DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JOHN BARTON PAYNE, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 490 A ROUTES TO DESERT WATERING PLACES IN THE SALTON SEA REGION, CALIFORNIA BY JOHN S. BROWN WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT FEINTING OFFICE 1920 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JOHN BARTON PAYNE, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Water-Supply Paper 490 A ROUTES TO DESERT WATERING PLACES IN THE SALTON SEA REGION, CALIFORNIA BY JOHN S. BROWN Prepared in cooperation with the DEPARTMENT OP ENGINEERING OP THE STATE OP CALIFORNIA WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1920 CONTENTS. Page. Preface, by O. E. Meinzer________________^___________ 1 Introduction_______________________________________ 5 Location of the region______________________________ 5 Scope of the report_______________________________ 5 Methods of field work__________________,_________ 5 Explanation of maps_____________________________ 6 Acknowledgments_______________________________ 7 Description of the region______________________________ 7 Physical features ______________________ 7 Settlements ________________________ 7 Roads___ -______________________- 8 Means of travel ________________________ 8 Suggestions to travelers _ _____________________ 8 General advice ___________ __ - 8 Teams, hay, and grain _______ __ 9 Special suggestions to motorists________________________ 10 Provisions__ _ _______________________ 11 Clothing and bedding______________________________ 12 Fuel______________-.__________________________ 12 Water______________________________________ 12 Methods of carrying water______________________ 12 Kinds of watering places ____ ___ __ 13 Indications of water __________________ ___ 13 Getting lost 13 Main roads across the region____________________________ 14 Road logs_ 15 Los Angeles-Banning- _ ___________._ 15 Banning-Coachella-Mecca ___________________________ 15 Banning to Mecca _____ ________________ 15 Mecca to Banning. _ _ 16 Coachella-Brawley________________________ ____ 18 Coachella to Brawley ________________ ___ _ 18 Mecca to Brawley___________________________ 20 Brawley to Coachella_________________________ 20 To Mecca from Brawley road___.___________________ 22 Brawley-Niland_______________________________ 22 Brawley to Niland_____________________________ 22 Niland to Brawley-__________________________ < 22 Niland-'Glamis-Yuma____________________________ 23 Niland to Yuma______________________________ 23 Yuma to Niland______________________________ 25 Brawley-El Centre________________________________ 26 Brawley to El Centre._________________________ 26 El Centro to Brawley_________________________ 26 m IV CONTENTS. Road logs Continued. Page. San Diego-Jacumba ______________ ___ 27 Jacumba-El Centro________________ _____1______ 27 Jacumba to El Ctentro_______________ ^ 27 El Centro to Jacumba____________-.____ 28 El Centro-Yuma_______________________________ 28 El Centro to Yuma____________________________ 28 Yuma to El Centro____________________________ 30 Warner-Borego Valley-Brawley__________________ __ 31 Warner to Brawley_________________________ 31 Warner to Brawley by way of cut-off or county road _ _ 34 Brawley to Warner___________________________ 35 Brawley to Warner by way of cut-off or county road _ _ 38 Warner-San Felipe Valley-Julian____________________z. 38 Julian-Vallecito-Carrizo-El Centro____________________ 38 Julian to El Centro___________________________ 38 El Centro to Julian____________________________ 41 Carrizo-Imperial _______________________________ 43 Carrizo to Imperial___________________________ 43 Imperial to Carrizo____________________________ 44 Dixieland to Yuha and Coyote Wells____________________ 45 Mecca-Blythe-Ehrenberg (main route)___________________ 45 Mecca to Blythe______________________________ 45 Blythe to Ehreriberg____________________________ 47 Ehrenberg to Blythe____________________________ 47 Blythe to Mecca______________________-_____ 47 McCoy Spring from Mecca-Blythe highway_____________ 49 Wiley Well from Mecca-Blythe highway_______________ 49 Corn Spring from Mecca-Blythe highway______________ 49 Mill Camp roads_____________________________ 49 Boulder Well from Mecca-Blythe highway______________ 50 Mecca-Dos Palmas-Chuckwalla Well-Blythe______________ 50 Mecca to Blythe_________________________,_____ 50 Blythe to Mecca______________________________ 52 Mecca to Niland, on east side of Salton Sea_______________ 55 General outline_______________________________ 55 Road along Southern Pacific Railroad________________ 55 Road along power line______:__________________ 55 Road through Dos Palmas and Frink Spring____________ 55 Niland to GuUiday Well___________________________ 56 General outline-_____________________________ 56 Niland to Chocolate Mountains_____________________ 56 Iris Pass_________________________________ 56 Mecca-Blythe road crossing______________________ 57 Gulliday Well_______________________a.______ 57 Surveyors Pass road_____________________________ 57 Niland-Salvation Pass-Blythe_______________,______ 57 Blythe-Glamis route to Yuma and Imperial Valley____..______ 58 Blythe to Glamis____________________________>___ 58 Glamis to Blythe______________________-________ 59 Blythe-Yuma route by way of Tumco___________________ 61 General statement___________________________ 61 Blythe to Yuma_______________________________ 61, Yuma to Blythe______________________________ 62 CONTENTS. V Road logs Continued. Pag«. Yuma to Picacho____._________________________ 63 Yuma to Laguna dain_ _______________ 63 Blythe-Blythe Junction________________________ 63 Blythe to Blythe Junction_______________________ 63 Blythe Junction to Blythe_________________________ 65 Blythe to Blythe Intake___________________________ 65 Blythe Intake to Parker___________________________ 66 , McCoy Spring, Adams Well, Chandler Well, and McCoy Tanks, from Blythe and Blythe Junction________________________ 66 Mineral Switch to McCoy Spring____________________ 66 Mineral Switch to McCoy Tanks___________________ 67 Mineral Switch to Adams Well____________________ 67 Old route from McCoy Tanks to Patterson and Graham wells_____ 67 Mecca to Cottonwood Spring, Iron Chief mine, Dale, Eldorado mine, Twenty-nine Palms, Pinyon Well, and Indio__________ 68 Mecca to Dale by way of Cottonwood Spring__________ 68 Iron Chief mine_____________________________ 69 Road west from Cottonwood Spring_________________ 69 Cottonwood Spring to Eldorado mine and Pinyon Well_ _ 69 Pinyon Well to Indio________________________ 70 Eldorado mine to Twenty-nine Palms by way of White Tank____ v 71 Banning-Dale_________________________________ 71 Banning to Quail Spring, Keys Ranch, Pinyon Well, and Eldorado mine 74 Whitewater to Palm Springs station____________________ 76 Palm Springs to Palm Canyon______________________ 76 Watering places ______________________________ 77 1LLUSTKATIONS. PLATE I. Map of the arid region of the United States showing areas covered by guides to watering places and other maps and water-supply papers of the United States Geological Survey_ 2 II. A, First desert watering place signpost erected by the United States Geological Survey; B, Typical bad road traversed in desert watering place survey___________________ 2 III. Typical desert watering place signpost erected by the United States Geological Survey_____________________ 3 IV. A, View in Mohave Desert, Calif.; B, Near view of the hidden spring in the Mohave Desert; C, United States Geological Survey signpost directing to spring_______________ 12 V. Index map of Salton Sea region, Calif_________ _ 14 ' VI. Relief map showing desert watering places in the western half of the Salton Sea region, Calif__________________In pocket. VII. Relief map showing desert watering places in the eastern half of the Salton Sea region, Calif_________________In pocket. FIGTTEE 1. Sketch map of vicinity of Blythe Junction, Calif________ 64 2. Sketch map showing roads in vicinity of Dale, Twenty-nine Palms, and Pinyon Well, Calif____________ _ 72 ROUTES TO DESERT WATERING PLACES IN CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA, PREFACE. By O. E. MEINZER. The desert region of the United States forms a great triangle whose base, 800 miles long, is the Mexican border from the Peninsular Mountains, in southern California, to the mouth of Pecos River, in Texas, and whose apex is in north-central Oregon. The west side of this huge desert triangle is the mountain wall formed by the Peninsular Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Range; the east or northeast side is a less definite line extending from north- central Oregon through Salt Lake City and Santa Fe to the mouth of Pecos River. (See PI. I.) It covers about 500,000 square miles, or very nearly one-sixth of the area of the United States. This region is by no means devoid of natural resources or human activity. It contains prosperous cities, fertile agricultural districts, forest-clad mountains, a large aggregate number of watering places, maliy rich mines, and an unknown wealth of mineral deposits. But the localities that have water supplies are widely separated oases in a vast expanse of silent, changeless, unproductive desert, whose most impressive feature is its great distances and whose chief evidences of human occupation are the long, long roads that lead from one watering place to another. In the future existing oases will be enlarged, many new ones will be created, and the mineral and agricultural product of the region will be greatly increased. But in spite of all that man can do this