Rock Springs Land and Cattle Company: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service

Owens, Erica

The Rock Springs Land & Cattle Company Historic District comprises about 854,000 acres of high desert in the vicinity of Needles and Barstow, California. The vast property, in use as cattle range from the 1880s to 2001, is scattered with hundreds of buildings, structures and features dating from the 19th century to the present, most of which are related to water distribution. Between 1928 and 1931 the original million‑acre ranch was broken up to include the Kessler Springs Ranch of about 300,000 acres, the OX Ranch of about 400,000 acres and the Valley View Ranch of about 300,000 acres. The new owners during the 1930s developed their ranches into well‑organized, post‑Taylor Grazing Act cattle raising operations, setting the scene for their successors who ranched the lands in a traditional manner until recently. The period of significance for the district is 1894 to 1954. Due to its continuing use, the extant features are generally in good to fair condition. All of the subject property lies within the boundaries of Mojave National Preserve, established in 1994 as a result of the California Desert Protection Act. The Rock Springs Land & Cattle Company Historic District, located in the east Mojave Desert area of San Bernardino County, is bounded roughly on the east by the Piute Range; on the south by old Route 66 and the Providence Mountains; on the west by the Kelso and Providence Mountains and Soda Lake; and on the north by Nipton Road in the Ivanpah Valley, the Mescal Range and Interstate 15. The property includes the New York Mountains, Mid Hills and portions of the Lanfair, Ivanpah, Shadow and Kelso valleys. Its estimated acreage is 854,000 acres, although historic sites and features are scattered across the landscape and comprise 100‑200 acres in total. Major highways in the vicinity include Interstate 40 on the south and Interstate 15 to the northwest. Much of the region is arid and appears practically barren, while high mountains provide a scenic backdrop. This part of the Mojave Desert contains several diverse mountain ranges, the Kelso dune system, dry lakebeds and evidence of volcanic activity in the form of domes, lava flows and cinder cones. Elevations range from about 3,000 feet at the lowest portions near Goffs to the 6,600‑foot Drum Peak in the central part of the subject property. Topography varies from level and gently sloping to steep and rocky mountainous terrain. Plant diversity is high, with Joshua trees, yucca, barrel cactus and cholla dominant in the lower elevations and piñon pine, juniper and oaks found in the upper elevations. The Joshua tree forest in Lanfair Valley is considered to be the finest in the world. Various shrubs and grasses contributed to the region’s success as a cattle range, as forage is found from the lowest to highest elevations. The extreme variations in temperature also affected the grazing regimen, as livestock moved to higher elevations as the thermometer rose to levels above 100 degrees in the lower valleys. Adversely, snow covers the mountains during the winter while the conditions are mild in the lower desert.

Rock Springs Land and Cattle Company: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service

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