . . — — Map (db m242749) HM
Long ago Mohave Indians used a network of pathways to cross the Mojave Desert to reach the Pacific Coast from their homes along the Colorado River. In 1776, the Spanish Missionary Francisco Garces became the first non-Indian to trek these . . . — — Map (db m78586) HM
Operation Moolah was a United States Air Force effort to obtain a fully capable Soviet MiG-15 jet fighter for analysis. The operation focused on encouraging a Communist pilot from the Soviet Union, China, or North Korea to defect with a MiG . . . — — Map (db m242374) HM WM
The Korean War ravaged up and down the peninsula.
Family members and relatives, separated only by geography, fund themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. For them, the Korean War became brother versus brother, father versus son, cousin . . . — — Map (db m242378) HM WM
Throughout the conflict, doctors and nurses performed vital and heroic functions to save lives. Whether on-board hospital ships, conducting airborne medical evacuations, or serving with frontline Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) units, days were . . . — — Map (db m242380) HM WM
On June 25, 1950, at the encouragement of the Soviet Union, military forces of the North Korean People’s Army invaded South Korea in an attempt to unify the peninsula under communist rule.
In November 1950, again at the urging of the Soviet . . . — — Map (db m242376) HM WM
This reservoir, now demolished, was built for Fenton Mercer Slaughter in 1894. It was located about one-quarter mile north of this adobe. — — Map (db m249) HM
John Walmsley, Jr.
Captain – U.S. Air Force
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Recognition: Medal of Honor – Posthumous
Early in the Korean War, John Walmsley volunteered to fly nighttime bombing missions against the communist truck and . . . — — Map (db m242413) HM WM
During the three years of the Korean War, nearly 100 men, flying for either the United Nations or Communist forces, achieved ace status – a pilot who successfully shot down five or more aircraft.
For the Soviet Union, which claimed at least . . . — — Map (db m242379) HM WM
The objective of the Korean War for both sides was unification of the Korean peninsula under their particular form of government. Neither side achieved their goal.
After the Armistice, with Soviet and Chinese help, North Korean rebuilt . . . — — Map (db m242373) HM WM
This sign, a reproduction of one positioned at Kimpo Air Base in South Korea, represents the role that aviation played in the Korean War.
From airfields throughout South Korea and Japan, United Nations forces flew a constant steam of missions . . . — — Map (db m242368) HM WM
Near this site, Isaac Williams in 1841 built a large adobe home, located on the 22,000-acre Rancho Chino which he acquired from his father-in-law Antonio Lugo. The "Battle of Chino" occurred at the adobe on September 26-27, 1846, during which 24 . . . — — Map (db m50665) HM
Near this spot once stood the home of Isaac Williams, first American settler in this valley, about which on September 26-27, 1846, was fought the first important engagement in California of the war with Mexico.
This was also the site of the Chino . . . — — Map (db m379) HM
They came from remote villages, small towns, and large cities.
From all levels of society – farmers, workers, merchants, professionals.
Some fought on the side of communism, others for the idea of self-government, still other for the man next . . . — — Map (db m242369) HM WM
Joseph Rodriguez
Private First Class – U.S. Army
Hometown: San Bernardino, California
Recognition: Medal of Honor
Joseph Rodriguez was a twenty-two year old private first class (PFC) assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 17th . . . — — Map (db m242417) HM WM
This marker commemorates the World War II Army Air Corps Pilots who were trained between 1940 and 1944, at this airfield that was the home of the Cal-Aero Flight Academy. — — Map (db m242382) HM WM
This example of early California architecture was built in 1850-53 by Raimundo Yorba. Purchased in 1868 by Fenton Mercer Slaughter, it was preserved as a memorial to him by his daughter, Julia Slaughter Fuqua. — — Map (db m923) HM
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