Once there was a town. Rice, California, formerly named Blythe Junction, west of the Colorado River, between Twentynine Palms and the Arizona state line. Now the place is just a lonely train siding with the tattered remains of a few buildings, an ubiquitous “shoe tree” and an abandoned airfield watching cars race by at 90 miles…
The town of Oro Grande, dates back to 1852 with the founding of a trading post along the Mojave River. Gold mining operations began shortly after. First known as “Upper Crossing,” and then “Halleck,” Oro Grande was later named after the first mine found nearby. The name literally means “big gold” in Spanish. The history …
It may not have followed a three hour tour on the S.S. Minnow but Bombay Beach was founded on October 8, 1929 by R.E. Gilligan along the shore of the Salton Sea, the largest inland lake in the southern California. Mary Ann approves. Here’s some more fun facts: But wait, there’s more. The California Department…