Open Draft – Yet another
I went down to the crossroads
Fell down on my knees
I went down to the crossroads
Fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above for mercy, woo-ooh
Save me, if you please
– Crossroads – Clapton
Pre-European Contact (Before 1770s)
Tataviam and Kitanemuk peoples inhabit the region, using trails through San Francisquito Canyon and Elizabeth Lake for trade and migration.
Elizabeth Lake (La Laguna de Chico Lopez) serves as a natural water source.
Spanish & Mexican Period (1770s-1848)
1770s-1820s: Spanish explorers and missionaries establish travel routes between Mission San Fernando and the San Joaquin Valley.
1830s: The area becomes part of Mexican land grants, including Rancho La Liebre and Rancho El Tejon, supporting ranching and travel.
The Lost ’49ers & Death Valley (1849-1850)
Summer 1849: The Lost ’49ers follow the Hunt Cutoff, a supposed shortcut to California goldfields, leading them into Death Valley.
November 1849: The emigrants become trapped, suffering from starvation and dehydration.
December 1849: William Manly and John Rogers travel over 250 miles to find help, passing near Searles Lake before reaching Rancho San Francisco.
January-February 1850: Survivors escape past Elizabeth Lake, through San Francisquito Canyon, and toward Los Angeles.
February 1850: The last emigrants leave Death Valley, one reportedly saying, “Goodbye, Death Valley.”
Stagecoach & Freight Era (1850s-1870s)
1853: San Francisquito Pass is surveyed for a wagon road linking Los Angeles to the San Joaquin Valley.
1858: The Butterfield Overland Mail establishes a stage stop at Elizabeth Lake, making it an important relay station.
1860s: Freight wagons carry borax and silver from Searles Lake through San Francisquito Canyon and Elizabeth Lake en route to San Pedro Harbor.
1860s-1870s: Elizabeth Lake continues as a key stop for stagecoaches and freight wagons.
Railroad & Decline of Stage Routes (1876-1890s)
1876: The Southern Pacific Railroad completes the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco line, reducing reliance on stage routes.
1880s: Twenty-mule teams transport borax from Death Valley to Mojave, where shipments are transferred to trains for San Pedro Harbor.
1890s: Rail connections replace the wagon freight industry, but Elizabeth Lake Road and San Francisquito Canyon remain important travel routes.