About Newberry Springs

Environment

As you may already know, Newberry Springs is situated in the south-central Mojave Desert. Its elevation ranges from about 1,800 feet above sea level at the Mojave River, 1,900 feet along Route 66 and the townsite of Newberry Springs itself, to about 4,600 feet at nearby Newberry Mountain.

Being considerably inland from the ocean, Newberry Springs is drier than the southern areas of the Mojave Desert. It’s also considerably lower in elevation than other areas, making it slightly warmer. The lower elevation is also the reason why many of the Mojave Desert’s iconic flora, such as the Joshua Tree, does not grow here.

Geography & Geology

Newberry Springs sits in a large desert valley that was formed by the Mojave River. It was earlier filled by an ancient lake named Lake Manix that existed over 20,000 years ago when the environment was much cooler. Close to the river and where the lake used to exist are numerous small sand dune fields. The valley is surrounded on three sides by rugged desert mountains. The mountain ranges immediately to the south are higher and more rugged and are the home to two volcanic areas.

Thanks to the Mojave River, ancient Lake Manix, and water runoff from the surrounding mountains, the areas east and north of Newberry Springs were often rare desert swamps filled with shallow water. This is what would end up attracting people to Newberry Springs. Due to human development over the past 40-60 years, that water has diminished, and the swamps only reappear after periods of wet weather.

The valleys and mountains are part of the geologic Basin and Range Province. This means that they were slowly created over the last 20 million years from the extension or spreading of the Earth’s crust. Most of the valleys and mountains in the Basin and Range, such as in Nevada, trend north-south. In the Mojave Desert, however, they trend in more random directions.

Human History

The history in this area begins with nomadic Native Americans that lived in this area during cooler periods. Like many nomadic tribes in the Southwest, they immigrated back and forth to favorable living conditions throughout the year, such as traveling to higher elevations in the summer, and lower elevations throughout the Mojave Desert in the winter.

Unlike other parts of the Mojave Desert, Newberry Springs offered a valuable commodity – water. This included the waters of Lake Manix and, later, Troy (Dry) Lake. Water attracted many of the very early Native Americans to this area. Evidence of their existence has been found throughout the valley as exhibited at the Calico Early Man Site. Later, the abundance of water also routed early travelers through Newberry Springs that traded goods with distant tribes in Arizona and the California coast.

Transportation

As European settlers moved west through this area, they used the same routes that were trailblazed by the Native Americans. Some of the Natives were hired as guides to lead early pioneers across the vast desert. As more pioneers moved west, consistent trails were established that, over a century later, are roughly followed by modern-day Interstates 15 and 40.

One route in particular crossed the desert by passing by various springs for water. One of the biggest sources of reliable water was Newberry Springs. By 1880, a railroad (originally the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad) followed this route from Barstow to Needles. This was the first route offering “mechanized” travel.

A few decades later, by 1910, the advent of the automobile ushered in the development of what became known as the National Old Trails Road that followed the railroad line. In 1926, this would become the famous Route 66. Both historic Route 66 and the now BNSF Railroad follow each other as the cross the Mojave Desert.

Homesteading

The Homesteading Act that began in 1862 saw interest in the lands around Newberry Springs in the 1930s during the Great Depression. A new breed of settlers laid down roots in what is now Newberry Springs, with its abundance in water, free land, and easy access to transportation with Route 66 and the railroad. Many people quickly learned how to live in the desert, which was quite different from where they came from.

After World War 2 the economy improved significantly and many of the homesteaders left the desert area and moved to areas, such as Los Angeles, to live an easier, more modern life. This left many old and abandoned buildings in and around Newberry Springs, some of which can still be seen today, but most are now gone.

Mining

Between 1920 and 1960, the economy around Newberry Springs was heavily driven by the mining industry. The surrounding mountains contained a multitude of valuable ores, not just gold and silver, but minerals that were needed to create modern-day electronics, fertilizers needed in agriculture, ceramics, and so many other products. Now, only the ruins of those mines exist due to less demand and lessor expensive sources such as from overseas.

Water

Always the lifeblood of Newberry Springs or any desert community, water was abundantly available until the 1980s. By then, human development literally “sucked” the water out of the Mojave River many miles upriver. Communities closer to the L.A. Basin, such as Apple Valley and Victorville, swelled in population between 1980 and 2000. The population of the Victor Valley in 1980 was roughly 50,000, and in 2020 it exceeded 500,000.

In the 1980s, communities downriver from the Victor Valley demanded that something be done. The newly formed Mojave Water Agency, which is associated with the California Aqueduct, built a separate aqueduct from Hesperia to Barstow and Newberry Springs. This would allow water from the California Aqueduct to be delivered to places further down the Mojave River to replenish their depleting groundwater.

Today

Over the past 40 years, Newberry Springs has attracted desert dwellers to this unique way of life. Farmers were able to utilize the water to grow crops that thrive in the dry desert environment including alfalfa and pistachios. Water sports enthusiasts, such as water skiers, developed communities that centered around a lake especially designed for water skiing. Off-road enthusiasts come to the deserts and mountains around Newberry Springs to enjoy endless off-highway exploration.

See the Newberry Springs History page to learn more about this community’s unique desert history.