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 Contents

Foreward . . . 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 Maps

Map 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 Chapter

Click the button to download a sample chapter from the book. Below is an image from the sample.

download

 The Silence and The Sun has gotten a wealth of great reviews! Click here to read some of which Joe is most proud.