Category Archives: Trona History

Posts relating to Trona History.

Elizabeth Richmond Colter — Class of 1946

4 Replies

Elizabeth Richmond Colter “Liz” 92, formerly of Phoenix, Prescott and Eagar, Arizona, died Wed., November 2, 2022 in Dana Point, CA. Born February 17, 1930, in Philadelphia, PA. Liz was the daughter of John O’Donnel Richmond and Emily Acker Richmond. Both her siblings, Lee Richmond Barker and Lincoln Acker Richmond predeceased her. Survivors include five children: Emily Taranta, Nancy Greene, John Harrison (Barbara) Colter, Mary Lee (Marsden) Stewart and Ann (Kyle) Matthews; 18 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. She attended the University of Arizona where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority and Mortar Board. She was Student Body Secretary in the 1949-1950 school year and met her husband James Harrison Colter “Jim” while in college. Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 3, 2022, at 12:30 p.m. at Burnham Mortuary, Eagar, AZ.

Posted online on December 01, 2022

Published in The Arizona Republic

Elizabeth and her husband Jim were married at the China Lake Navy Base in the base chapel by a Navy Chaplin, Lieutenant Commander W. I. Wolfe in 1950. Elizabeth came to China lake in 1944 when her father, John O Richmond became commander of the Navel Ordinance Test Station at China Lake. She began school in Trona because at time there wasn’t a high school in the Indian Wells Valley.

Bakersfield, California •
Mon, Nov 6, 1950

Warriors at the Trona Sand Pit

Leave a reply

Posted July 8, 2001 by thswarriors.com

It’s the story nobody believes. The tale of the infamous Trona Sand Pit.

If you played for the Tehachapi High School Warriors or supported the Warriors anytime between 1943 and 1979, chances are pretty good you experienced The Pit first hand. But try explaining The Pit to somebody who has never heard of Trona, or been to Trona? [Continue reading]

Pioneer Point 1947

Leave a reply

Before 1946 there wasn’t much in Pioneer Point. There were some houses up by the hills. They were probably built about 1920 when I think the area was called North Trona by some people. Take a look at the pictures taken by the Gauslin Family back then and tell me what you think.

In 1946 AP&CC built a few house out of brick in Pioneer Point and then in 1947 they partnered with a contractor to build about 20 or more prefab concrete houses. The house walls and roof were put together in Trona and then moved to Pioneer Point for the final assembly.

Pan Rooms

The area in the lower right hand corner of the picture show part of the area where the walls and roofs were made for the concrete prefab houses in Pioneer Point.

 

You can see more information and photos at Pioneer Point Prefab Houses.

Later on they built some cinder block houses for the school teachers on the south side of Pioneer Point.

Trona, Bloody Trona A book review by Mike Rhodes

Leave a reply

I have meet a lot of lawyers who work on social and economic justice issues but have never met one quite like Paul Henry Abram. I look forward to his visit to Fresno on Friday, when he will appear in a benefit for listener sponsored radio station KFCF (see details below). Abram has written an extraordinary account of his experience representing the union members in ILWU local 35 who were on strike in Trona Ca in 1970. Most lawyers are more cautious (some would say conservative) than the activists they represent, but Abram gains the trust of the workers by being as militant as they are and willing to share the risks needed to win.

In the first couple of days after Abram arrives in Trona, he describes scenes that are neither conservative or nonviolent. The subtitle of the book is “A Revolution in Microcosm.” The strike against the Kerr-McGee plant in the Mohave Desert saw the workers and their legal counsel cutting electrical power to the plant, dynamiting communications systems, and “kidnapping” scab employees. I kept thinking, as I read these accounts, that it is good the statute of limitations has expired on these remarkable actions. The kidnapping charges, which Abram claims were all a big misunderstanding, were resolved in court – you will have to read the book to see what the judge and jury decided. To read the complete review go to: Trona, Bloody Trona  A book review by Mike Rhodes

Pumphouse

Pump House on Searles Lake 1917

Leave a reply

The brine from which potash was extracted in 1917 was in the middle of the lake four miles from the plant. The pumping station made of concrete and steel weighed 300 tons rested on the surface of the lake and demonstrates the resistance of the crust to pressure. There were three pumps installed capable of 500 GPM. The brine was drawn from 10 wells.

One of the gravest problems for the engineers was conducting the lukewarm brine from the pumping station four miles across the lake to the plant and to be able to maintain the brine at the same temperature. to prevent crystallization. To accomplish the the ten inch pipe was wrapped in hair and wool felt. This was encased in a steel jacket. This provided a thermal tube that delivered the brine without loss of a degree of temperature. The brine was delivered to two tanks, each with the capacity of 500,000 gallons. From the tanks the brine was pumped to the evaporation house and from there to the crystallization house where the potash was precipitated , dried and made ready for shipment.

Trona High School Basketball 1945

Leave a reply

Remember when the Trona High School basketball games were held downtown across from Austin Hall? Well, I suppose that most of you won’t. I don’t remember this particular game. I don’t remember much of what happened when I was two.

I do remember seeing at least one game being played there. I was probably a free spectator looking through the trees and fence. I think the girls who sold tickets would also let us in for free during the fourth quarter. I cannot imagine my mother giving me money to pay for a ticket to watch basketball.  The courts were concrete rather than wood. They were also used as tennis courts and were used for the weekly roller skating and movie event before courts were torn down and replaced by the one on Argus Ave. Later skating was moved to the tennis courts at the high school. Skating was also held at the clubhouse on the ballroom floor for a few years. Metal skates were not allowed there, only wooden wheels. My sister was the only one in the family that right kind of shoes for the clubhouse.  I never did learn to skate.

The one event that sticks out in my mind the most though is a fundraiser auction that one of the organizations conducted after one of the games. My mother kind of set me up. She decided I should do the bidding on one of the items so see sent me up front  but since I had no idea what I was doing I kept running back to ask her what I should bid next. I lost the bid during one of the times that I was running back for instructions. Then I got the blame for not winning the item. Mom, what were thinking? I was probably only six or seven at the time.

Oh, yea and there was the dog fight that broke out during the movie when skating was held at the High School. The Wilson’s dog had a hold on my arm with its teeth and then someone turned on the lights. I could see the surprize in the dogs eyes when he realized that all his biting and tearing were being wasted on me rather than the on other dog. He quickly let go of me and took aim at the other dog’s hind leg. The Wilsons had to keep him tied up until the authorities were sure he didn’t have rabies. It was a good thing for ma and the dog that he had his shots. I still have the scars but I never did blame the dog. He was a good dog.

Argus Cemetery Book

Leave a reply

Cholla Sizemore’s booklet on the Argus Cemetery is back from the printers and ready for sale! This is an order form you can save to your computer and print out. These will be available for sale at the Museum. For more information about this book please go to: http://www.news-ridgecrest.com/news/story.pl?id=0000002223 and http://www.ridgecrestca.com/article/20140227/NEWS/140229596