C&T Publications Eye On Fine Art Photography - September 2014 | Page 17

Searles Valley Mineral Works © Cindy Ackley Nunn

Trona – Borax and Broken Dreams
by Cindy Ackley Nunn

My husband and I are “desert rats.” Our vacations are generally spent in one of the many small towns located in the vast region of
the Mojave Desert of California. In September 2013 we stayed in Ridgecrest, Ca., in Kern County. Usually we rent a rustic cabin
somewhere in a quiet area but this time decided to make the SpringHill Suites by Marriott our “base camp,” and were pleased that
we did. The service was superb and the suite we had was comfortable, clean and well equipped with a small kitchenette. The staff
were also very professional and friendly.
The living ghost town of Randsburg, just 25 miles south of Ridgecrest, is one of our regular stops since we have a lot of friends there
we like to catch up with. But, on this occasion we only made a brief visit . We had other plans in mind for this trip, a visit to Trona,
located about 23 miles east of Ridgecrest in the county of San Bernardino.
California Highway 178 to Trona is a lonely and desolate one., with nothing in the way of amenities between Ridgecrest and Trona,
which is just the way we liked it. The wind blows through this desert corridor with a brutal ferocity, stirring up dirt but very little in
the way of cooling breezes. The monotony is broken only by the low, rocky hills and mountains. The modern march of progress in
the form of telephone poles and electricity towers also add a surreal touch, as if they don't really belong in this harsh terrain
traveled in the past by pioneers and seekers of gold.
Finally, on the outskirts of Trona, we began to see signs of “civilization” in the form of the Searles Valley Mineral works, a huge plant
where borax, boric acid, soda ash and sodium sulfate are mined. They are a major employer for those living in the small towns
spread out for miles around in this area. After passing this man-made behemoth of the desert we approached the beginning of the
town limits of Trona. To our left, the rusting shell of an abandoned gas station and the ruins of a building constructed from desert
rock. On our right, an operating Texaco, a welcome pit stop for a cold drink and toilet facilities.
Our drive through Trona was a real eye-opener to true desolation and the death of a once thriving town. The grocery store and
restaurant closed long ago. At one time Trona boasted a hospital and the Austin Hall Theater. In 1924 thirty homes were moved to
Trona from Borosolvay to house the expanding population of those with families. Today these houses are still standing, empty and
full of ghosts, slowly falling into disrepair. Of course, some of them are not as empty as they seem, providing shelter or a hiding
place for those who live on the fringes. Look up the word “Desolation” in the dictionary and you just might find a photo of Trona
next to it. It is hard to shake feelings of depression and a deep sorrow when surrounded by all the broken American dreams.
In 1849, during the Great Gold Rush, John Wemple Searles and his brother Dennis sailed from New York to the goldfields of
California in search of gold. John and Dennis, like most other prospectors, found very little gold to make all of the har