Since Trona is essentially a company town for the Searles Valley Minerals operation, which harvests minerals from Searles Dry Lake and processes them at three local plants, no visit to Trona would be complete without a tour of one of the plants.
To read the rest of this photo essay by Sandi Hemmerlein go to Photo Essay: Searles Valley Minerals Plant Tour, Trona
Sandi Hemmerlein created a great photo essay about the Argus Cemetery to see the whole essay go to : Photo Essay: Argus Cemetery, Upon the Trona Centennial
I have just learned from David’s sister, Bonnie, that my longtime neighbor and childhood friend, David Mock, passed away on October 4, 2013. Bonnie, his sister, said that the muscular dystrophy (MD) pain was getting to him and he was in a great deal of pain that not even the medication could relieve.
This is corrects an earlier error about his death date and sadly, an admission that I don’t take the time to read things very well.
Happy Birthday! I wish I could be there.
Name: Lewis L. Arnold
Email: lparnold@verizon.net
Comment: I was faculty in 1958-59. I was the football coach and we had an undefeated season, the only team to beat Palmdale High School. I was 1st Lt. ROTC Commander.
Please notify me of reunions of my students and athletes from those years. I would like to hear from them and invite any to my 80th birthday celebration on April 13th. Reach me by my email.
Kathleen Hurlocker Roche, 77, of Redding CA, passed away the morning of March 5th, 2014. Kathleen was born in Bemidji, Minn. on March 19th, 1936, to Harold and Isabel Hurlocker.
Kathleen graduated from High School in Trona, CA in 1953 and went on to receive her degree in English from UC Berkeley in 1957.
She was married to Patrick J. Roche on September 7th, 1957.
Kathleen was the first woman in her family to receive a college degree. Learning and education were an ongoing passion in her life. She continued to lead in education through multiple terms on the Redding Elementary School board including a term as President. She was active with the AAUW including serving two terms as President and in 1987 received the AAUW Woman of Achievement award.
She was also active with the Shasta County Women’s Refuge and served as President of the Board. Kathleen enjoyed helping people through her paralegal business. She loved working on her roses and helping Patrick in the garden as well as going to local museums, art fairs, community concerts and picnics with the “Brandy Creek Gang”.
She was survived by her husband of 57 years, Patrick J. Roche; Her children, Heather Roche-Waldo and husband Raymond; Kelly Roche; Michael Roche; Kevin Roche and husband Andrew Trembley; Grandchild Alexander Waldo; Sisters, Alicia Philpot and husband Charles; Holly Farrah-Elliott and husband Frank; Brother Patrick Hurlocker and wife Valeria as well as her many nieces and nephews and lifelong friends.
Mass and reception will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, March 11th, 2014 at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 2040 Walnut Ave., Redding, CA. 96001.
In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Kathy can be made to AAUW Local Scholarships.
Please send your donation to P. O. Box 4593, Redding, CA 96099-4593, or to “One Safe Place” (formerly Shasta Women’s Refuge) at 2280 Benton Place, 96001. – See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/redding/obituary.aspx?n=kathleen-roche-hurlocker&pid=170040569#sthash.Ah3uucdU.dpuf
Published in Redding Record Searchlight from Mar. 7 to Mar. 11, 2014
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.
Baron Alfred de Ropp was a key player in the creation of Trona.
Baron Alfred de Ropp, a Russian nobleman, graduated from the Royal Mining Academy in Germany in 1882. He came to the USA to work for the Pueblo Smelting and Refinery Company in Colorado where he developed a reputation for solving difficult problems.
In 1908 Baron Alfred de Ropp became manager of the Foreign Mines Development Company a subsidiary of the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa. A biography of the Baron in the book, Searles Lake Borax 1862-1962, credits him with supervising the creation of the town of Trona, the Trona Mercantile Company, the Hornsey plant and the American Trona Company plant. In addition he had to deal with investors and fight multiple legal challenges.
He was the president of the California Trona Company and then the American Trona Company. When he retired in 1920 both of his sons were living in Trona and working for the American Trona Company as Engineers. After his retirement the American Trona Company suffered from lack of strong leadership and reorganized to become American Potash & Chemical Corporation.
The American Potash & Chemical Corporation was incorporated with $1 million in capital in 1926. On the same date, it acquired American Trona Corporation.
The Baron’s son, Alfred, left Trona to work in AP&CC’s New York sales office. His son, Harold, went to work for DuPont. His daughter Vera married General Eric Fisher Wood who was on Eisenhower’s staff during WWII. The Baron’s grandson, Eric Wood Jr. , died during the Battle of the Bulge and was posthumously decorated.
The Baron moved to Coronado when he retired and died there in 1941. His wife died 11 years later.
The family story sounds like it could be made into a good movie. I have never heard of him until this week. He made the mistake of not naming a building after himself. If Austin Hall had been named de Ropp Hall we would all know who he was.
These are pictures of the World War One vintage Renard road train used in the early days of Trona. The picture above is a trailer with the drive wheels in the middle. A drive shaft connected the trailers together and to the tractor unit.
Loaded Road Train
Renard Tractor Unit
