6/12/2004
Landmark information
- Location:
Midway rest area, N-bound I-15, 30 mi NE of Barstow - Plaque:
Official State Plaque - Site:
Nothing Remains - Date First Visited:
6/12/2004 - Date Most Recently Visited:
6/12/2004 - GPS Coordinates:
N 35 1.904, W 116 28.217 - Other Designations:
National Register of Historic Places
About this landmark
Plaque text:
Long ago, Mohave Indians used a network of pathways to cross the Mojave Desert. In 1826, American trapper Jedediah Smith used their paths and became the first non-Indian to reach the California coast overland from mid-America. The paths were worked into a military wagon road in 1859. This 'Mojave Road' remained a major link between Los Angeles and points east until a railway crossed the desert in 1885.