Cajon Pass
A couple weeks ago I was fortunate to join up with Historian Cliff Walker and his class and explore the Old Spanish Trail/Mormon Road corridor from Barstow to the bottom of the Cajon Pass.
Saturday, we left the Mojave River Valley Museum in Barstow and drifted down the old Route 66. Stopping along the way north of, and in Victorville we visited numerous locations that have been documented to have had the trail pass through. We crossed the Mojave River at the narrows between Victorville and Apple Valley and followed it upstream around Hesperia and into Summit Valley.
We ate lunch at the historic Las Flores Ranch and descended into the Cajon Pass where we visited what was known at one time as Coyote Canyon. This was the easiest looking way for wagons to drop into the pass. The trouble was that the huge boulders in the canyon presented a problem to the pioneers and freighters and they had to unload, take the wheels off the wagons and carry them over the rocks, reassemble and reload everything before they could finish the last few miles into the southern valleys.
We camped near an ancient Indian occupation site. Great dinner and breakfast and got to try some of the foods the travelers would eat on their journey. We broke camp and located a couple passes through the ridges that were tried as an alternative to Coyote Canyon. Most worked out better.
The San Andreas fault runs right through (and was responsible for forming) the Cajon Valleys. It was fun walking back and forth between continental plates at one point during our tour.
There was so much more happening on the tour. A little botany, geology, ethnography, history and characterizations (I hope that’s what I mean):
For example, Silas Cox was about twenty years old when he wandered up Coyote canyon. In the 1800s there were grizzly bears in the area, and sure enough, Silas happened upon a cub in the thick brush. Momma grizzly didn’t care to have that happen and came from her spot in the berry thicket and took a good swipe at Silas. Silas ran like crazy with the big bear angrily chasing behind him. She got close enough to make an attempt to grab him again. This time she knocked off his hat. It must of looked to her like she knocked off this strange creature’s head. She stopped and picked up the hat and made a thorough investigation of it before shredding it to pieces. The hat had saved Slias’ life. It’s a tradition now days that you always wear a hat when in Coyote Canyon. There just might be a ghost of that bewildered and angry grizzly bear up there. You’ll want every advantage.
These museum field trips are a great learning experience. I recommend going on one if at all possible. To find out more visit the Mojave River Valley Museum web site;
http://mojaverivervalleymuseum.org/current.htm
For more information on Cajon Pass history;
http://digital-desert.com/cajon-pass/history.html