Bradshaw Trail
Encyclopedia
The Bradshaw Trail, nicknamed the Gold Road at one time, is an historic overland stage route in Southern California
which originally connected San Bernardino, California
to gold fields in La Paz, Arizona
, some miles north of Ehrenberg
. It was the first road connecting Riverside County to the Colorado River
.
Its remainder, a graded dirt road
, traverses southeastern Riverside County and a part of Imperial County, beginning roughly 12 miles/19 km east of North Shore
and terminating about 14 miles/23 km southwest of Blythe
for a total of 70 miles/113 km.
, then north up the river to La Paz. Bradshaw was also aware of the financial possibilities which could be found in a gold boomtown
. In May 1862, Bradshaw and eight other men set out to find a direct route to La Paz.
Originally 180 miles/290 km long, the western trailhead began east of San Bernardino in the San Gorgonio Pass
. Bradshaw and his party travelled southeast through Agua Caliente, now Palm Springs
, and then South to the region where the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation
is now located. There Bradshaw was befriended by Cabezon, a chief of the Cahuilla Indians of the Salton Sink
, and a Maricopa from Arizona who was visiting the Cahuilla villages. They provided Bradshaw with the knowledge of the route of their ancient trade route through the Colorado Desert, including the location of springs and water holes.
Armed with this information, Bradshaw traveled eastward near present day Mecca
at the northern tip of the Salton Sink, to the foothills of the Orocopia Mountains
and an existing stage stop called "Dos Palmas Springs." Leaving Dos Palmas, the men continued through the pass eastward between the Orocopia and Chocolate
mountain ranges, briefly skirting the southern end of the Chuckwalla
range, crossed through a gap in the Mule Mountains
and reaching the Palo Verde Valley two miles southwest of the modern community of Ripley
. Despite the fact that the trail crossed mostly barren desert, water was reasonably plentiful with water holes found at roughly thirty-mile/48 km intervals at Canyon Springs, Tabaseca Tanks, Chuckwalla Springs and Mule Spring. Crossing the vally to the northwest they crossed the Colorado River north of what is now Blythe
. Once they crossed the Colorado River, the party rode upstream for approximately four miles to the gold fields of La Paz.
Between 1862 and 1877, the Bradshaw Trail was the main route between Southern California and the gold fields of La Paz and other places in western Arizona.
, where it intersects 30th Avenue, 2 miles west of Highway 78. Use of a four wheel drive
vehicle is recommended to traverse the trail and no amenities may be found on the trail itself.
Another consideration is the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range
which borders a part of the Bradshaw Trail to the south. This is a live bombing range
and is clearly posted as such.
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
which originally connected San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
to gold fields in La Paz, Arizona
La Paz, Arizona
La Paz was a short-lived, early gold mining town along the Colorado River in La Paz County on the western border of the U.S. state of Arizona. It was the location of the La Paz Incident in 1863, the westernmost confrontation of the American Civil War. The town was settled in 1862 in what was then...
, some miles north of Ehrenberg
Ehrenberg, Arizona
Ehrenberg, also historically spelled "Ehrenburg" is a census-designated place in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2000 census. Ehrenberg is named for Herman Ehrenberg ....
. It was the first road connecting Riverside County to the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
.
Its remainder, a graded dirt road
Dirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
, traverses southeastern Riverside County and a part of Imperial County, beginning roughly 12 miles/19 km east of North Shore
North Shore, California
North Shore is a census-designated place in southeastern Riverside County, so named because of its location along the northeast shore of the Salton Sea. It was once a popular vacation destination spot before ever-increasing salinity and pollution of the Salton Sea shut the tourist trade down...
and terminating about 14 miles/23 km southwest of Blythe
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...
for a total of 70 miles/113 km.
History
The trail is named for trailblazer William David Bradshaw who first crossed the area in 1862. A former forty-niner, Bradshaw knew that the northern gold mines were rapidly becoming exhausted and that the flood of refugees from the area would need a more direct trail from the south across the desert to the new strike at La Paz. Without a direct trail, it would be necessary to travel a great distance southeast to YumaYuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
, then north up the river to La Paz. Bradshaw was also aware of the financial possibilities which could be found in a gold boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
. In May 1862, Bradshaw and eight other men set out to find a direct route to La Paz.
Originally 180 miles/290 km long, the western trailhead began east of San Bernardino in the San Gorgonio Pass
San Gorgonio Pass
The San Gorgonio Pass el. cuts between the San Bernardino Mountains on the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. Like the Cajon Pass to the northwest, it was also created by the San Andreas Fault...
. Bradshaw and his party travelled southeast through Agua Caliente, now Palm Springs
Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a desert city in CaliforniaPalm Springs may also refer to:* Palm Springs, Florida* Palm Springs, Hong Kong, a residential development in Yuen Long, Hong Kong* Coachella Valley, also known as the Palm Springs area...
, and then South to the region where the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation
Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians
The Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla and Chemehuevi Indians, located in Imperial and Riverside counties in California...
is now located. There Bradshaw was befriended by Cabezon, a chief of the Cahuilla Indians of the Salton Sink
Salton Sink
The Salton Sink is a geographic sink in the Coachella and Imperial valleys of southeastern California. It is in the Colorado Desert subregion of the Sonoran Desert ecoregion...
, and a Maricopa from Arizona who was visiting the Cahuilla villages. They provided Bradshaw with the knowledge of the route of their ancient trade route through the Colorado Desert, including the location of springs and water holes.
Armed with this information, Bradshaw traveled eastward near present day Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
at the northern tip of the Salton Sink, to the foothills of the Orocopia Mountains
Orocopia Mountains
The Orocopia Mountains are located in Riverside County in southern California, USA, east of the Coachella Valley, west of the Chuckwalla Mountains, and south of Interstate 10 in the Colorado Desert. The range lies in an east-west direction, and is approximately 18 miles long...
and an existing stage stop called "Dos Palmas Springs." Leaving Dos Palmas, the men continued through the pass eastward between the Orocopia and Chocolate
Chocolate Mountains
The Chocolate Mountains of California are located in Imperial County and Riverside County in the Colorado Desert in Southern California. The mountains stretch more than 60 miles in a northwest to southeast direction, and are located east of the Salton Sea and south and west of the Chuckwalla...
mountain ranges, briefly skirting the southern end of the Chuckwalla
Chuckwalla Mountains
The Chuckwalla Mountains are a mountain range in the transition zone between the Colorado Desert—Sonoran Desert and the Mojave Desert, climatically and vegetationally, in Riverside County of southern California.-Geography:...
range, crossed through a gap in the Mule Mountains
Mule Mountains (California)
The Mule Mountains of California are located in the southeastern part of the state in the United States. The range lies in a northeast-southwesterly direction south of the McCoy Mountains and west of the Palo Verde Valley and Colorado River. The mountain range is approximately long and is located...
and reaching the Palo Verde Valley two miles southwest of the modern community of Ripley
Ripley, California
Ripley is a census-designated place community in east Riverside County. It is located along State Route 78 between Palo Verde and Blythe. The area is mostly agricultural lands irrigated by Colorado River water. The elevation is...
. Despite the fact that the trail crossed mostly barren desert, water was reasonably plentiful with water holes found at roughly thirty-mile/48 km intervals at Canyon Springs, Tabaseca Tanks, Chuckwalla Springs and Mule Spring. Crossing the vally to the northwest they crossed the Colorado River north of what is now Blythe
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...
. Once they crossed the Colorado River, the party rode upstream for approximately four miles to the gold fields of La Paz.
Between 1862 and 1877, the Bradshaw Trail was the main route between Southern California and the gold fields of La Paz and other places in western Arizona.
The trail today
The remaining fragment mostly crosses public land save for the extreme eastern end of the trail at RipleyRipley, California
Ripley is a census-designated place community in east Riverside County. It is located along State Route 78 between Palo Verde and Blythe. The area is mostly agricultural lands irrigated by Colorado River water. The elevation is...
, where it intersects 30th Avenue, 2 miles west of Highway 78. Use of a four wheel drive
Four Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
vehicle is recommended to traverse the trail and no amenities may be found on the trail itself.
Another consideration is the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range
Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range
The Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range , is a 456,000 acre restricted area, approximately 20 miles wide, east to west, and 50 miles long, northwest to southeast, which is used by the Navy and Marines for aerial bombing and live fire aerial gunnery practice...
which borders a part of the Bradshaw Trail to the south. This is a live bombing range
Bombing range
A bombing range is an area used for testing explosive ordnance and practicing to accurately direct them to the target. Bombing ranges are used for munitions that either explode or produce too much destruction to use at a shooting range, such as kinetic energy penetrators or very large caliber...
and is clearly posted as such.