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79-673: Nevershine Hollow was on the new 1855 cutoff route from the original Old Spanish Trail and the original and more difficult route of the Mormon Road in the Black Mountains to the west. The 1855 cutoff made a crossing at Beaver, Utah , (3 miles east up the Beaver River from the old crossing at modern Greenville, Utah ), passed through more wagon friendly terrain in Nevershine Hollow and over Beaver Ridge into

158-708: A cut off developed on the Old Spanish Trail that cut the distance traveled along the upper Mojave River, by cutting across what is now Victor Valley , from the Cajon Pass to a crossing just below the Lower Narrows of the river. On April 20, 1844, following the advice of his guide, John C. Frémont intercepted this route to the river, riding east southeast from Lake Elizabeth , north of the San Gabriel Mountains . Another cutoff to

237-595: A fuel bed. This has significantly altered many areas of the desert. At higher elevations, fire regimes are regular but infrequent. While the Mojave Desert is generally sparsely populated, it has increasingly become urbanized in recent years. The metropolitan areas include Las Vegas , the largest urban area in the Mojave and the largest urban area in Nevada with a population of about 2.3 million. St. George, Utah ,

316-476: A mule, which were considered hardier. California had almost no wool-processing industry and few weavers, so woven products were a welcome commodity. The trading party usually left New Mexico in early November to take advantage of winter rains to cross the deserts on the trail and would arrive in California in early February. The return party would usually leave California for New Mexico in early April to get over

395-406: A natural border to the Mojave Desert. There are also abundant alluvial fans , which are called bajadas , that form around the mountains within the Mojave Desert and extend down toward the low altitude basins, which contain dried lake beds called playas, where water generally collects and evaporates, leaving large volumes of salt. These playas include Rogers Dry Lake and China Lake . Dry lakes are

474-709: A noted feature of the Mojave landscape. The Mojave Desert is also home to the Devils Playground , about 40 miles (64 km) of dunes and salt flats going in a northwest-southeasterly direction. The Devil's Playground is a part of the Mojave National Preserve and is between the town of Baker, California and the Providence Mountains . The Cronese Mountains are within the Devil's Playground. There are very few surface rivers in

553-676: A pattern of a series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys. It is also the site of Death Valley , which is the lowest elevation in North America. The Mojave Desert is often colloquially called the "high desert", as most of it lies between 2,000 and 4,000 feet (610 and 1,220 m). It supports a diversity of flora and fauna. The 54,000 sq mi (140,000 km ) desert supports a number of human activities, including recreation, ranching, and military training. The Mojave Desert also contains various silver , tungsten , iron and gold deposits. The spelling Mojave originates from

632-699: A report to the governor, and this was published by the Mexican government in June 1830. After this date, traders generally used the trail for a single, annual round trip. Word spread about Armijo's successful trade expedition, and some commerce began between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. However, in 1830, due to resumed hostilities with the Navajo , the Armijo route west to the Colorado River Crossing of

711-462: A route he called "Cañon de San Bernardino" from the upper Mojave River west through Cajon Pass and down Crowder and Cajon canyons to the mouth of Cajon Pass, where the trail reached the coastal plain of San Bernardino Valley . This route was undoubtedly known to the vaqueros of San Bernardino Estancia. Once through the pass, they turned west along the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains for two days to San Jose Creek ; they followed it, crossing

790-828: A section of the trail in Arches National Park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places . In 2001, the section of the Trail that runs across Nevada from the Arizona border to California was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Spanish Trail/Mormon Road Historic District. Mojave National Preserve and Mojave Trails National Monument preserve sections of

869-728: A short cut route southwest to the mouth of the Mojave River. From Las Vegas Wash on the Colorado River, Armijo's expedition passed southwestward to Eldorado Dry Lake in Eldorado Valley and the spring at Goodsprings Valley , then through Wilson Pass , across Mesquite Valley and California Valley , through what became known as Emigrant Pass to Resting Springs , then along the Amargosa River from near Tecopa to Salt Spring . From Salt Spring they crossed

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948-638: A two-day-long waterless stretch up Salt Creek to Laguna del Milagro ("Lake of the Miracle") (probably Silver Lake ), then to Ojito del Malpais ("little spring of the badlands") on Soda Lake . They had another waterless day beyond Soda Lake, where they reached the Mojave River , only intermittently dependable for potable water, and the Mohave Trail leading up river. By then short of food, Armijo sent some of his scouts ahead to get more food in

1027-511: Is a combination of a network of trails first established by indigenous people and later used by Spanish explorers, trappers, and traders with the Ute and other indigenous tribes. The eastern parts of what became called the Old Spanish Trail, including southwest Colorado and southeast Utah , were explored by Juan Maria de Rivera in 1765. Franciscan missionaries Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante unsuccessfully attempted

1106-527: Is a former ranch along the Mojave River. Several attractions and natural features are in the Calico Mountains . Calico Ghost Town , in Yermo, is administered by San Bernardino County. The ghost town has several shops and attractions and inspired Walter Knott to build Knott's Berry Farm . The Bureau of Land Management also administers Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon. The Calico Early Man Site , in

1185-473: Is generally abundant in winter annuals. The plants of the Mojave Desert each generally correspond to an individual geographic feature. As such, there are distinctive flora communities within the desert. Notable species of the Mojave Desert include bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis ), mountain lions ( Puma concolor ), black-tailed jackrabbits ( Lepus californicus ), and desert tortoises ( Gopherus agassizii ). Various other species are particularly common in

1264-572: Is not endemic, but almost completely limited to the Mojave Desert. There are also aquatic species that are found nowhere else, such as the Devils Hole pupfish , limited to one hot spring near Death Valley. Before the European colonization of North America, tribes of Native Americans, such as the Mohave , were hunter-gatherers living in the Mojave Desert. European explorers started exploring

1343-643: Is the northeasternmost metropolitan area in the Mojave, with a population of around 180,000 in 2020, and is located at the convergence of the Mojave, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau. The Los Angeles exurban area of Lancaster - Palmdale has more than 400,000 residents, and the Victorville area to its east has more than 300,000 residents. Smaller cities or micropolitan areas in the Mojave Desert include Helendale , Lake Havasu City , Kingman , Laughlin , Bullhead City and Pahrump . All have experienced rapid population growth since 1990. The California portion of

1422-406: Is the principal saline basin of the Mojave Desert. Natural springs are typically rare throughout the Mojave Desert, but there are two notable springs, Ash Meadows and Oasis Valley . Ash Meadows is formed from several other springs, which all draw from deep underground. Oasis Valley draws from the nearby Amargosa River. Extremes in temperatures throughout the seasons characterize the climate of

1501-855: The Four Corners area, and passed north of the Carrizo Mountains to Church Rock , east of present-day Kayenta . The trail ran to Marsh Pass and north through Tsegi Canyon into canyon country. At the Colorado River (then called the Rio Grande), the travelers forded at the Crossing of the Fathers above present-day Glen Canyon Dam . Continuing west to Pipe Spring and on to Virgin River above present-day St. George, Utah ,

1580-560: The Mexican–American War of 1846–1848. After 1848 numerous Mormon immigrants began settling in Utah , Nevada , and California all along the trail, affecting both trade interests and tolerance for the slavery of American Natives. Place names used in this article refer to present-day states and communities. Few (if any) settlements existed along the trail, except in the coastal plains of Alta California, before 1850, although many of

1659-821: The Mohave villages (below modern Laughlin ) and followed the route between the springs along the Mojave Trail to Soda Lake and the Mojave River. Later caravans could alternatively follow the Armijo Route diverting southwestward from the Colorado at Las Vegas Wash, to Resting Springs and to the Mojave River where it joined the Wolfskill/Yount Route, following that river upward to and over the San Bernardino Mountains through Cajon Pass, Crowder Canyon and lower Cajon Canyon and across

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1738-549: The Mojave National Preserve . However, the southwest and central east portions of the Mojave Desert are particularly threatened as a result of off-road vehicles, increasing recreational use, human development, and agricultural grazing . The World Wildlife Fund lists the Mojave Desert as relatively "stable/intact". Various habitats and regions of the Mojave Desert have been protected by statute. Notably, Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, and

1817-555: The Oligocene . Large downpours during the Miocene likely significantly eroded the rock in the Mojave and accelerated deposition . The Mojave Desert is a source of various minerals and metallic materials. Due to the climate, there is an accumulation of weathered bedrock, fine sand and silt, both sand and silt sediments becoming converted into colluvium . The deposits of gold, tungsten, and silver have been mined frequently prior to

1896-577: The Paleozoic era, the area that is now the Mojave was again likely submerged under a greater sea. During the Mesozoic era, major tectonic activities such as thrust faulting and folding resulted in distinctive shaping as well as intrusion . During the Cenozoic , more tectonic deformation occurred whilst the Mojave was partly submerged. Major volcanic activity is thought to have occurred during

1975-478: The San Gabriel Mission . In recent years, human development in the Mojave Desert has become increasingly present. Human development at the major urban and suburban centers of Las Vegas and Los Angeles has had an increasingly damaging effect on the wildlife of the Mojave Desert. An added demand for landfill space as a result of the large metropolitan centers of Las Vegas and Los Angeles also has

2054-546: The San Gabriel River at the Rancho La Puente , and reaching Mission San Gabriel Arcángel on January 30, 1830. Armijo used the same route to return to his original town, traveling from March 1 to April 25, 1830. He submitted a brief journal of his journey (itemizing the days with names of places where camps were made but not quantifying distances) to the government of New Mexico, and it was published by

2133-497: The San Juan Mountains , Mancos , and Dove Creek , entering Utah near present-day Monticello . The trail proceeded north through difficult terrain to Spanish Valley near today's Moab, Utah , where a ferry crossed the deep and wide Colorado River and then turned northwest to a ferry crossing on the similarly sized and dangerous Green River near present-day Green River, Utah . The route then passed through (or around)

2212-682: The San Rafael Swell , the northernmost reach of the Trail. Entering the Great Basin in Utah via Salina Creek Canyon , the trail turned southwest following the Sevier , Santa Clara , Virgin Rivers to the north bank of the Colorado River. There they could follow the Colorado River to Las Vegas Wash, then south through the Eldorado Valley and Piute Valley to join the Mojave Trail, west of

2291-535: The Second World War . Additionally, there have been deposits of copper , tin , lead-zinc , manganese , iron , and various radioactive substances but they have not been mined for commercial use. The flora of the Mojave Desert consists of various endemic plant species, notably the Joshua Tree , which is a notable endemic and indicator species of the desert. There is more endemic flora in

2370-662: The Uncompahgre Valley . The trail then followed the Gunnison River to today's Grand Junction , where the Colorado River was forded, and then on west to join the Main Northern Route just east of the Green River. The North Branch later became an interest of explorers seeking viable routes for a transcontinental railroad along the 38th parallel. In 1853 alone, three separate expeditions explored

2449-472: The indigenous Mohave people , it is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada , with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah . The Mojave Desert, together with the Sonoran , Chihuahuan , and Great Basin deserts, form a larger North American Desert . Of these, the Mojave is the smallest and driest. It displays typical basin and range topography , generally having

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2528-466: The Armijo route of the Old Spanish Trail had developed before 1844, where the trail forked northeastward from the Mojave River and Mohave Trail, east of what is now Yermo, California , running up Spanish Canyon over Alvord Mountain , to Bitter Spring , then through Red Pass to join the Armijo route near Salt Spring in the Silurian Valley . Frémont also used this route in 1844. The fork of

2607-757: The Calico Hills east of Yermo , is believed by some archaeologists, including the late Louis Leakey , to show the earliest evidence with lithic stone tools found here of human activity in North America. The Mojave Desert has a relatively stable and intact conservation status. The Mojave Desert is one of the best protected distinct ecoregions in the United States, as a result of the California Desert Protection Act , which designated 69 wilderness areas and established Death Valley National Park , Joshua Tree National Park , and

2686-1092: The Fathers was not practical. A new route north of the river had to be found, which used the trails of the fur traders and trappers of New Mexico through the lands of the Ute. This route ran northwest to the Colorado and Green rivers, then crossed over to the Sevier River , which it followed until crossing westward over mountains to the vicinity of Parowan, Utah . It passed southward to the Santa Clara River, linking up with Armijo's route to California. This commerce usually consisted of one mule pack train from Santa Fe with 20 to 200 members, with roughly twice as many mules, bringing New Mexican goods hand-woven by Indians, such as serapes and blankets, to California. California had many horses and mules, many growing wild, with no local market, which were readily traded for hand-woven Indian products. Usually two blankets were traded for one horse; more blankets were usually required for

2765-724: The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Additionally, the Mojave Desert is also home to various species of cacti, such as silver cholla ( Cylindropuntia echinocarpa ), Mojave prickly pear ( O. erinacea ), beavertail cactus ( O. basilaris ), and many-headed barrel cactus ( Echinocactus polycephalus ). Less common but distinctive plants of the Mojave Desert include ironwood ( Olneya tesota ), blue Palo Verde ( Parkinsonia Florida ), chuparosa ( Justicia californica ), spiny menodora ( Menodora spinescens ), desert senna ( Cassia armata ), California dalea ( Psorothamnus arborescens ), and goldenhead ( Acamptopappus shockleyi ). The Mojave Desert

2844-677: The Mexican government in June 1830. The Main Route (also referred to as the Central Route or the Northern Route) of the Old Spanish Trail avoided territory of the Navajo , (who had returned to a state of hostilities after Armijo's trip), and the more difficult canyon country traversed by the Armijo Route around the Colorado River. First traveled in 1830 by a party led by William Wolfskill and George Yount , this route ran northwest from Santa Fe through southwestern Colorado , past

2923-585: The Mojave Desert in the San Gabriel mountains may receive more rain. Most of the precipitation in the Mojave comes from the Pacific Cyclonic storms that are generally present passing eastward in November to April. Such storms generally bring rain and snow only in the mountainous regions, as a result of the effect of the mountains, which creates a drying effect on its leeward slopes . During

3002-629: The Mojave Desert than almost anywhere in the world. Mojave Desert flora is not a vegetation type , although the plants in the area have evolved in isolation because of the physical barriers of the Sierra Nevadas and the Colorado Plateau. Predominant plants of the Mojave Desert include all-scale ( Atriplex polycarpa ), creosote bush ( Larrea tridentata ), brittlebush ( Encelia farinosa ), desert holly ( Atriplex hymenelytra ), white burrobush (Hymenoclea salsola), and most notably,

3081-725: The Mojave Desert was further protected from development by the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP), in which the Bureau of Land Management designated 4.2 million acres of public land as protected wilderness as part of the National Conservation Lands of the California Desert. The Mojave Desert has served as a backdrop for a number of films . The 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas takes place in

3160-533: The Mojave Desert, but two major rivers generally flow underground. One is the intermittent Mojave River , which begins in the San Bernardino mountains and disappears underground in the Mojave Desert. The other is the Amargosa River , which flows partly underground through the Mojave Desert along a southward path. The Manix, Mojave, and the Little Mojave lakes are all large but shallow. Soda Lake

3239-441: The Mojave Desert, such as the LeConte's thrasher ( Toxostoma lecontei ), banded gecko ( Coleonyx variegatus ), desert iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis), chuckwalla ( Sauromalus obesus ), and regal horned lizard ( Phrynosoma solare ). Species of snake include the rosy boa ( Lichanura trivirgata ), Western patch-nosed snake ( Salvadora hexalepis ), and Mojave rattlesnake ( Crotalus scutulatus ). These species can also occur in

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3318-399: The Mojave Desert. Freezing temperatures as well as strong winds are not uncommon in the winter, as well as precipitation such as rain and snow in the mountains. In contrast, temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are not uncommon during the summer months. There is an annual average precipitation of 2 to 6 inches (51 to 152 mm), although regions at high altitudes such as the portion of

3397-705: The Mojave National Preserve by the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. ( Pub.L. 103–433). Various other federal and state land agencies have protected regions within the Mojave Desert. These include Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve , which protects the fields of California poppies, Mojave Trails National Monument , Desert Tortoise Natural Area , Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park , Desert National Wildlife Refuge , Lake Mead National Recreation Area , Providence Mountains State Recreation Area , Red Cliffs National Conservation Area , Red Rock Canyon State Park , Saddleback Butte State Park , Snow Canyon State Park and Valley of Fire State Park . In 2013,

3476-660: The Mojave a critical training location for the United States Department of Defense. The Mojave Desert has long been a valuable resource for people, and as its human population grows, its importance will only grow. Miners, ranchers, and farmers rely on the desert for a living. The Mojave is also used by the state of California to meet renewable energy objectives. Large tracts of the desert are owned by federal agencies and are leased at low cost by wind and solar energy companies, although these renewable developments can cause their own environmental impact and disturb cultural landscapes and visual resources. Desert Sunlight Solar Farm , one of

3555-419: The Mojave from the nearby Sonoran Desert. The Mojave Desert is bordered by the San Andreas Fault to the southwest and the Garlock fault to the north. The mountains elevated along the length of the San Andreas fault provide a clear border between the Mojave Desert and the coastal regions to the west. The Garlock fault separates the Mojave Desert from the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi mountains, which provide

3634-489: The North Branch over Cochetopa Pass. These groups were led, in order, by Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale , Captain John Williams Gunnison , and John C. Frémont. Use of the Old Spanish Trail between 1829 and 1848 resulted in numerous variations as travelers adopted or blazed easier paths. But regardless of the route taken, the Old Spanish Trail crossed several mountain ranges, passed through dry sections with limited grass and sometimes limited water, crossed two deserts, and

3713-421: The Old Spanish Trail, with the exception of some of the paths through the Mojave Desert . The Mohave Trail was first traveled by Garcés from the Mohave villages on the Colorado River westward across the Mojave Desert, between desert springs, until he turned northwestward to the Old Tejon Pass into the San Joaquin Valley , looking for a route to Monterey. Garcés returned to the Colorado River by following

3792-443: The Spanish language, while the spelling Mohave comes from modern English. Both are used today, although the Mojave Tribal Nation officially uses the spelling Mojave . Mojave is a shortened form of Hamakhaave , an endonym in their native language, which means "beside the water". The Mojave Desert is a desert bordered to the west by the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the California montane chaparral and woodlands , and to

3871-423: The canyon of Fremont Wash to Muley Point . 38°11′27″N 112°38′31″W  /  38.19083°N 112.64194°W  / 38.19083; -112.64194 This article about a location in Utah is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Old Spanish Trail (trade route) The Old Spanish Trail ( Spanish : Viejo Sendero Español ) is a historical trade route that connected

3950-447: The coastal valleys to Mission San Gabriel and Los Angeles. The North Branch of the Old Spanish Trail was established by traders and trappers using Indian and Spanish colonial routes. It ran from Santa Fe north to Taos and on north into the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Caravans then headed west to today's Saguache , crossing over the Continental Divide at Cochetopa Pass , and then through present day Gunnison and Montrose to

4029-448: The deep narrow gorge of Boulder Canyon , to the riverside oases of Callville Wash and Las Vegas Wash . Armijo waited there for his scouts to return, especially Rivera who had visited the Mohave villages downriver before. Rivera returned, having recognized the Mohave Trail that led westward to Southern California. Perhaps because the Mohave had been antagonistic to parties of mountain men in recent years, or to save time, Armijo attempted

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4108-410: The desert also contains Edwards Air Force Base and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake , noted for experimental aviation and weapons projects. The Mojave Desert has several ghost towns . The most significant are the silver and copper-mining town of Calico, California , and the old railroad depot of Kelso, California . Some of the other ghost towns are more modern, created when U.S. Route 66 (and

4187-408: The deserts beginning in the 18th century. Francisco Garcés , a Franciscan friar, was the first explorer of the Mojave Desert in 1776. Garcés recorded information about the original inhabitants of the deserts. Later, as American interests expanded into California, American explorers started probing the California deserts. Jedediah Smith travelled through the Mojave Desert in 1826, finally reaching

4266-432: The dry 50 miles to the Muddy River before rejoining the Main Route on the Virgin River at Halfway Wash after crossing what later became known as Mormon Mesa . This route saved the large distances caused by the diversion of the Armijo and Main routes to follow the Colorado River, and would later become the route of the Mormon Road , the wagon road through southern Nevada between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. In 1988,

4345-413: The expedition followed the Virgin to the mouth of the Santa Clara River , which they followed up to the vicinity of the Shivwits Reservation . They crossed southward over the Beaver Dam Mountains , at Utah Hill Summit to the Virgin River again, which they followed for three days down to the Colorado River. They traveled west parallel to the river, over difficult terrain in the Black Mountains , to avoid

4424-419: The geologic features along the Trail retain their Spanish designations. The Armijo Route of the Old Spanish Trail was established by an expedition led by Antonio Armijo in 1829–1830. Leaving Abiquiu on November 7, 1829 Armijo's expedition traveled a route northwest and west of Santa Fe, following the Chama River and the Puerco River . He crossed to the San Juan River basin. From the San Juan, they entered

4503-584: The international destination of Las Vegas. The Mojave is also known for its scenery, playing host to Death Valley National Park , Joshua Tree National Park , and the Mojave National Preserve . Lakes Mead , Mohave , and Havasu provide water sports recreation, and vast off-road areas entice off-road enthusiasts. The Mojave Desert also includes three California State Parks , the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve , in Lancaster , Saddleback Butte State Park , in Hi Vista and Red Rock Canyon State Park . Mojave Narrows Park , operated by San Bernardino County,

4582-470: The largest solar farms in the world, was built approximately five miles from Joshua Tree National Park . An endangered Yuma clapper rail was found dead at the site in 2014, spurring efforts from conservation groups to protect birds from the so-called lake effect, a phenomenon in which birds can mistake the reflective glare of solar panels for a body of water. The Mojave Desert is one of the most popular spots for tourism in North America, primarily because of

4661-496: The late 16th century, the trail was extensively used by traders with pack trains from about 1830 until the mid-1850s. The area was part of Mexico from Mexican independence in 1821 to the Mexican Cession to the United States in 1848. The name of the trail comes from the publication of John C. Frémont ’s Report of his 1844 journey (which crossed into Mexico) for the U.S. Topographical Corps , guided by Kit Carson , from California to New Mexico. The name acknowledges that parts of

4740-442: The late summer months, there is also the possibility of strong thunderstorms, which bring heavy showers or cloudbursts. These storms can result in flash flooding . The Mojave Desert has not historically supported a fire regime because of low fuel loads and connectivity. However, in the last few decades, invasive annual plants such as some within the genera Bromus , Schismus and Brassica have facilitated fires by serving as

4819-450: The lesser-known U.S. Route 91 ) were abandoned in favor of the construction of Interstates . CA SR 14 , Interstate 15 , Interstate 40 , CA SR 58 , CA SR 138 , US Route 95 , and US Route 395 are the main highways that traverse the Mojave Desert. The rock that forms the Mojave Desert was likely created under shallow water in the Precambrian . Sedimentary processes left large deposits of limestones, silicates, and dolomites. During

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4898-478: The neighboring Sonoran and Great Basin deserts. The animal species of the Mojave Desert have generally fewer endemics than its flora. However, endemic fauna of the Mojave Desert include Kelso Dunes jerusalem cricket ( Ammopelmatus kelsoensis), the Kelso Dunes shieldback katydid ( Eremopedes kelsoensis ), the Mohave ground squirrel ( Spermophilus Mohavensis ) and Amargosa vole ( Microtus californicus scirpensis ). The Mojave fringe-toed lizard ( Uma Scopari a)

4977-419: The northern New Mexico settlements of (or near) Santa Fe, New Mexico with those of Los Angeles , California and southern California. Approximately 700 mi (1,100 km) long, the trail ran through areas of high mountains, arid deserts, and deep canyons. It is considered one of the most arduous of all trade routes ever established in the United States. Explored, in part, by Spanish explorers as early as

5056-416: The real potential to drastically affect flora and fauna of the Mojave Desert. Agricultural development along the Colorado river , close to the Eastern boundary of the Mojave Desert, also causes habitat loss and degradation. Areas that are particularly affected by human development include Ward Valley and Riverside county. The United States military also maintains installations in the Mojave Desert, making

5135-432: The settlement at San Bernardino de Sena Estancia . They followed the river for six days (110 miles to its head from the mouth), having to kill a mule or horse each day to eat. Probably at Summit Valley at the top of the river east of Cajon Pass , they met vaqueros of the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia who had extra food. Armijo did not cross over the mountains by the Mohave Trail route over Monument Peak , but followed

5214-827: The south and east by the Sonoran Desert. The boundaries to the east of the Mojave Desert are less distinctive than the other boundaries because there is no presence of an indicator species, such as the Joshua tree ( Yucca brevifolia ), which is endemic to the Mojave Desert. The Mojave Desert is distinguished from the Sonoran Desert and other deserts adjacent to it by its warm temperate climate, as well as flora and fauna such as ironwood ( Olneya tesota ), blue Palo Verde ( Parkinsonia florida ), chuparosa ( Justicia californica ), spiny menodora ( Menodora spinescens ), desert senna ( Cassia armata ), California dalea ( Psorothamnus arborescens ), California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) and goldenhead ( Acamptopappus shockleyi ). Along with these other factors, these plants differentiate

5293-434: The states that it crossed. Portions of US 160 in Colorado and US 191 in Utah are similarly designated. Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( / m oʊ ˈ h ɑː v i , m ə -/ ; Mohave : Hayikwiir Mat'aar ; Spanish : Desierto de Mojave ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States . Named for

5372-422: The trail before the water holes dried up and the melting snow raised the rivers too high. The return party often drove several hundred to a few thousand horses and mules. Low-scale emigration from New Mexico to California used parts of the trail in the late 1830s when the trapping trade began to die. New Mexicans migrated to settle in Alta California by this route: some first settled in Politana then established

5451-421: The trail had been known and used by the Spanish since the 16th century. Frémont's report identified a trail that had already been used for about 15 years. The trail is important to New Mexico history because it established an arduous but usable trade route with California. In 2002 this trail was designated by Congress as part of the National Trails System as Old Spanish National Historic Trail . The trail

5530-512: The trail often resulted from such slave raids by unscrupulous traders and raiding Indians. John C. Frémont , "The Great Pathfinder", took the route, guided by Kit Carson , in 1844 and named it in his report published in 1845. The New Mexico-California trade continued until the mid-1850s, when a shift to the use of freight wagons and the development of wagon trails made the old pack trail route obsolete. By 1846 both New Mexico and California had been annexed as U.S. territories following its victory in

5609-407: The trail traveling through the Mojave Desert in California. The Old Spanish Trail became the fifteenth national historic trail after Congress adopted Senate Bill 1946 and President George W. Bush signed the legislation in December 2002. Although few traces of the early traders' trail remain, the Trail is now commemorated in many local street and road names, and numerous historical markers in

5688-654: The trails there on the Mojave River, later became known as Fork of the Road . One last modification to this route was that followed by John C. Frémont eastward in 1844. His expedition left the Armijo Route at Resting Spring and turned northeastward after crossing the Nopah Range through Emigrant Pass, through California Valley and across Pahrump Valley to Stump Spring and into the mountains to Mountain Springs , to Cottonwood Spring , to Las Vegas Springs . He then crossed

5767-629: The trip to California , which was just being settled, leaving Santa Fe in 1776 and making it to the Great Basin near Utah Lake before returning via the Arizona Strip . Other expeditions, under another Franciscan missionary, Francisco Garcés , and Captain Juan Bautista de Anza , explored and traded in the southern part of the region. They found shorter and less arduous routes through the mountains and deserts that connected Sonora to New Mexico and California, but these did not become part of

5846-932: The twin settlements of Agua Mansa and La Placita on the Santa Ana River the first towns in what became San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The family of Antonio Armijo moved to Alta California, where his father acquired the Rancho Tolenas . A number of Americans, most naturalized Mexican citizens in New Mexico, and formerly in the California trade over the Old Spanish Trail or in the fur trade, settled in Alta California. Several became influential residents in later years, such as Louis Rubidoux , John A. Rowland , William Workman , Benjamin Davis Wilson , and William Wolfskill . The trail

5925-700: The whole length of the Mohave Trail from the San Bernardino Valley , over the San Bernardino Mountains at Monument Peak , down the Mojave River and eastward to the Colorado River. This same trail was used by the first Americans to reach California by land, via the expedition led by Jedediah Smith in November 1826. The Mojave desert section of the Mohave Trail is now a 4WD trail called the Mojave Road . A route linking New Mexico to California , combining information from many explorers,

6004-468: The women and children of the Paiute , who were sold as domestic servants to Mexican ranchers and other settlers in both California and New Mexico. Mexican traders and Indian raiding parties both participated in this slave trade. The consequences of this human trafficking had a long-standing effect for those who lived along the trail, even after the trail was no longer in use. Intermittent Indian warfare along

6083-474: Was also used for illicit purposes. Some raiders attacked the California ranchos for horses and captives to sell in the extensive Indian slave trade. Mexicans, ex-trappers and Indian tribes, primarily the Utes , all participated in the horse raiding. With allies, Walkara was known to steal hundreds to thousands of horses in a single raid. Native Americans along the route were at risk of being taken captive, especially

6162-533: Was often littered with the bones of horses that had died of thirst. The western portions of the Old Spanish Trail could only be used semi-reliably in winter when rains or snows deposited water in the desert. In summer, there was often no water and the oppressive heat could kill. A single round trip per year was about all that was feasible. After 1848, the western parts of the trail were used for winter access between Utah and California when other trails were closed by snow. Sometime before 1844, perhaps as early as 1830,

6241-412: Was opened in 1829-30 when Santa Fe merchant Antonio Armijo led a trade party of 60 men and a caravan of mules to Alta California. Armijo’s group blazed a trade route using a network of indigenous routes, incorporating parts of Jedediah Smith’s routes of 1826 and 1827, and Rafael Rivera’s route of 1828 to the San Gabriel Mission through the Mojave along the Mojave River . Armijo documented his route in

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