Overview

Trona was once the most populous community in the Upper Mojave Desert. Originally explored by the Death Valley 49ers in 1850, Searles Valley was formed by remnants of the Owens River Lakes. The small towns of Borosolvay, Magnesium, Burnham, and Slaterange City prospered for a period before fading. Homewood Canyon, Westend, Argus, Pioneer Point, and Trona continue to provide pleasant housing for Searles Valley residents. The valley is dominated by mining history, and Searles Valley Minerals still produces products for worldwide markets. Wyatt Earp played cards and gambled at Poeville and was arrested in 1910 in Searles Valley for claim jumping. In 1913, Stafford Wallace Austin helped create the planned town of Trona. Amelia Earhart's husband, George Putnam, died at the Trona Hospital in 1950. Sit down and enjoy the jaunt through some of the most interesting history in the West.

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9781467133999

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Coauthors James L. Fairchild and Russell L. Kaldenberg, with the Searles Valley Historical Society, compiled vintage photographs to show Searles Valley's development over the years. James L. Fairchild has lived in Trona since 1963 and has investigated the history of mining methods on Searles Lake for 15 years. Historic preservation specialist Russell L. Kaldenberg has worked extensively throughout the West on cultural resource projects and oral histories.

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