Desert

*Mojave Deserte     *The Drought Period     *Spring in the Deserts      *Gold Rush      *Death Valley      *Ghost Towns

Mojave Desert, Colorado Desert and Great Basin

There are three distinct desert areas in California, the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Desert and the Great Basin. They are about 5 Million years old and were formed as the montains of the Sierra Nevada rose up so high that clouds bringing rain from the Pacific Ocean could no longer cross them. The warm dry winds of the deserts formed sand dunes. The dramatic landscape is studded with extinct volcanoes and dotted with hot springs where mineral-rich water gurgles. But the deserts arn't as barren as one might expect. From the end of February to the beginning of April, the Colorado desert, for example, is a carpet of bright flowers and sumptuous green. From the salty, concrete-hard plains of the Mojave to the dry high land of Death Valley, the region spans the lowest to the second highest point on the North American continent.

Drought period

When a drought period is over, heavy downpours of rain are not unusual in California. They can be very strong and 'flash floods' may take everything in their path with them. The earth is so dry that the water easily washes it down the hills. Where fire has burned off the vegetation and damaged its roots, there is nothing to hold the earth in place. An avalanche of sludge slides into the valleys with the spring rain. Although California has a reputation for being particularly dry, it may occur that a drought period is followed by several extremely wet years and Los Angeles winter months can be very stormy. In 1978, hurricane-like winds blew cars off the motorways in LA as if they were mere toys.

Part of the reason for California's drought is the irrigation system built to help the development of agriculture in southern California. The other reason is, of course, the hot dry summers which often necessitate the rationing of water. In 1929, for example, there was no rainfall recorded for Death Valley in the northern part of the Mojave Desert. The last drought period in the state finally ended in 1993, after six years of insufficient rainfall. In drought periods, fires can spread at the alarming speed of 150 kilometers per hour through the dried-out hills and canyons. In 1978, wind swept fire through 100 square kilometers of Malibu. Many residents of the expensive villas on the hills lost their homes in the fire storm.

But if rain falls, the dry desert turns into a paradise.

 

Spring in the desert

All over the deserts, hot mineral water bubbles to the earth's surface. Spa towns have developed around many of these geysers. Palm Springs, west of Los Angeles, is possibly the best known - an oasis of palm trees and luxury in the heart of the desert. For many years, Palm Springs has been a much loved retreat for wealthy people and film stars from Hollywood, from Humphrey Bogart in the past to Kurt Russell in the present. It offers as many as 70 golf courses within a 20-mile radius and 300 tennis courts. Palm Springs's intimate village feeling is due to the fact that buildings are restricted to a height of 30 feet. In addition to this, neon signs and other forms of advertising are banned. About 50 per cent of its area is occupied by natural vegetation.

The Gold Rush

In 1848, the first Californian gold was found and the Gold Rush began, an hysteria which swelled California's ulation from 7000 to over 100,000. Although the way to California from the northern states was a dangerous journey through swamps, across high mountains and through deserts, people seeking quick fortunes came in droves. San Francisco's population grew from 500 to 25,000 in just 2 years, and settlements appeared wherever gold was reportedly found. The rush only lasted 3 years. The gold had been washed out of the rivers, and control of the mines was now in the hands of a few companies. Although the days of "get rich quick" were over, gold mining continued to be a substantial part of the economy and contributed greatly to California's prosperity, this is the reason why a lot of wood was needed to build the boomtowns and mines.

The redwoods were felled on a catastrophic scale leaving large, bare areas open to erosion, robbing the wild life and plants of their habitat. Only 10 per cent of the redwoods survived the Gold Rush. In 1890, the first national parks were established. In 1918, the 'Save the Redwoods League' was formed and, together with the Sierra Club, they raised awareness about the plight of the endangered forests. In 1968, the redwood forest area became a national park and thus was protected from further intensive cutting. Gradually the situation has improved and Conservation today makes sure that only as much wood is cut as can grow back.

Death Valley

Between the cool Basin Desert in the north and the hot Mojave Desert in the south lies the hottest place in the U.S. - Death Valley National Monument, the highest recorded temperature there being 134F (56.7°C) in the shade. It was named by a group of pioneers who, on their way to the gold veins in California, got lost and perished in the rough landscape and the quicksand. A native American Tribe still lives in the heart of Death Valley. They are ancestors of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe who came to the area over a thousand years ago. The plants, springs and many kinds of wildlife from big horn sheep to rabbits and lizards provided them with all their needs. In 1849, with the advent of mining and boom towns in Death Valley, Shoshone Indians could no longer pursue their traditional way of life: Watering areas were inhabited by Anglos, Pinyon pine trees were cut down for wood, and mesquite bean bushes disappeared. In 1936, the National Park Service set aside 40 acres of land for the people. Today 50- 60 people live in the Indian Village of Death Valley.

More than 600 kinds of plants thrive in the valley and its rocks make it a geologist's paradise. The great charm of the area lies in its magnificent range of colour, which varies from hour to hour, and its sun-baked salt plains, which are 1.8 meters thick. Although Death Valley is mainly a dry and hot place, you can find in its centre an oasis, Furnace Creek, offering golf, tennis and swimming facilities to its visitors. Badwater, a place 93 feet below sea level, is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere.

 

 

Ghost Towns

In the Mojave Desert, gold, silver and borax were discovered at the end of the last century. Borax, a versatile and widely-used mineral in the chemical industry, was especially concentrated in Death Valley. It soon became known as "white gold", although, in California, this term also refers to water. Later on, this mineral was also discovered in more accessible areas so that the interest in the long trail to Death Valley diminished. Towns were quickly erected and just as quickly deserted when the mining-boom was over. One such town is Calico, founded in 1881. In its heyday, up to 4000 people lived there. When the price of silver dropped in 1907, the town died. In 1950, Calico has been reconstructed, and today it is a regional park.

 

By Stephanie Tzivelrkidis

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