Epsom Salts Monorail

Epsom Salts Monorail (HMXWI)

Location: Randsburg, CA 93562 San Bernardino County
Buy California State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 35° 40.884', W 117° 23.475'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 472 views
Inscription
In 1917 a deposit of Epsom salts was discovered near the old Wingate Wash Borax Road at the southern end of Death Valley. In 1919 the claims were acquired by Los Angeles florist Thomas Wright. Although close to an existing road, Wright devised other plans to exploit the find. A scheme to dissolve the salts and transport them via a 28-mile pipeline to the Trona Railroad had to be abandoned due to lack of water. In 1922 Wright began construction of a monorail at Magnesia Siding on the Trona Railroad, six miles south of the town of Trona. It ran eastward across the south end of Searles Lake, through the Slate Range via Layton Canyon, across the tip of Panamint Valley, over Wingate Pass and thence to the mine. It consisted of a single steel rail on top of a heavy wooden beam supported by A-frame trestles about three feet high. Locomotives and cars ran on two wheels and the load was balanced on each side, much like pack saddles on a mule's back. Construction took 2 years and cost about $200,000. Simple in concept, the line never worked properly, and after several attempts to increase efficiency the operation ceased in 1927. In the late 1930s the rail and beam were salvaged, leaving only A-frames, most of which have since disappeared.
Details
HM NumberHMXWI
Series This marker is part of the E Clampus Vitus series
Tags
Marker Number129
Year Placed2008
Placed ByBilly Holcomb Chapter No. 1069, E Clampus Vitus in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 18th, 2014 at 11:30am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)11S E 464596 N 3948682
Decimal Degrees35.68140000, -117.39125000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 35° 40.884', W 117° 23.475'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds35° 40' 53.04" N, 117° 23' 28.50" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)760
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 78625-78639 Pinnacle Rd, Randsburg CA 93562, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. This marker needs at least one picture.
  7. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  8. Is the marker in the median?