A cloaca is an opening in some animals, like birds, reptiles, and amphibians, where the digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems come together. It’s like a multi-purpose exit, handling waste and reproduction. In most mammals, these functions are separated into different exits, but in animals with a cloaca, everything comes out of the same spot.
Three short, sad notes the Mourning doves call to each other from bunches of thick green leaves in the cottonwood trees. The heat pushes up the canyon, and the bright sun chases the shadows into themselves the way a mirage disappears as you approach.
Boots crunched softly in the thick sand along the trail and spotted lizards dart frantically in the low scrub. The pointed ears of a coyote catch your attention as it leaps over a clump of gray grass to pounce on a squirrel eating a seed. A tortoise marches on steadfastly and fearless in his search for a mate. A cottontail nibbles on a juicy young leaf and listens closely to every scratch and pop.
The late morning finally gives way, and high noon approaches as bold as a bully. The air is clear and hot. The sun burns the back of your hands, bringing salt to your dry lips. Your forehead tingles; you push the brim of your hat back and tilt your head forward a bit to keep your face in the shade.
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Cudahy Camp: A Glimpse into the Past
Nestled in the El Paso Mountains, Cudahy Camp is a historical landmark in the early 20th-century mining industry. From 1923 to 1947, this site was the primary source of pumice used to manufacture ‘Old Dutch Cleanser,’ a widely known cleaning product in the United States. At its peak, the camp employed 12 men who produced 100 tons of pumicite weekly. Today, visitors can explore the remnants of the camp, including concrete foundations and large hollowed-out rooms from the mining operations.
The Evolution of Old Dutch Cleanser
Old Dutch Cleanser’s journey began in 1905 when the Cudahy Packing Company, a meatpacking firm, developed the product to repurpose animal fat. The cleanser, made by combining soap with pumicite, quickly became a household staple due to its effectiveness. The brand’s logo, featuring a Dutch woman chasing dirt with a stick, symbolized cleanliness and helped the product gain widespread recognition.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Old Dutch Cleanser was heavily promoted through advertisements and civic events like “Clean-Up Week,” encouraging community participation in cleaning efforts. These campaigns solidified the product’s place in American homes and contributed to its lasting legacy.
Corporate Changes and Present-Day
In 1955, Purex acquired Old Dutch Cleanser from the Cudahy Packing Company. The brand changed hands again in 1985 when Greyhound Corporation’s Dial division purchased Purex. Despite these transitions, Old Dutch Cleanser remained a trusted cleaning product. It is manufactured by Lavo in Montreal and continues to uphold its reputation for quality (6/2024).
Last Chance Canyon: A Scenic and Historic Site
Last Chance Canyon, part of the El Paso Mountains, is a significant historical and natural site. It offers a unique glimpse into the area’s rich mining history, including the famous Burro Schmidt Tunnel. The canyon features a rugged landscape with geological formations, box canyons, and historical mining sites. This area was heavily mined from the 1890s through the 1920s, with various operations continuing into the late 20th century.
Visitors to Last Chance Canyon can explore the remains of mining camps, such as Bickel Camp and the Holly Ash Mine, alongside the Old Dutch Cleanser mining site. The canyon is also known for its beautiful scenery, including rock-walled sandy canyons and spectacular layered cliffs.
Cultural Significance and Enduring Legacy
Old Dutch Cleanser has significantly impacted American culture, from being featured in popular media to becoming part of civic traditions. Its memorable branding and consistent advertising have made it a recognizable name in household cleaning. The El Paso Mountains and Last Chance Canyon now serve as historical sites, offering a window into the past for those interested in industrial history and heritage.
For more details, you can visit the Old Dutch Cleanser history page and read about the Cudahy Camp and Last Chance Canyon online.
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Covered wagons significantly impacted the United States’ westward expansion during the 18th and 19th centuries. These wagons, often called “prairie schooners,” were designed to transport goods and settlers across the North American continent.
Key features and uses of covered wagons included:
The use of covered wagons declined with the advent of railroads, which offered a faster and more efficient means of transporting goods and people across the country. However, their legacy remains an integral part of American history and folklore.
(1873)
The Von Schmidt boundary, or the Schmidt Line, refers to a historical boundary line in California. It was surveyed and established by Alexey von Schmidt, a Russian engineer, in the 1860s. The purpose of the Von Schmidt boundary was to delineate the border between California and Nevada during a time when there was confusion and disputes over the exact location of the state boundary.
Von Schmidt’s survey helped clarify the boundary and resolve conflicts between California and Nevada. His efforts included placing markers and monuments along the boundary line to make it clear and permanent. The boundary he established still exists today and is the official border between the two states.
The Von Schmidt boundary is of historical significance and has been preserved as a reminder of the surveying and boundary disputes of the past. It is located in the eastern part of California near the Nevada border.
Why was the initial boundary incorrect?
The initial boundary between California and Nevada was incorrect and subject to disputes for several reasons:
Given these factors, there was much uncertainty and disagreement regarding the California-Nevada boundary in the early years. It was only through the efforts of surveyors like Alexey von Schmidt and subsequent legal and political resolutions that the boundary was eventually clarified and accepted. Von Schmidt’s survey work played a crucial role in resolving these disputes and establishing a more accurate boundary line.
The town of Aurora, Nevada, experienced a move due in part to the boundary disputes between California and Nevada. Aurora was originally founded in the 1860s during the Nevada Silver Rush. At its founding, the exact location of the California-Nevada border was still uncertain and subject to disputes.
As a result of the boundary disputes and the fact that Aurora’s initial location was close to the border, there were concerns about which state’s jurisdiction the town fell under. Aurora’s residents and businesses moved the town slightly to the east, further into Nevada’s territory, to avoid potential legal and tax issues. This move ensured that Aurora would be firmly within the boundaries of Nevada when the border dispute was eventually resolved.
The relocation of Aurora was a strategic decision made to secure the town’s status as part of Nevada rather than California, given the uncertainties and conflicts related to the state boundary at the time. This move allowed Aurora to thrive as a mining town in Nevada without the legal complications associated with straddling the border.
It’s difficult to determine whether “everybody” is happy, as people’s feelings and satisfaction with their circumstances can vary widely. Happiness is subjective and depends on individual experiences, perspectives, and circumstances.
In the context of the town of Aurora’s relocation due to boundary disputes, it’s possible that the decision to move was made to address specific legal and jurisdictional concerns at the time. The move may have been necessary for the town’s continued growth and prosperity. However, whether every resident or stakeholder was happy with the decision would depend on their perspectives and interests.
In any community or population, there will be a range of opinions and emotions regarding significant decisions like a town’s relocation. Some may have been happy with the move because it resolved legal uncertainties, while others may have been less pleased due to the disruption and changes associated with relocation.
To determine the current happiness or satisfaction of people in a specific context, it would be necessary to conduct surveys or interviews to gather their perspectives and opinions.
The Mojave Desert is known for its rich history of mining and the presence of ghost towns and abandoned mines. Here are some notable ghost towns, sites, and gold and silver mines in the Mojave Desert:
Remember that exploring abandoned mines can be dangerous due to unstable structures and the presence of toxic gases. It’s essential to exercise caution and, if needed, seek permission or guidance from local authorities or landowners when visiting these sites. Additionally, some ghost towns and mines may be on private property, so be respectful of any access restrictions.
A long interaction history between people and the challenging desert environment marks the human (historical) geography of the Mojave Desert. Here are key aspects of the human history and settlement patterns in the Mojave Desert:
Understanding the human history of the Mojave Desert involves recognizing the diverse ways different groups have interacted with the desert environment over time, from indigenous peoples adapting to the harsh conditions to the various waves of exploration, settlement, and economic activities that have shaped the region.
Mojave Road and Beale’s Wagon Road are historic routes in the southwestern United States, particularly in the Mojave Desert region. Here’s some information about each:
Mojave Road and Beale’s Wagon Road were important in the United States’ westward expansion. Today, these routes attract history enthusiasts, adventurers, and off-road enthusiasts who explore them to experience the challenges faced by those who traveled these paths in the past. Keep in mind that conditions and accessibility of these trails may vary, so it’s important to check for current information and any regulations before embarking on a journey along these historic routes.
Of all the brother acts operating in and around San Bernardino County during the Mormon period, Few accomplished more for the ultimate benefit of the area than the Stoddard boys, Arvin and Sheldon.
Neither cut an imposing figure. Arvin, the quiet one, was only 5’5″ tall and weighed 135 pounds soaking wet, while Sheldon wasn’t much larger. But what they lacked in height, they more than made up in spirit.
Arvin, however, had an imposing ally in his wife Caroline. She was 6 feet tall and weighed well over 200 pounds — a formidable Amazon and an extremely vocal one too. One is tempted to ask if she carried him across the threshold on their wedding night.
She became Arvin’s mouthpiece and did not hesitate to make her opinions known, particularly when the chips were down. As their grandson, R. Jackson Stoddard wrote in the March 1970 issue of the LA Westerners Branding Iron, “For although she followed the will of her husband, in many cases the will of her husband was truly only a reflection of her own wants and desires.”
Today, a stretch of the Mojave Desert between Victorville and Daggett is blanketed with sites bearing the Stoddard’s names. They include the Stoddard Mountains, Stoddard Hills, Stoddard gulch, Stoddard Valley, Stoddard Well and Stoddard Wells Road — all directly attributable to Arvin’s work in the area during the 1850s and 60s.
There were four Stoddard Brothers at the beginning; Rufus, Albert, Arvin and Sheldon, who were all born in Canada. When their father died in 1838, mother Jane gathered them all up and crossed the United States border, first to Ohio in then to Warsaw, Illinois, where she became hooked on the Mormon religion. When the church made it’s great trek to Salt Lake City in 1847, she and her boys were in the initial contingent.
Rufus was the first of the boys to reach California, arriving in San Diego as a member of the Mormon Battalion. After his group was disbanded in Los Angeles, he remained in the area for almost a year before he rejoining his family at Salt Lake City in 1849.
Sheldon was the next to go. Leaving Salt Lake in 1848, along with 30 other men found for the placer diggings near hang town, they traveled as far as Mountain Meadows with a larger company who hired Capt. Jefferson Hunt to guide them to Los Angeles over the Old Spanish Trail.
At the Meadows they left Hunt’s party and turned west to take what they thought was a shortcut to the gold fields and for the next 17 days blindly followed a false trail without a guide, compass or map to go by.
On the 18th day, hopelessly lost in facing death without water their lives were spared when a sudden rain squall drenched the area. As Sheldon later wrote, “We caught the water by spreading out our rubber blankets on the ground and drank it with a spoon.”
They then turned east on the Muddy River, followed at South until they fortunately encountered Capt. Hunt’s company again and accompanied it up the Mojave River, through Cajon Pass and down to the Chino Ranch.
Tragically enough, on the same trip another group of would-be minors left Hunt’s command at Provo, Utah, insisting they also knew a shorter route to the gold fields, only to blunder into Death Valley, where five died before the survivors made it to Los Angeles.
From Chino the party went on to Mariposa, where they broke up to mine, while Stoddard ran a trading post in nearby Carson Valley for a few months before returning to Salt Lake with a herd of horses and mules.
in March 1851 Sheldon married Jane Hunt, daughter of Capt. Hunt, and the following month they accompanied the first group of Mormon colonizers to the San Bernardino Valley, making temporary camp at Sycamore Grove.
After the Mormons purchased the San Bernardino Rancho that September, and moved down into the valley, Sheldon built the first log cabin in the settlement on First Street,, west of I Street. His cabin was later moved to and made part of the Westside of this stockade constructed on the present courthouse site as protection against hostile Indians.
For the next 14 years Sheldon Stoddard was engaged in freighting and carrying mail between San Bernardino and Salt Lake City, crossing the Mojave 24 times in all. In 1865 he made one trip to Nevada in Montana with a mule team which covered over 1300 miles, and took six months to complete.
Arvin Stoddard and his wife also came to San Bernardino with the first Mormon train and lived in the stockade for three years before receiving an urgent message from Mormon leader Brigham Young, authorizing him to investigate a gold strike in the Calico Hills to see if he could ” obtain as much gold as possible to help finance the founding and furtherance of the faith,” keeping only enough to live on during the venture.
Arvin and Caroline, ardent church devotees, packed their wagon and with their poor young children in tow, headed for the hills without hesitation.
But before looking for gold, Arvin searched for water to raise crops to feed his family and stock and to flush through sluice boxes used to separate flakes of gold from the desert sand.
One of his more successful wells, known as Stoddard Well, is still flowing today and besides furnishing the family with ample water, also provided an impetus for others to break out a new road on almost a straight line from Lane’s Crossing, near today’s Oro Grande, to Fish Ponds Station between present-day Barstow and Daggett, thereby saving many miles compared with the old route, which followed the westward band of the Mojave River.
Although it took him almost 8 years of prospecting, Arvin finally struck a rich claim and extracted a sum that Caroline estimated at $60,000 before calling it quits and lighting out for Salt Lake City to hand to Brigham Young.
But before they reach the Mormon Temple, they were held up by Indians and robbed of all their hard-earned loot, except for a few thousand dollars hidden in Caroline’s underwear.
As her grandson related, “The Indians were neither red nor brown. they were more white than any Indian she (Caroline) had ever seen.” Caroline deduced they were renegade Mormons, acting on behalf of the church, and although her suspicions were never resolved, her once benevolent attitude toward the Mormon hierarchy changed overnight and led to her eventual break with the church.
In 1869 the Arvin Stoddards move to Milford, Utah, where they build a hotel called, naturally, “The Stoddard House,” where they lived until Caroline died in 1904.
Sheldon Stoddard remained in San Bernardino for the rest of his life, Rev. and honored by all who knew him for his contributions to the county and state.
After serving as president of the pioneer society, he spent his final years surrounded by old friends like John Brown and Billy Holcomb. They camped and fished together in their mountain retreats and dedicated monuments to the pioneers in Cajon Pass. he was active up to the day of his death in 1919 at the age of 89.
From:
Heritage Tales 1988
by Fred Holladay
published by the City of San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society
