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54-422: The Trona facility extracts and ships 1.75 million tons of chemicals per year. The mining, production, and assets of the present day Searles Valley Minerals Inc. have a long and varied history. When John Wemple Searles arrived in the area in the 1860s, he was looking for gold and silver to mine. Instead he found a white crystalline powder, borax , in the dry Searles Lake bed. In 1873, he went into production as

108-487: A placer claim bill. On June 17, 1910, eight men were spotted heading to Borax Lake to claim jump land of the California Trona Company. The men were unprepared for the remote harsh Desert. Next day Austin sent two employees around the lake, they found 6 of the men in poor health, with no water, the leader of the claim jump, Chas S. Davidson died on the lake. June 20, 1910 "On Saturday afternoon when

162-615: A wagon train looking for gold. His first claim was in 1852 at Indian creek in Shasta County, California with his brother Dennis. The Searles brothers mined and farmed, but in 1858 they lost their mine claims and farm in a debt lawsuit. To start fresh they traveled to Southern California after hearing about the gold and silver finds in the Slate Range. Near the Slate Range was a dry lake thought to be only salt and sodium carbonate . Searles heard that there many be useful borax at

216-794: A 31-mile rail line from Trona to the Searles Station junction of the Southern Pacific Railroad . With the rail line, the products became successful. With the new boom, the American Trona Company Corporation founded the town of Trona , a company-owned town. In 1917 American Trona Corporation built the American Trona Corporation Building in San Pedro , to process and store salt potash. The building

270-523: A home in Independence, California which later became a California Historical Landmark No. 229. John Wemple Searles was born on November 16, 1828, in Tribes Hill, New York . His parents were George Searles (1802-1851) and Helen Wemple (1803-?). Both were from Montgomery County, New York . John was the oldest of five children. John Searles was one of the many 49ers that came to California in

324-427: A mitigation plan which "allows for the continuing take of birds (not to exceed an average of 241 birds/year) in exchange for continued bird protection and rescue efforts and a contribution of up to $ 550,000 (plus $ 10K/year for maintenance for 40 years) for a 100+ acre wetlands creation project at the south end of Owens Lake," about 55 miles north. There are allegations of arsenic poisoning of plant workers. SVM argued to

378-503: A nameplate capacity of 103 MW before ceasing operations on October 2, 2014. The power station is located at the coordinates 35°45′54″N 117°22′56″W  /  35.76500°N 117.38222°W  / 35.76500; -117.38222 . The California Department of Fish and Wildlife found that migrating birds stopping at the Trona plant brine ponds have died from salt toxicosis , salt encrustation, and oiling. In 2005, Searles agreed on

432-536: A percentage of future gross sales. The California Trona Company built two experimental plants to recover soda ash , potash, borax and sodium sulfate from the dry lake. The plants were not successful and troubles developed between the California Trona Company and the Foreign Mines Development Company. Claims of incompetence, fraud, and conspiracy in both companies were made. The Foreign Mines Development Company began legal action to sell

486-398: A public/private partnership which is seeking to reduce US industry greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent between 2002 and 2012. As it operates on government owned land, Searles Valley Minerals Inc. pays royalties of millions of dollars each year to both the federal and state governments. Much of those royalties cover the expenses of local school districts. The Argus Cogeneration Plant

540-595: A revolver put to his face. In December 1912 Lee put a second crew together to go back and try to reclaim his land claim. With unrest starting in Germany , who controlled the world market of potash, and with the importance of potash in the US, on December 23, 1912, a Federal Court instructed that Lee's claims be guarded by United States Officers, Deputy Sheriffs and the William J. Burns International Detective Agency . The action

594-547: A series of events that took place from 1910 to 1915 in the Searles Valley near Searles Lake , a dry lake (also called Slate Range Lake and Borax Lake), near the current town of Trona in the San Bernardino County of California . The Potash wars gained national and international news at the time due to the involvement of famous lawman Wyatt Earp and the importance of the valley's supply of potash at

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648-633: Is CDFW's investigative unit. The SOU investigates crimes related to improper use of California's natural resources, including poaching of fish and game. The unit accomplishes this with a combination of physical surveillance and undercover operations . The CDFW operates an Air Services unit for the purposes of aerial surveillance, fish stocking, and transportation. All CDFW pilots are fully qualified peace officers, pilots, and airplane mechanics. They are responsible for maintaining their own aircraft, and fly out of Hemet , Fresno , Sacramento , and Redding . The Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR)

702-566: Is a coal-fired power station located adjacent to the mineral processing plant in Trona , California . The power station has nameplate capacity of 63 MW and produced 296 GWh of electricity in 2018. It is the last coal-fired power station still operating in California. Unit 1 was commissioned in 1978 and has a nameplate capacity of 63 MW. Unit 2 was commissioned in January 1991 and had

756-409: Is a forensic laboratory that uses molecular biology to investigate crimes against animals. The lab is staffed by three wildlife forensic specialists who help CDFW officers identify species, determine the biological sex of an animal, and determine whether two samples are from the same animal. The California Fish and Game Commission is an organ of the California state government, and is separate from

810-578: Is a branch of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that is tasked with responding to pollution and protecting the wildlife of California. The OSPR has authority over all surface waters in California, both inland and up to 200 miles (320 km) off the coast. The funding for the OSPR's Oil Spill Prevention Administration Fund comes from a fee placed on every barrel of crude oil entering California. The CDFW Wildlife Forensics Laboratory

864-670: The California Department of Fish and Game ( CDFG ), is an American state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency . The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protects the state's wildlife, wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, algae (kelp and seaweed) and native habitats (ecosystems). The department is responsible for regulatory enforcement and management of related recreational, commercial, scientific, and educational uses. The department also prevents illegal poaching . The Game Act

918-577: The San Bernardino Borax Mining Company to mine borax. Long mule teams were used to haul borax in wagons to San Pedro, until the much closer settlement of Mojave was used after the Southern Pacific Railroad reached it in 1876. In 1895 The San Bernardino Borax Mining Company was sold by Searles to the Pacific Coast Borax Company , owned by Francis "Borax King" Smith . He shut down production at

972-854: The University of California, Berkeley . His first job was working for United States General Land Office in Lone Pine, California . He saw the actions of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in the Owens Valley and wrote a report to the Secretary of the Interior about the issue he saw. He departed the Land Office in 1906 and moved to Oakland, California to practice private law. In addition to his practice he

1026-659: The 1910 potash controversy between Germany and the United States over pricing, taxes, and tariffs. So, the Potash wars and production of potash at Searles Lake became a Federal issue with the Federal court and President Taft involvement. On March 26, 1912, President Taft sent a message to Congress about the Searles deposit at Borax Lake and his concern about Senator Reed Smoot bill; he requested an amendment as concern with

1080-440: The 1980s. After World War II , American Potash had labor relations problems due to allegations that Latino workers were paid lower wages than White workers. Later, Latino workers were promoted to managerial positions. In 1962 the company received nationwide recognition and an award for its innovative solvent extraction process to recover boric acid and potassium sulfate from weak brines . In 1974 American Potash and Chemical

1134-552: The CDFW. Although the department's name was recently modified by changing the word "Game" to "Wildlife", no such name change has occurred for the commission. CDFW officers were followed by the National Geographic Channel show " Wild Justice " in 2010 and 2011. A fictionalized version of the CDFW is depicted in the 2022 film, Jurassic World Dominion . Rangers capture and relocate dinosaurs that escaped into

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1188-522: The California Trona Company leased 2240 acres of patented lands for five years from the San Bernardino Borax Mining Company. To finance production, California Trona Company mortgaged some of the land to the Foreign Mines Development Company, a subsidiary of The Consolidated Gold Fields Company of South Africa, for two million dollars. In return, The Trona Company gave Foreign Mines Development Company 1000 shares of stock and

1242-540: The Department of Fish and Game (DFG). California Fish and Game also collaborated with the indigenous Native American Tribes to ensure their proper fishing rights. The Yurok tribe has collaborated with them as recently as 2011. The department also helped figure out the official count of fish killed (which was around 30,000) in the 2002 Fish Kill on the Klamath River . The Klamath river is very important to

1296-794: The Law Enforcement Division into the California Highway Patrol has been discussed, similar to how Alaska has a Wildlife Trooper division within the Alaska State Troopers . Given that the CDFW Law Enforcement Division has faced low numbers of Wildlife Officers for the last ten years. The Marine Region officers patrol the entire coastline of California, and up to 200 miles off the shore. Marine officers enforce commercial and sport fishing laws through spot checks on

1350-624: The North American Chemical Company facilities at Trona and Westend were renamed Searles Valley Minerals, Inc. In November 2007, Karnavati Holdings, a subsidiary of the Indian corporation Nirma Limited based in Ahmedabad (India), purchased Searles Valley Minerals corporation from Sun Capital Partners. Searles Valley Minerals Inc. is part of Climate VISION (Voluntary Innovative Sector Initiatives: Opportunities Now),

1404-694: The State Water Resources Control Board, that concentration of total dissolved solids, chlorides, sodium and other minerals are higher in natural ephemeral pools than in the company's depleted brine ponds. The Searles Lake brine is rich in arsenic, and a unique anaerobic, extremely haloalkaliphilic bacterium which uses arsenic for respiration has been isolated from the mud. 35°45′38″N 117°22′44″W  /  35.76056°N 117.37889°W  / 35.76056; -117.37889  ( Trona Mineral Processing Plant ) John Wemple Searles The Potash wars were

1458-599: The U.S. Circuit Court for Contempt. Starting in 1901 Earp had gone to the desert from Los Angeles and made a number of mining claims. The October 1910 event came up in a 1916 court case. Nick Cataldo claimed the Earp was working at the request of Tom Lewis, a Los Angeles Police Department Commissioner. He also claimed that Austin and three armed men came into Earp's camp and told the Lee party to depart. Engineer Lou Rasor told how Earp grabbed one of Austin's men's rifle and then had

1512-608: The action, but the remote harsh desert drove them out. But, the high cost of refining and transporting borax, closed the company. In 1878 Searles sold his interests and the claim patents for the dry lake to the San Bernardino Borax Mining Company . Searles died on October 7, 1897, at the age of 68 at St. Helena, California . John and Mary are interred at Saint Helena Cemetery in Napa County, California . California Department of Fish and Wildlife The California Department of Fish and Wildlife ( CDFW ), formerly known as

1566-489: The boys were brought to Borax I furnished them with food and had them all sign a quitclaim deed relinquishing to California Trona. On October 19, 1910, 44 new Los Angeles claim jumpers arrived at Searles, their leader was Henry E. Lee, an Oakland attorney. The group has surveyors, laborers and 20 men armed guards/gunmen. The leader of the guards/gunmen was Wyatt Earp. They camp at the abandoned town of Slate Range City. To help stake their claim five of Earp's armed men, went to

1620-754: The company's section of Searles Lake the next year. The American Trona Company was founded in 1913 by the British-owned Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa company. In 1914 the company completed the Trona Railway line from Searles Station south to a junction with the Southern Pacific Railroad. Also in 1914, the American Trona Corporation established the company-owned town of Trona, named for crystals of soda ash formed by

1674-408: The deposits at the Slate Range dry lake that now bears their name. The next test showed that the lake was rich in borax. The Searles brothers with other partners filed claims to 640 acres in 1873. They founded the new San Bernardino Borax Mining Company and built a plant to refine the borax and haul it out, just like the better know 20 Mule Team Borax team. Claim jumpers came and tried the get in on

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1728-495: The evaporation of chemical-rich water commonly found in the lake bed. The production of potash began in 1915. In 1917, construction was completed on the American Trona Corporation Building in San Pedro , to process and store salt potash. In 1926, after becoming the American Potash & Chemical Corporation, it began producing borax, soda ash, and sodium sulfate. Productions of these chemicals continued to expand until

1782-444: The exception of Sacramento , Yolo , and San Joaquin counties). The department employs wardens to protect California's wildlife and natural resources. CDFW wardens are armed law enforcement officers with statewide arrest authority. Their primary mission is to enforce California state laws related to hunting, fishing, pollution, endangered species, and wildlife habitat destruction . However, they can enforce any state law, anywhere in

1836-589: The first fish ladder in the state was built on a tributary of the Truckee River , and a state hatching house was established at the University of California in Berkeley . In 1871, the state appointed the first Game Wardens to handle wildlife law enforcement, making the Enforcement Division of the Department of Fish and Game the first state law enforcement agency enacted in California. Over

1890-717: The lake, so they took some lake samples to San Francisco in 1863, but were told by a dishonest appraiser that there was no borax. But, Searles became suspicious after being followed on the way home. They had some good gold and silver finds in the Slate Range, but in the end, they again lost everything after another debt lawsuit in 1870. John was seriously injured by a California grizzly bear in 1871, but survived. John Searles married Mary Ann Covington (1851 - 1923) in Los Angeles, California on January 1, 1873. They had one son they named after his brother, Dennis (1874-1916), born on February 27, 1874. They changed their focus from mining to

1944-452: The nearby Austin claim in the morning. Earp told the group they were trespassers on the claim they owned. One of the men grabbed Earp's shotgun being held by one of his men. Earp pulled his automatic weapon and told him to let go and he did. As calm returned one man accidentally discharged his gun. On October 25, 1910, a US Marshall came and arrested Earp and 27 of his men and served them with a summons from Judge Charles W. Slack to appear before

1998-650: The next 30 years, the Board of Fish Commissioners were given authority over game in the state as well as establishing hunting and fishing licenses. In 1909, the Board of Fish Commissioners changed its name to the Fish and Game Commission. The Division of Fish and Game was established in 1927, set up within the Department of Natural Resources. In 1951, the Reorganization Act elevated the Division of Fish and Game to

2052-576: The old site and set up before the December 31 deadline. Those that fought both with guns and in court were correct, the dry lake holds vast amounts of rich mineral wealth. In 1913 Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa , British owned, founded the American Trona Corporation . American Trona Corporation acquired the California Trona Company due to the debt they held on the land. In 1914 The Trona Railway Company opened

2106-496: The patented land to the San Bernardino Borax Mining Company, which was founded by Francis Marion “Borax” Smith (1846-1931). The Searles Valley operations closed in 1895 as Smith moved operations to Death Valley to work on the Pacific Coast Borax Company deposits. C.E. Dolbear founded the California Trona Company and filed 250 land claims for 160 acres around Searles Valley in 1908. To add to its mining right,

2160-493: The property to recover mortgage debt on September 7, 1909. Stanford Wallace Austin was appointed receiver of the Trona Company. By the beginning of the 20th century, Germany had a practically worldwide monopoly on potash in its Magdeburg - Halberstadt rock salt basin. In June 1909, Americans attempted to buy the mineral not from the national syndicate, but from independent producers at far lower prices. This led to

2214-719: The saline deposits in Slate Range in the Mojave Desert southwest of Death Valley . John and his brother Dennis Searles discovered borax at Searles Lake while looking for gold with the Dr. S.G. George party. Searles and Dennis filed claims for the minerals in 1873. Searles filed paperwork for a Federal land patent from the United States General Land Office in 1874 and began production and selling of minerals. In 1878, Searles sold his interests and

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2268-407: The state. Vehicles used range from the patrol pickups to boats, catamarans , four-wheelers , snow-mobiles , horses , helicopters , and planes. The wardens investigate, collect evidence, serve search warrants, arrest criminals, and ensure public safety. Wardens patrol the state of California and 200 miles (320 km) off the coast. As of 2014, about 380 wardens patrolled the state. Merging

2322-500: The time. Potash is an important crop fertilizer and the Searles Valley was a major supplier in the 1910s. In the mid-19th century and earlier, potash was produced almost exclusively on asheries from burning wood or kelp , but by 1861 Germans pioneered mining potassium salts and American farmers soon started using them as fertilizers on a wide scale. In 1863, John W. Searles (1828-1897) discovered concentrated minerals in

2376-606: The titles of their Departments. This change reflects the trend toward expansion of the Agencies' missions from sport fishing and hunting alone, to protection of non-game wildlife and whole ecosystems. In June 2015, the CDFW phased out lead ammunition for hunting on state land in order to keep lead out of backcountry ecosystems. The Department of Fish and Wildlife divides the State of California into seven management regions whose boundaries mostly correspond to county borders (with

2430-436: The tribes that live along that river. By 2012, California was one of only 13 states still using "Game" in the title of their wildlife agency. The State Legislature changed the department's name to Fish and Wildlife on January 1, 2013. The legislation followed recommendations of a 51-member stakeholder advisory group. 18 other states use the term "wildlife," while the others generally use "natural resources" or "conservation," in

2484-465: The water and on land. As of 2001, the Marine Region was patrolled by 63 officers piloting 65-foot, 54-foot, and 40-foot mono-hull patrol vessels and 18-foot and 24-foot rigid-hull inflatable patrol boats . Some rigid-hull inflatable boats are carried on the larger patrol vessels, while others are carried on trailers to respond to emergencies on the north coast. The Special Operations Unit (SOU)

2538-504: Was acquired by Kerr-McGee . However they didn’t want to own the company town and sold it. They cut production in half in 1982 and instituted massive layoffs. Kerr-McGee sold the Searles Valley production facilities in 1990, to capital investors D. George Harris and Associates, which formed the North American Chemical Company. Ownership changed again in 1998 when IMC Global corporation acquired North American Chemical Company. In 2004 when Sun Capital, LLC purchased IMC Global corporation,

2592-465: Was also a teacher. He married Mary Hunter Austin on May 18, 1891, she wrote the book, Land of Little Rain about the Owens Valley. They had one child Ruth Austin (1891-1918). Austin and his brother came up with a new irrigation system and try to market it, but were unsuccessful. His private law firm became the receiver for foreclosure proceedings of the California Trona Company. His response

2646-606: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. From 1922 to 1928, the Epsom Salts Monorail crossed the Searles Lake on a wooden trestle. In 1926 - American Trona became American Potash and Chemical Company . In 1967 American Potash & Chemical Corporation was sold to Kerr-McGee Corporation an Oklahoma oil and natural gas producer. On Dec. 3, 1990 the land and production

2700-469: Was made the first game refuge of California in 1869, believed to be the first in the United States. In 1870, the Legislature, with the support of Governor Henry Huntly Haight , created the Board of Fish Commissioners. The Board stipulated that fish ladders were now required at state dams. The Board outlawed explosives or other deleterious substances, and created a $ 500 fine for violations. In 1870,

2754-588: Was passed in 1852 by the California State Legislature and signed into law by Governor John Bigler . The Game Act closed seasons in 12 counties for quail, partridge, mallard and wood ducks, elk, deer, and antelope. A second legislative action enacted the same year protected salmon runs. In 1854, the Legislature extended the act to include all counties of California. In 1860, protection controls were extended for trout. Lake Merritt in Oakland

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2808-450: Was sold from Kerr-McGee to North American Chemical for 210-million. The sale included the plants, railroad and vast mineral reserves. In 1998 IMC Global Incorporation purchased the plant. In 2004 Sun Capital purchased the plant and renamed it Searles Valley Minerals Incorporated . In 2008 Nirma purchased the plant Searles Valley Minerals Incorporated. Stafford Wallace Austin born on May 16, 1862, at Hilo, Hawaii . He graduated from

2862-400: Was taken due to the threat of Lee's armed men seeking to get back claims they said were taken from them in the rich potash and borax deposits of Searles lake. The news reminded many of the ’49 claim jumpers and mining camps fights. On December 27, 1912, Lee dropped his claim, there was a time limit on him re-staking this old claim and his time had run out, after he was not able to get his men to

2916-610: Was to find a way for the unsuccessful California Trona Company to move out of debt. Much of the Potash wars can be found in his daily diary he kept from December 16, 1909 and November 30, 1917. He was paid $ 270 per month by the Foreign Mines Development Company. Austin had a test drill done and found that the mineral-rich layers ran about 100 feet under the dry lake. Austin later was the Trona city's first postmaster , appointed on March 27, 1914. Austin died on September 14, 1931, in Los Angeles, California. The Austins designed and built

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