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Trona, your new destination!

Located on the western edge of Searles Lake in San Bernardino County, California, Trona offers an arid climate and a pictureseque desert landscape. See what Trona has to offer in our brand new e-Brochure! Also, check out the NEW Trona Revitalization Plan proposed by the Graduate students at Cal Poly Pomona's Master of Urban and Regional Planning program.

See the New Marketing Video HERE

Trona News & Events

Trona High School Football: Season Opener on Friday, October 14, 2011 vs. LONE PINE EAGLES at Trona High School. Come show your support!

2010

May 19th

published in

Web Design, Showcase

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Trona, California

Located on the western edge of Searles Lake along State Route 178 in San Bernardino County, California, Trona offers an arid climate and a pictureseque desert landscape.

Trona is an unincorporated community at the western edge of Searles Lake, a dry lakebed in Searles Valley, southwest of Death Valley. The town takes its name from the mineral Trona, which is abundant in the lakebed. It is about 170 miles northeast of Los Angeles. A few miles south of Trona are the Trona Pinnacles. Known for its isolation and mystique, the Pinnacles were once the backdrop for films such as Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Planet of the Apes. Visitors flock to Trona to experience its natural beauty and desolation. For more information, see our brochure here.

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A Brief History (see the Historical Photo Album here)

Starting in the late 1800's mining industries set up around Searles Dry Lake to mine borax. Trona was officially established in 1913, as a self-contained company town, wholly operated by its resident mining company to house employees. Employees were paid in company scrip instead of cash. The mining company also built a library, a scrip-accepting for-profit grocery strore, a school, basic housing, and minimal recreation facilities. The Trona Railway was built in 1913-14 to provide the town with a rail connection to the Southern Pacific (now the Union Pacific) line at Searles.

Economic booms and busts followed. Its most notable boom ocured during World War I, when Trona was the only reliable American source of potash, an important element used in the production of gunpowder. Today, Searles Valley Mineral Inc.'s soda ash processing plant remains the largest firm in town. Other operations nearby include evaporative salt extraction from the dry lake bed's surface, and a lime quarry. Searles Valley Minerals is the largest employer in Trona, and many employees live in nearby Ridgecrest, commuting daily to Trona.

Trona also serves as the headquarters and base of operations for the Trona Railway, a shortline railroad. Trona Highschool has the only dirt American football field in the United States outside of Alaska.

Information taken from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trona,_San_Bernardino_County,_California

  • Legal Notice: this website is intended for educational purposes only and not for commerical or public distribution. Any prints or photographs used and taken from the internet are protected under the Fair Use Act.

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  • salt wells canyon

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    Salt Wells Canyon is commonly called "Poison Canyon" because of the small stream at its west end that contains naturally occuring arsenic, selenium, and other minerals at toxic levels. The rock-walled canyon was carved by the Owens River when it flowed into Searles Valley at the close of the last two ice ages. It is located between Ridgecrest and Trona along Highway 178 on the left when heading toward Trona. The canyon includes a rock formation that was painted by Joe Fox in the 1940's because it reminded him of fish. It has since been a landmark and maintained by the community.

  • indian joe canyon

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    A large spring in a canyon can be found about one mile south of the Great Falls Basin Wilderness area. The trailhead is 2.2 miles north of the Inyo County line and 2.5 miles west on a graded dirt road. John W. Searles was said to have planted a garden and fruit trees to help feed workers at his borax mine, since the spring had year-round water. To this day, fig and nut trees, grape vines, and celery grow there.

  • TRONA PINNACLES

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    Just about 12 miles south of Trona there are over 500 calcareous tufa towers that make up the Trona Pinnacles. It is a National Natural Landmark and accessible by a 5-mile dirt road from the end of State Highway 178. The Pinnacles are made from tufa - mineral deposits that were left behind 10,000 to 1000,000 years ago when this area was under a lake and springs below the lake floor emitted mineral-laden water. A number of movies have been filmed here, including the final battle scene for Star Trek V.

  • esparza family restaurant

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    Located at 13223 Main Street in downtown Trona, the Esparza Family Restaurant is the place for Mexican cuisine in Trona. Enjoy an array of menu items including savory breakfast burritos, beef or chicken tacos, and Mexican-style nachos. Esparza's also offers non-Mexican eats including cheesburgers and fries, fried chicken, and pasta. Come for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

  • museums

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    There are historical properties and museums throughout Trona. They include the Old Guest House Museum, the Searles Valley History House, the Trona Railway Museum, theTrona Railway Caboose and the Argus Fire Station with two fire engines. Most are run by the Historical Society.

  • searles valley mining factory

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    Searles Valley Mining Factory provides customers worldwide with soda ash, sodium sulfate, and boron materials from the desert of the western United States. its advanced solution mining and crystallization techniques yield approximately 2 million tons of these minerals each year. These minerals are necessary for the manufacturing of a wide variety of goods essential to modern life: glass, ceramics, animal feed, paper products, and detergents - to name a few.

Trona care

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Trona Care is a non-profit organization, founded by Margaret Grams and Co-Founders: Lit Brush, Connie Courto, Marsha Courto, Bonnie Fairchild, Jackie Leonard, and Tim Parnell. Trona Care hopes to improve our community while we instill pride in each of our community members. For current newsletter, click here.

Our community has been volunteering to help beautify our town since founder Margaret Grams saw a need. Ever since she saw that need, Trona has stepped up and made our town one in which everyone feels safe and is proud to call home. Trona Care has managed and cleaned many areas in Trona this year.

MISSION: Trona Care is dedicated to the preservation and beautification of Trona as well as the improvement of the quality of life for her citizens; both now and future generations.

Taken from Trona Care website:
http://www.tronacare.com/index.html

 

trona joint unified school district

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Dear Parents, Students, Community Members and Alumni of Trona:

Our district is one rich in history and tradition. Our schools are the center of the community with everyone taking pride in being a Trona Tornado. As your Superintendent, I invite you to attend our monthly board meetings, which take place the 2nd Tuesday of every month. I welcome you to be involved in our schools as club or committee members, as parent volunteers or by attending the many events held to promote academics and sports for students. The district is committed to building a strong academic foundation for our students, while preparing them to be responsible citizens in our community.

From the teachers and paraprofessionals who deliver excellent instructional services at each of our schools, the dedicated office personnel who help carry out daily operations at all levels of the organization, and the maintenance/transportation/cafeteria crew, we have a genuine committment in providing a learning environment in which all children succeeed. School pride, respect and achievement go hand-in-hand. Let's all work together to achieve these goals.

Sincerely,
Charles Raff, Superintendent

Taken from Trona Joint Unified School District website:
http://www.trona.k12.ca.us/

searles valley historical society

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The Searles Valley Historical Society was founded in 1979 as a non-profit corporation. Its primary purpose is to bring together people interested in history, especially in the history of Searles Valley, and to preserve the history of Searles Valley for future generations.

The Society is a member of the Conference of Calfornia Historical Societies and the 2007 Winner of the California Governor's Award for Historical Preservation.

The society has 5 properties to further their goals. These are the Old Guest House Museum, the Searles Valley History House, the Trona Railway Museum, the Trona Railway Museum, the Trona Railway Caboose and the Argus Fire Station with 2 fire engines.

Taken from the Searles Valley Historical Website:
http://www1.iwvisp.com/svhs/

12 May

Trona News & Events

Posted by Author in Web Design.

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The Trona Tornadoes "Do It in the Dirt!": Trona High School Football is back! Support your Trona Tornadoes football team as they open the 2011 season against the Lone Pine Eagles at Trona High School's only dirt football field in America, on October 14, 2011. After a 7-4 record last year and a playoff loss (Final Score 34-14) to Joshua Springs High School, Coach John Foster is preparing his young men for a tough opening game that is sure to provide an entertaining evening for the entire family. Come and show your support! Wear your blue and white, and be LOUD and PROUD!

Follow the Trona Tornadoes Football team at:
http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/kBZqsioYxUaxwYtHf4TWeQ/trona-tornadoes/football/home.htm

Other local events: Trona Care wants YOU! Come to a Trona Care meeting and learn more about what we are doing to make our town a better place. Upcoming events include:

- April 9, 2011: Cemetery cleanup of the Argus & Trona Cemetery on;
- May 14, 2011: Argus Cemetery: cleaning of the Burned Down house on the corner;
- October 2011: Community cleanup

For more cleanups visit the Trona Care website at:
http://www.tronacare.com/index.html

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This website was produced by the Cal Poly Pomona Master of Urban and Regional Planning students as part of the URP 641/642 Planning Studio course in the Winter/Spring 2011. The students were led by Professor Julianna Delgado and Andrea Galvin of Galvin Preservation Associates.

This site is intended for educational purposes only and not for commercial or public distribution. Any prints or photographs used and taken from the internet are protected under the Fair Use Act.

 

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