Chiriaco Summit, California
Encyclopedia
Chiriaco Summit is a small unincorporated
town and travel stop located along Interstate 10
in the Colorado Desert
of Southern California. It is 19 miles (30.6 km) west of Desert Center.
Originally known as Shaver Summit, Chiriaco Summit is the high point of Box Canyon Road, a gravel road that paralleled the Bradshaw Trail
from the Coachella Valley
to Blythe
. The land was purchased by Joe Chiriaco, an entrepreneur from Alabama. After traveling west to attend a college football
game in the Rose Bowl
in 1925, he decided to stay and found employment with the Los Angeles Bureau of Water and Power (now Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
or LADWP). He heard of plans to pave Box Canyon Road, so he purchased Shaver Summit and broke ground on a service station and general store. The hearsay proved true, and on August 15, 1933, the same day that cars began traveling over the brand-new U.S. Highway 60, Shaver Summit was open for business.
Even more bustle came to the area when construction began on the Colorado River Aqueduct
in the mid-1930s. This project of epic scale, which brought water to Riverside from Lake Havasu
, tunneled through the mountains north of town. Joe worked on the project as a surveyor. Around this time, he met his wife, Ruth, a nurse from the Coachella Valley
.
In 1942, Joe had an unlikely visitor: General George S. Patton
. Patton had the daunting task of training a million men to endure the harsh conditions of the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, and he had found the right place: 18000 square miles (46,619.8 km²) of Mojave and Colorado Desert – the entire southeast corner of California and part of Arizona. The area would be known as the California/Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA). Patton chose a site a mile east of Shaver Summit to establish the headquarters of his operation, Camp Young. During the time the base was active, Joe was visited by countless soldiers who were drawn “like bees to blossoms” to his well-stocked general store. Operations were conducted until 1944, when the Allies declared victory in the Sahara.
In 1945, after Patton died in a freak automobile accident in Germany, the Chiriacos established a memorial to him at the Summit.
In 1958, a post office was established, and the town was renamed Chiriaco Summit. The construction of Interstate 10
in the 1960s, replacing U.S. Highway 60 and bypassing Box Canyon Road, meant that the Summit was no longer the only high point on the route, but the name stuck and remains to this day. A new post office supply depot opened in the 2000s and the zip codes "92201" and "9-2-0-1" designations went to represent Chiriaco Summit.
In 1989, the Bureau of Land Management
and Patton’s estate expanded the Chiriacos' memorial and opened a museum
on the site of Camp Young to honor Patton and interpret the history of the Desert Training Center
. The centerpiece of the museum is “The Big Map,” a 5-ton jigsaw relief map created by LADWP depicting the area traversed by the Colorado River Aqueduct. The map, later used by Patton's staff, also illustrates the locations of the 11 training camps that comprised Patton’s mammoth operation. Also located at the museum is a statue of Patton, which can be seen from Interstate 10
.
The Chiriacos both died in 1996, and the businesses at Chiriaco Summit, which include a gas station, store, motel and airport, are now tended to by their son, Robert, and daughter, Margit. Chiriaco Summit Airport (FAA designator: L77) has a 4600 feet (1,402.1 m) runway.
In 1999, electricity from the power grid finally reached Chiriaco Summit, freeing the town from its dependence on diesel generators.
The ZIP Code is 92201, and the community is inside area code 760
.
The town has a general aviation airport, Chiriaco Summit Airport. A California Dept. of Transportation rest stop on Interstate 10, west of Chiriaco Summit, is called "Cactus City", an ironic name referring to a non-existent city.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
town and travel stop located along Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
in the Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
of Southern California. It is 19 miles (30.6 km) west of Desert Center.
Originally known as Shaver Summit, Chiriaco Summit is the high point of Box Canyon Road, a gravel road that paralleled the Bradshaw Trail
Bradshaw Trail
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...
from the Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
to 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...
. The land was purchased by Joe Chiriaco, an entrepreneur from Alabama. After traveling west to attend a college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game in the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
in 1925, he decided to stay and found employment with the Los Angeles Bureau of Water and Power (now Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over four million residents. It was founded in 1902 to supply water and electricity to residents and businesses in Los Angeles and surrounding communities...
or LADWP). He heard of plans to pave Box Canyon Road, so he purchased Shaver Summit and broke ground on a service station and general store. The hearsay proved true, and on August 15, 1933, the same day that cars began traveling over the brand-new U.S. Highway 60, Shaver Summit was open for business.
Even more bustle came to the area when construction began on the Colorado River Aqueduct
Colorado River Aqueduct
The Colorado River Aqueduct, or CRA, is a water conveyance in Southern California in the United States, operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California . The aqueduct impounds water from the Colorado River at Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border west across the Mojave...
in the mid-1930s. This project of epic scale, which brought water to Riverside from Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu is a large reservoir behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between California and Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the lake's eastern shore. The lake has a capacity of . The concrete arch dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation between 1934 and 1938...
, tunneled through the mountains north of town. Joe worked on the project as a surveyor. Around this time, he met his wife, Ruth, a nurse from the Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
.
In 1942, Joe had an unlikely visitor: General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
. Patton had the daunting task of training a million men to endure the harsh conditions of the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, and he had found the right place: 18000 square miles (46,619.8 km²) of Mojave and Colorado Desert – the entire southeast corner of California and part of Arizona. The area would be known as the California/Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA). Patton chose a site a mile east of Shaver Summit to establish the headquarters of his operation, Camp Young. During the time the base was active, Joe was visited by countless soldiers who were drawn “like bees to blossoms” to his well-stocked general store. Operations were conducted until 1944, when the Allies declared victory in the Sahara.
In 1945, after Patton died in a freak automobile accident in Germany, the Chiriacos established a memorial to him at the Summit.
In 1958, a post office was established, and the town was renamed Chiriaco Summit. The construction of Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
in the 1960s, replacing U.S. Highway 60 and bypassing Box Canyon Road, meant that the Summit was no longer the only high point on the route, but the name stuck and remains to this day. A new post office supply depot opened in the 2000s and the zip codes "92201" and "9-2-0-1" designations went to represent Chiriaco Summit.
In 1989, the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
and Patton’s estate expanded the Chiriacos' memorial and opened a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
on the site of Camp Young to honor Patton and interpret the history of the Desert Training Center
Desert Training Center
The Desert Training Center was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert; largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942....
. The centerpiece of the museum is “The Big Map,” a 5-ton jigsaw relief map created by LADWP depicting the area traversed by the Colorado River Aqueduct. The map, later used by Patton's staff, also illustrates the locations of the 11 training camps that comprised Patton’s mammoth operation. Also located at the museum is a statue of Patton, which can be seen from Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
.
The Chiriacos both died in 1996, and the businesses at Chiriaco Summit, which include a gas station, store, motel and airport, are now tended to by their son, Robert, and daughter, Margit. Chiriaco Summit Airport (FAA designator: L77) has a 4600 feet (1,402.1 m) runway.
In 1999, electricity from the power grid finally reached Chiriaco Summit, freeing the town from its dependence on diesel generators.
The ZIP Code is 92201, and the community is inside area code 760
Area code 760
Image:Area_code_442.svg|right|Map of California area codes in blue with 442/760 in redrect 65 82 92 100 Area code 916rect 220 242 245 256 Area code 909rect 243 274 265 287 Area code 951rect 136 323 160 338 Area code 858...
.
The town has a general aviation airport, Chiriaco Summit Airport. A California Dept. of Transportation rest stop on Interstate 10, west of Chiriaco Summit, is called "Cactus City", an ironic name referring to a non-existent city.