Stoddard Wells Road
The Mojave River Trail from Little Meadows to Fish Ponds was about 44 miles--a two day trip. There was soft sand along the river and going through it with heavy wagons hauling freight could be rough, but there was plenty of places to stop for water along the way. The road Lafayette Mecham built through the ranges between the two in the early 1870s was on firmer ground and could cut a full day off of the trip.
Mecham's/Huntington's Crossing
Stoddard Wells Road began as Mecham’s Road, a mid-19th-century wagon route connecting the Fish Ponds area to Huntington’s, or Mormon Crossing, along the upper Mojave River Trail. It developed into a vital desert link between the San Bernardino Valley and settlements and mining districts to the north and east. The Stoddard brothers, Sheldon and Arvin, established wells near their homestead to support travelers and livestock, creating a dependable stop known as Stoddard Wells.
Map showing Mojave River Trail (Blue) and Stoddard Wells Road (Yellow) between Little Meadows (Victorville) and Fish Ponds (Daggett).
As traffic increased, the route branching from the main Mojave River Trail became known as Stoddard Wells Road. It served ranchers, freighters, and miners hauling goods between San Bernardino, Victor, Barstow, and the Calico district. By the late 19th century it had become a well-traveled stage and freight road, later adapted for early automobile use. Though largely replaced by Highway 66 and modern roads, its historic alignment endures as one of the earliest established transportation corridors across the Victor Valley.
Stoddard’s Well Chronology
1840s–1850s Travel routes begin to formalize along the Mojave River as emigrants, traders, and Mormon settlers move between San Bernardino and the desert interior. Freighters and teamsters use natural water holes and shallow hand-dug wells to sustain travel between Lane’s Crossing (Oro Grande) and Camp Cady.
Mid-1850s Lafayette Mecham, an early Mormon settler and freighter based in San Bernardino, establishes or maintains a well along the upper Mojave River route. The site serves wagon trains, mail carriers, and military patrols using the Old Government Road. This marks the first known occupation and improvement of the location later called Stoddard Wells.
Late 1850s–1860s Arvin Stoddard and his brother Sheldon, also Mormon pioneers and freighters, expand upon Mecham’s site. They deepen or redig the well and develop it into a regular stop along their freight line running between the Victor Valley and Camp Cady. The route becomes known locally as Stoddard Wells Road. The name “Stoddard Wells” enters regional use during this period, identifying both the watering place and the desert road.
1870s–1880s The well continues to serve travelers and teamsters hauling freight between San Bernardino, mining districts in the Calico and Ord Mountains, and settlements farther east. As railroads expand into the Mojave, wagon traffic begins to decline, but the well remains an important local landmark.
1896 Hiram Hartman, a rancher and former Calico miner, files a homestead claim on land that includes or borders the old Stoddard Wells site (Township 8 North, Range 4 West, Section 10). He maintains the wells and operates a ranching outfit there. Locally the site becomes known as Hartman’s Wells, though the original Stoddard name persists on maps.
Early 1900s With the dominance of the railroad and automobile travel, the old freight road falls out of use. The Stoddard Wells area remains as a ranching and local access route. The historic well and road name continue in regional geography.
