Historical Timeline
Prehistoric times
Before Trona became a mining town, the Searles Valley was home to Native American groups like the Timbisha Shoshone. They lived off the land, finding water at springs and leaving behind tools and artifacts now studied by archaeologists. The nearby dry lakebed, Searles Lake, had formed minerals for thousands of years.
1860s–1870s
Explorers and surveyors started noticing the unusual mineral crusts on Searles Lake. At first, the area was too remote and dry for large-scale use, but reports of borax and other minerals caught some interest.
Late 1800s
John and Dennis Searles tried mining borax from the lake. They scraped and hauled what they could using wagons, but the isolation and lack of water made the effort tough. Still, their name stuck: Searles Lake and Searles Valley.
1913
The real turning point came when the American Trona Corporation was formed. They built a processing plant and a rail line to haul minerals to San Pedro. That same year, the company town of Trona was founded and named after a mineral found in the lake.
1914
The Trona Railway was completed. This narrow-gauge line connected Trona with the Southern Pacific line in Searles Station, helping the town grow and allowing minerals to reach global markets.
1920s–1930s
Trona became a full-fledged company town. The company ran the school, hospital, post office, and housing. Life in Trona was isolated but stable. Summers were brutally hot, winters dry and cold, and everything was coated in a salty dust. Still, families built lives there.
1940s
During World War II, the demand for potash and other chemicals from Searles Lake surged. Trona boomed. More housing was built, and the town grew tighter as workers contributed to the war effort.
1950s–1960s
Life in Trona continued with the rhythms of the plant and the school. The famous Trona High School football team gained attention for playing all their home games on a dirt field—there wasn’t enough water for grass.
1970s–1990s
Ownership of the mineral operations changed hands multiple times, but the town kept going. The railroad was updated, and the plant remained one of the only places producing certain rare minerals in the world.
2019
Trona was hit hard by the same earthquake sequence that struck Ridgecrest. Old buildings cracked, water lines broke, and the community faced a tough recovery. But as always, the people of Trona pulled together.
Today
Trona is smaller than it once was, but it’s still alive. The mineral plant continues to operate, drawing workers from nearby towns. The community remains proud, tough, and closely tied to the land, just like it’s been for over a century.