
Exploring the back roads of the Mojave Desert is a rewarding experience – there is a real thrill when one tops a ridge or rounds a curve to find the remains of an abandoned mine, town or former roadside business. All is silent now; the place is empty and may be overgrown as the desert reclaims the land. But at one time, decades ago, people lived, worked and raised their families in these forgotten places. The Silence and the Sun offers a selection of historical accounts on the growth and eventual decline of some of these desert sites and stories of the people who lived there. Learn more about The Silence and The Sun here, including a table of contents, a list of maps in the book, and download a sample chapter!
Table of ContentsForeward . . . ix
Preface . . . xi Acknowledgements . . . xii Introduction . . . xiii Chapter One: The Old Woman Meteorite The story behind the second largest meteorite ever found in the U.S. . . . 1 Chapter Two: Cadiz Summit "Nothing but sagebrush and rattlesnakes" . . . 15 Chapter Three: Cadiz and Chambless Junction . . . 46 Chapter Four: Bagdad and Points West - Trojan, Siberia, Klondike Long abandoned railroad outposts along old Route 66 . . . 59 Chapter Five: Lower Fenner Valley Danby, Old Danby, Siam, Bonanza Spring . . . 85 Chapter Six: Skeleton Pass Road and Rice - 1 A futile search for oil in an unlikely spot . . . 107 Chapter Seven: Archer Lonely cemetery for young Vincente Lopez . . . 116 Chapter Eight: Chubbuck Concrete sentinels - relics of a mining past . . . 127 Chapter Nine: Southwest Ward Valley Milligan, The Lucky Jim Mine, Train vs. Tank Collision Site . . . 192 Chapter Ten: Amboy A Route 66 legend ready to be reborn . . . 210 Chapter Eleven: Saltus and Funston Siding . . . 262 Chapter Twelve: What's In a Name? The Typonymy of Route 66 by Roger Hatheway . . . 276 Chapter Thirteen: Tom Schofield, A Prospector's Legacy . . . 284 Appendix I: List of Bagdad Residents . . . 294 Appendix II: List of Chubbuck Residents . . . 303 Appendix III: List of Amboy Residents . . . 306 Appendix IV: Partial List of Saltus Residents . . . 327 Appendix V: Partial List of Cadiz Residents . . . 329 Index . . . 331 |
List of MapsMap of the Southeast Mojave Desert, California
showing places referred to in the text . . . xvi Site Map of Bagdad, California, Redrawn from Chief Engineer's Drawing 1908 . . . 63 Site Map of Siam, California, Redrawn from Chief Engineer's Drawing 1901; revised 1910 . . . 97 Location Map of Chubbuck, California showing principal roads and geographic features . . . 129 Site map of Chubbuck, Eastern Mojave Desert, San Bernadino County, California . . . 180 Southwest Ward Valley, California showing the location of the Train vs. Tank Collision site . . . 207 Site Map of Amboy, California Compiled from aerial photographs taken in 1925, 1948, 1953, and 1967 and from on-site visits with former residents . . . 216 Amboy Railroad Facilities Map, 1901 . . . 254 Sample ChapterClick the button to download a sample chapter from the book. Below is an image from the sample.
|
The Silence and The Sun has gotten a wealth of great reviews! Click here to read some of which Joe is most proud.