Misplaced Pages

#250749

39-552: Rogers Dry Lake is located in the Antelope Valley , about 100 miles (160 km) drive north of Los Angeles . It covers an area of about 65 square miles (170 km) at the low point of the valley, forming a rough figure eight. It is the bed of a lake that formed roughly 2.5 million years ago, in the Pleistocene . It is 12.5 miles (20.1 km) long and 5.5 miles (8.9 km) wide at its greatest dimensions. The bed of

78-622: A scientific observation of the valley in 1844. After Fremont's visit the 49ers crossed the valley via the Old Tejon Pass into the San Joaquin Valley on their way to the gold fields. Later, a better wagon road, the Stockton – Los Angeles Road route to Tejon Pass , followed in 1854. Stagecoach lines across the southern foothills came through the valley along this wagon road, and were the preferred method for travelers before

117-655: A short distance into the Great Basin in southern Nevada , and into northwestern Arizona . In California it is found in: the Peninsular Ranges , Transverse Ranges , California Coast Ranges , Sacramento Valley foothills, Sierra Nevada , and at higher elevation sky islands in the Mojave Desert ranges. It is also found off of the North American continental shelf, on Guadalupe Island in

156-440: A whitish waxy bloom, turning reddish-brown, and contain a single seed (rarely two or three). The seeds are mature in about 8 or 9 months. The male cones are 2 to 4 mm ( 1 ⁄ 16 to 3 ⁄ 16  in) long and shed their pollen in early spring. This juniper is largely dioecious , producing cones of only one sex, but around 2% of plants are monoecious , with both sexes on the same plant. The California juniper

195-533: Is bluish-gray and scale-like. The juvenile leaves (on the seedlings) are needle-like and 5 to 10 mm ( 3 ⁄ 16 to 3 ⁄ 8  in) long. Arranged in opposite decussate pairs or whorls of three, the adult leaves are scale-like, 1 to 5 mm ( 1 ⁄ 16 to 3 ⁄ 16  in) long on lead shoots and 1 to 1.5 mm ( 1 ⁄ 32 to 1 ⁄ 16  in) broad. The cones are berrylike , 7 to 13 mm ( 1 ⁄ 4 to 1 ⁄ 2  in) in diameter, blue-brown with

234-514: Is capable of landing all known aircraft. There are seven other official runways on the Rogers lakebed: Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is located in northern Los Angeles County, California , United States, and the southeast portion of California's Kern County , and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert . It is situated between the Tehachapi , Sierra Pelona , and

273-488: Is closely related to the Utah juniper ( J. osteosperma ) from further east, which shares the stout shoots and relatively large cones, but differs in that Utah juniper is largely monoecious. Its cones take longer to mature (two growing seasons), and it is also markedly more cold-tolerant. As the name implies, it is mainly in numerous California habitats , although its range also extends through most of Baja California ,

312-747: Is located near Boron . Also, several private and home-school high schools arein the area, most notably: The Antelope Valley Symphony Orchestra is a professional ensemble that performs four concerts each year at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center. It is an auxiliary of Antelope Valley College, and performs regularly with the Antelope Valley College Civic Orchestra. Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park has been featured in films such as The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) and The Stone Killer (1973). Mackenna's Gold (1964)

351-756: Is over 50 miles (80 km) away. Include: On the ridgeline of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Angeles Crest Highway ( State Route 2 ) snakes 60 miles (100 km) through the Angeles National Forest to La Cañada Flintridge and the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan region. Some people of note have spent time in the valley, including: Over 10,000 population Under 10,000 population California juniper Juniperus californica ,

390-561: The California juniper , Joshua tree , California scrub oak , creosote , and wildflowers, notably the California poppy . Winter brings much-needed rain, which slowly penetrates the area's dry ground, bringing up native grasses and wildflowers. Poppy season depends completely on the precipitation, but a good bloom can be killed off by the unusual weather in the late winter and early spring. The Antelope Valley gets its name from its history of pronghorn grazing in large numbers. In 1882-85,

429-456: The California juniper , is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America. Juniperus californica is a shrub or small tree reaching 3–8 meters (10–26 feet), but rarely up to 10 m (33 ft) tall. The bark is ashy gray, typically thin, and appears to be "shredded". The shoots are fairly thick compared to most junipers , between 1.5 and 2 millimeters ( 1 ⁄ 16 and 3 ⁄ 32 inch) in diameter. The foliage

SECTION 10

#1732773156251

468-663: The Central Valley . A drought in the early 1900s caused a scarcity in bunch grass , their main food source. Now, the sighting of a pronghorn is rare, although a small number remain in the western portion of the valley. Common game species in the Antelope Valley include mule deer and mountain quail . Other common species in the Antelope Valley include the golden-mantled ground squirrel , Beechey ground squirrel , red-tailed hawk , Cooper's hawk , Stellar's jay , leopard frog , and rattlesnake . Human water use in

507-612: The International Union for Conservation of Nature as least concern , and not considered globally threatened. However, one of the southernmost populations, formerly on Guadalupe Island off the Baja California Peninsula coast, was almost destroyed by feral goats in the late 19th century, with only a few plants remaining. J. californica provides food and shelter for a variety of native species, such as turkeys, deer, and many others. However, as

546-620: The Philippines were the most common foreign places of birth in 2000 in Northwest Antelope Valley. Mexico and El Salvador were the most common foreign places of birth in the northwest. German and English were the most common ancestries in the northeast. German and Irish were the most common ancestries in Southeast Antelope Valley. Mexico and Colombia were the common foreign places of birth in

585-648: The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in northern California has caused and causes adverse environmental and social effects in the delta: "Over decades, [the] competing uses for water supply and habitat have jeopardized the Delta's ability to meet either need. All stakeholders agree the estuary is in trouble and requires long-term solutions to ensure reliable, quality water supplies and a healthy ecosystem." The Antelope Valley's population growth and development place considerable stress on

624-712: The San Gabriel Mountains , southeast of the Tehachapis , and east of the Sierra Pelona Mountains , this desert ecosystem spans around 2,200 sq mi (5,698 km ). The valley is bounded by the Garlock and San Andreas fault systems. Precipitation in the surrounding mountain ranges contributes to groundwater recharge . The Antelope Valley is home to a wide range of plants and animals. This includes hundreds of plants such as

663-479: The San Gabriel Mountains . The valley was named for the pronghorns that roamed there until they were all eliminated in the 1880s, mostly by hunting, or resettled in other areas. The principal cities in the Antelope Valley are Palmdale and Lancaster . The Antelope Valley comprises the western tip of the Mojave Desert , opening up to the Victor Valley and the Great Basin to the east. Lying north of

702-615: The 1770s, during the colonization of North America . Father Francisco Garcés , a Spanish Franciscan friar, is believed to have traveled the west end of the valley in 1776. The Spanish established El Camino Viejo through the western part of the valley between Los Angeles and the missions of the San Francisco Bay in the 1780s. By 1808, the Spanish had moved the native people out of the valley and into missions. Jedediah Smith came through in 1827, and John C. Fremont made

741-529: The Antelope Valley depends mainly on pumping of groundwater from the valley's aquifers and on importing additional water from the California Aqueduct . Long-term groundwater pumping has lowered the water table , thereby increasing pumping lifts, reducing well efficiency, and causing land subsidence . While aqueducts supply additional water that meets increasing human demand for agricultural, industrial, and domestic uses, diversion of water from

780-467: The Pacific Ocean, where there are less than 10 individuals. It grows at moderate altitudes of 750–1,600 m (2,460–5,250 ft). Habitats include: pinyon–juniper woodland with single-leaf pinyon ( Pinus monophylla ); Joshua tree woodland; and foothill woodlands , in the montane chaparral and woodlands and interior chaparral and woodlands sub-ecoregions. The species is listed by

819-401: The berries to eat fresh and to grind into meal for baking. The wood was also used for sinew-backed bows. J. californica is cultivated as an ornamental plant , as a dense shrub (and eventual tree) for use in habitat gardens , heat and drought-tolerant gardens, and in natural landscaping design. It is very tolerant of alkali soil , and can provide erosion control on dry slopes. It

SECTION 20

#1732773156251

858-486: The coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1876. The rail service linking the valley to the Central Valley and Los Angeles started its first large influx of white settlers, and farms and towns soon sprouted on the valley floor. The aircraft (now called aerospace) industry took hold in the valley at Plant 42 in 1952. Edwards AFB, then called Muroc Army Air Field, was established in 1933. The area

897-421: The early 1980s to around three times its former level. Major retail has followed the population influx, centered on Palmdale's Antelope Valley Mall . The Lancaster—Palmdale urbanized area is home to 372,287 people. Some long-term residents living far out in the desert have been cited by Los Angeles County's nuisance abatement teams for code violations, forcing residents to either make improvements or move. One of

936-476: The lake beds offer a vast landing area. Although NASA later built a landing strip at Kennedy Space Center , Edwards was retained as the backup in case of bad weather at Cape Canaveral . NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center is a tenant organization at Edwards AFB. The center is best known for the X-15 experimental rocket ship program. It has been the home of NASA's high-performance aircraft research since it

975-506: The lake is unusually hard, capable of withstanding as much as 250 psi without cracking. This is sufficient to allow even the heaviest aircraft to land safely. During the extremely brief rainy season, standing water may be on the lakebed, pooling near the location of the region's lowest elevation (2,300 ft). The lake is adjacent to the smaller Rosamond Lake which through the Holocene , together made up one large water-body. The area of

1014-608: The lakebed was first used by the railroads, with a watering station for steam engines located nearby by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad . In 1910, the Corum family settled on the lake bed; they attempted to create a small community called "Muroc" (the name reversed), which failed. In 1933, the United States Army arrived, looking to establish a bombing range in the area. The lakebed's potential use as an airfield

1053-605: The local and regional water systems. According to David Leighton of the United States Geological Survey : "A deliberate management effort will be required to meet future water demand in the Antelope Valley without incurring significant economic and environmental costs associated with overuse of the ground-water resource." The first peoples of the Antelope Valley include the Kawaiisu , Kitanemuk , Serrano , and Tataviam . Europeans first entered in

1092-615: The manufacturing and integration and testing of new military aviation equipment. With the size of the industry there, Antelope Valley has been nicknamed the Aerospace Valley. The valley's first main industry as a part of the United States was agriculture . Historically known in the region for its extensive alfalfa fields and fruit crops, farmers now are growing a wider variety of crops, such as carrots, onions, lettuce, and potatoes. As housing tracts continue to build in

1131-543: The middle of the valley, the farm operations are found farther to the west and east sides than in earlier decades. The northern reaches of Antelope Valley are part of the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area , the largest wind resource area in California. The valley also has numerous solar farms , some of which are among the largest in the United States . The world's largest open-pit borax mine

1170-581: The newly dedicated Mojave Air and Space Port . The spaceport is famous as the base of operations for Scaled Composites , the company that designed SpaceShipOne and won the X-Prize . Much of the work done at these facilities is performed in coordination with Edwards Air Force Base and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (see above), from the creation and testing of proof-of-concept X-planes, to Space Shuttle operations, to

1209-484: The properties is a church building that was used as a filming location for Kill Bill . The code enforcers have arrived on some of their visits in SWAT -team formats. Hispanics and Whites make up the majority of the population. Spanish and Tagalog are the most common foreign languages spoken in the Antelope Valley. According to Mapping L.A. , German and English were the most common ancestries and Mexico and

Rogers Dry Lake - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-487: The southeast. Edwards Air Force Base lies east of Rosamond , 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Palmdale . Edwards AFB's dry lakebeds are the lowest geographic elevation in the valley. Significant numbers of U.S. military test flights are performed there, and it has been the site of many important aeronautical accomplishments, including the first flight to break the sound barrier , accomplished by Chuck Yeager. NASA Space Shuttles originally landed at Edwards because

1287-510: The species matures, it becomes too tall to provide adequate food and shelter for deer and other ground animals of similar size. is a larval host for the native moth sequoia sphinx ( Sphinx sequoiae ). The plant was used as a traditional Native American medicinal plant , and as a food source, by the indigenous peoples of California , including the Cahuilla people , Kumeyaay people ( Diegueno ), Serrano , and Ohlone people . They gathered

1326-514: The testing of experimental military aircraft, the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager , and landings of the Space Shuttle . It is also famous for the world's largest compass rose painted into the lakebed. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Its principal runway is 05/23. In addition to its paved component of 15,000 ft (4,600 m) it has an extra 9,000 ft (2,700 m) of lakebed runway, and it

1365-456: The valley lost 30,000 head of antelope, almost half of the species for which it was named. Unusually heavy snows in both the mountains and the valley floor drove the antelope toward their normal feeding grounds in the eastern part of the valley. Since they would not cross the railroad tracks , many of them starved to death. The remainder of these pronghorns were hunted for their hides by settlers. Once abundant, they either died off or migrated into

1404-668: Was also partly filmed in Antelope Valley. The video to the R.E.M. song " Man on the Moon " was shot in Antelope Valley in October 1992. Major hospitals include: The Antelope Valley was formerly served by a county hospital, High Desert Hospital, which was converted into an urgent care clinic in 2003 due to the county's budget problems. As a result, indigent patients with serious but non-life-threatening medical conditions must seek treatment at Olive View – UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar, which

1443-586: Was founded for the X-1 program. The Space Shuttle orbiter was serviced there when it landed at Edwards. U. S. Air Force Plant 42 in northeast Palmdale is home to Lockheed Martin , Boeing , Northrop Grumman , and BAE Systems , among other aerospace-related companies. Notable projects assembled and/or designed there include the Space Shuttle orbiters , B-1 Lancer bombers, B-2 Spirit bombers, F-117 Nighthawk fighters, F-35 Joint Strike Fighters , and Lockheed L-1011 Tristar passenger jets. This region also houses

1482-480: Was once under Mexican rule and was named after the large herds of antelope. In recent decades, the valley has become a bedroom community to the Greater Los Angeles area . Major housing-tract development and population growth took off beginning in 1983, which has increased the population of Palmdale around 12 times its former size as of 2006. Neighboring Lancaster has increased its population since

1521-527: Was then realized, and in 1937 the United States Army Air Corps set up Muroc Air Field for training and testing; the airfield later became Edwards Air Force Base . During World War II , a 650 ft (200 m) replica of a Japanese cruiser was constructed on the lakebed, nicknamed " Muroc Maru ". The ship was demolished in 1950. Many of the United States' notable aeronautical achievements have taken place at Rogers Lake, including

#250749