IMPERIAL COUNTY, CA

GHOST TOWNS

 

This is only a small portion of the list of 265+ locations in Imperial County, CA that I have in my files, soon to be published as one of the Ghost Town Guru Guides.  I need historic information or locations on these places.  HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

Historical information on all of the below listed places has pretty much eluded me.  IF you have any historical information or photos of these OR any other locations in Imperial County, please contact me.  I don’t want to publish my entire list of ghost towns until the guide comes out, but I do have a large number of other locations and sites (over 250 others) that I have spent the past year researching, and do have a lot of information on them.  However, I may have missed a source or two.  I am especially interested in the histories of any of the county’s mines.  I have quite a few in my files, and have many of them located, but actual history is slim.  I have also culled through scores of magazine articles, newspaper clippings, Desert Magazines, the GNIS database, BLM maps, road atlases dating back to the 1920s, AAA maps back to 1951 and over 50 books.

 

For the following locations I still have little or no HISTORICAL information and NO historic photos.  I DO have locations for most unless noted otherwise, but I need to know a little about them.  If you can help, I’d truly appreciate it, and will give you appropriate credit where due.

                                                   

ALBERTA

        (Know absolutely nothing about this location except its general area)

ASPARA

        (Know absolutely nothing about this location)

BOULDER PARK

CAMP AMITY 

            (Located just south of Midway Well, SW of Palo Verde)                                 

CITRUS VIEW                                   

COCOPAH PLACERS    

            (Is this in Mexico?)                 

CONCEPCION             

            (Is this just a shortened name for one of the Yuma area missions?)                            

COOLIDGE SPRINGS  

            (I know where it is, and have current photos of the site – need historical info)

DESERT EDGE                        

EL RIO

FISH CAMP

        (Was located in the south end of the Salton Sea, north of Benson Landing, prior

        to the sea rising.)

FORT ROMUALDO DE PACHECO       

GLEASON

            (Shown on 1910 railroad map between El Centro & Holtville)                

GOLD DIGGERS CLUB 

(Is this a club for folks who prospect for gold, OR as some stories persist, “Gold Diggers” of the female persuasion?  It is in an isolated location and had its own airstrip.)  IMPERIAL GABLES is shown at the same site.

GRAFFITI FIELD

Shown on AAA road maps northeast of the Cargo Muchacho Mines/Ogilby/Tumco area)

GUNNS LANDING CAMP

            (In Picacho area)

HAZELWOOD POST OFFICE

HEISE SERVICE STATION                                       

HEISE SPRINGS                                

HIGHLINE

(Know absolutely nothing about this location except its general area.  PO & School)

HOLMESTAKE MINE                         

HOLMESTAKE MILL   

IMPERIAL GABLES

            (I believe this is the same location as the Gold Diggers Club.)

IMPERIAL SALT COMPANY PLANT              

JAEGER FERRY           

KANE SPRINGS (Is it in the tamarisk thicket along north side of SH 86 south of the Border

            Patrol checkpoint and west of Westmorland where AAA shows it?)

LAPARRA POST OFFICE

LIVERPOOL SALT WORKS     

MAREA

(Possibly a misspelling of Maria, which was an early name for the Plaster City railroad siding.

MAYFLOWER                                      

McCABE

MESQUITE PLACERS

            (Did this evolve into the massive Mesquite Lode Mine?)                                   

MOBILE 

        (Know absolutely nothing about this location except its general area.  It once had a

            PO.)     

NILAND area: 

        (On Nov 3, 2006 I visited the county and discovered the ruins of a large adobe

            structure about 3.5 miles southwest of Niland.  It is located on the southeast corner

            of Pound Road and Davis Road.  One website calls it the remains of a Hot Spring.  Does

            anyone know???)

NO MIRAGE

OBREGON 

(Shows on maps in the American Girl Mine area of the Cargo Muchachos.  Was this a

small mining camp in the wash?)          

REDDINGS PICACHO CAMP  

SACKETTS WELL

SALTON SEA SERVICE STATION

(Is this the same as the Union 76 complex at the Torres-Martinez Travel Center south of Salton Sea Beach and north of Salton City?)

SAN FELIPE               

SILSBEE                     

SMITH WELL

            (Located at or near Midway Well west of the Palo Verde-Glamis section of SH 78.

SPRINGERS                            

SQUEAKY SPRINGS/WINONA (STATION) 

THE TULLES

            (In extreme SE corner of the county northeast of Yuma, AZ)

TITSWORTH              

VENDELS                    

WILLOW HOLE              

WITHERS    

 

SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD. 

        (When were the rails pulled out for the spur along the east side of State Highway 115

            between  Calipatria and Holtville?)

HOLTON INTERURBAN RAILROAD

            (Ran between El Centro and Holtville.  When were the tracks pulled?)

 

I’m also looking for information and maybe period photos of the marinas that operated on the

Salton Sea.  I’ve visited the sites of most of them, and would LOVE to hear from folks that

once went there during the Sea’s heyday (1958-1976).  I have listed these places on another

page.  PLEASE contact me if you ever went to these places OR any that are not listed. 

 

Also…does anyone remember the HOLLY HOUSE and the SALTON BAY MOTOR HOTEL at

Salton City, and the NORTH SHORE MOTEL at North Shore?  Would love old info/photos of

these also.

           

 

Thank you!

 

Email Me

 

Page uploaded Sep 09, 2006

Page updated Mar 06, 2007