Mojave History
Mojave was established in 1876 as a construction camp for Southern Pacific Railroad. From 1884 to 1889, the town was the western terminus of the 165-mile (266 km), twenty-mule team borax wagon route originating at Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley.
Mojave provided hospitality to travelers, beginning with the opening of the Morrissey Hotel in 1876. In the old two-story railroad depot, the Fred Harvey organization operated a "Harvey House", complete with "Harvey Girls" serving meals to weary travelers and miners.
1894:
Gold was discovered in on Soledad Mountain. Later on mines with colorful names like Elephant-Eagle, Yellow Aster, Yellow Dog and Golden Queen began to emerge.
1908:
Cement production for the Los Angeles Aqueduct began. The community became headquarters for construction operations.
1935: A small airfield began servicing the local gold and silver mining industry. This small airfield, now the Mojave Air and Space Port, plays host to more than 60 companies engaged in aerospace design, flight test and research, and heavy rail.
1955: California Portland Cement built the Creal Plant west of Mojave.
1980s and 1990s:
Mojave became host to the largest single source of wind generated electricity in the world. This continues to expand today as we see the growth of the wind industry in Mojave.
