Rern's Did You Know ? - Soda Springs Ca.

The DSC is situated at Soda Springs, a collection of groundwater seeps and springs along the western shore of Soda Dry Lake. In 1776, Spanish missionary Francisco Garces and a small band of soldiers became the first known Europeans to cross the Mojave Desert, being guided by Mojave Indians on a trade mission from their villages on the Colorado River, to Native American tribes on the coast of California. That trade route went from water source to water source across the desert, and Soda Springs was one of those, as well as being the gateway to the Mojave River, the main path to the Transverse Ranges and the coastal plains. Besides the transient Mojave Indians, the area was also inhabited by nomadic bands of Southern Piute, the Chemehuevi, who used Soda Springs seasonally for hunting, and gathering plant materials for food and fiber.

In 1826, trapper/explorer Jedediah Strong Smith and his party became the first American citizens to cross the Mojave, again being lead by Mojave traders, and their route likely took them to, or very near, Soda Springs. In 1853 and 1854, U.S. Army survey expeditions stayed at Soda Springs, looking for a railroad route along the 35th parallel. From 1857-60, a wagon road was established from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, and the Mojave section largely followed the Native American trade route, and would become known as the Mojave Road. Soda Springs was an important layover camp, and in 1860, the Army constructed a simple defensible adobe structure, known as "Hancock's Redoubt", the first building at the oasis. The Army replaced it with a stone building in 1867, which was used as a commercial wagon stop (Soda Station) after the Army abandoned it a few years later. Remnants of that building appear to be incorporated into one of the buildings we use today.

Travel along the Mojave Road diminished after the 1880's, with completion of the Santa Fe Railroad to the south. In 1905, Frances Marion "Borax" Smith, the self proclaimed "Borax King", began construction of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, from the Santa Fe Railroad, 37 miles to the south, through Soda Springs, and hence to his borate claims in Death Valley, a hundred miles to the north, ultimately pushing as far as Goldfield, Nevada. With arrival of the railroad to Soda Springs, the rich salt deposits of Soda Dry Lake were now commercially exploitable, and two salt recovery operations were established at Soda Springs, operating between 1907-1912. Remnants of the railroad and salt works are readily visible today at Soda Springs. The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad was decommissioned in 1939, and Soda Springs once again became a quiet oasis at the end of the Mojave River.
 

The Zzyzx Era

In 1944, Curtis Howe Springer, a colorful religious broadcaster, lecturer, and health food entrepreneur, filed mining claims on 12,800 acres of federal land, which included the oases of Soda Springs. There he built a rustic health spa/resort, Zzyzx Mineral Springs, where his guests could soak in the mineralized water in a cross-shaped pool or heated mineral baths, partake in specialized dietary meals, attend lectures and religious services, and enjoy the clean air and sunshine of the Mojave Desert.
So why the name “Zzyzx”? Some say it was because Springer always insisted on “having the last word” in discussions on matters of health, religion, and politics, and he thought it clever to invent “the last word” alphabetically, and use it for the resort. Others say he wanted a name sounding like restful sleep. In either case, the name Zzyzx (rhymes with “rye-six”) certainly caught attention on road signs, literature and radio spots, inviting all to “come and rest at Zzyzx Mineral Springs – the last word in health”. You can hear a brief radio spot by Springer here.
The problem was, his mining claims on federal land did not permit him to develop such an operation, and in the 1960’s, the Bureau Land Management (BLM) began legal proceedings to have Zzyzx shut down and Springer removed from the property in violation of existing mining laws. After various negotiations, attempts to get Congressional intervention, and exhausting all appeals in federal court, Springer was removed (with a court order to never return to the site), and the facility shut down and locked up in 1974.
After considering several options for Zzyzx, the BLM finally decided in 1976 to sign a cooperative agreement with the California State University to occupy, renovate, and operate the site as a field station in support of educational and research activities in the region, and the Desert Studies Center was born. To view a TV News story on the event (and watch Springer roll into the scene – against court order - and draw away all the attention of the press, who were there to cover the story of the agreement), click here.

Soda Springs Habitats