Friends of the SALINE VALLEY SALT TRAM
www.SaltTram.blogspot.com SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com
Little is left of the Salt Tram and its diggin's. The Waag Bros. are actively seeking out information about the Saline Valley Salt Tram and the Salt Mine between 1903 and the 1960's, including: documents, photos, articles, stories, artifacts, etc. If you can help us out, please email us at the address above - Thank-you! Caution (PLEASE READ): Climbing around on the tramway is dangerous because its really old and defnitely unsafe, so don't even think about it. Shoot, just getting to it requires some perilous hiking, and if you don't believe me, just take a look at the Zig Zag Access Trail (or what's left of it). Plus, climbing on it weakens it and endangers your life. Also, the Saline Valley Salt Tram is on the National Register of Historic Places and should be treated with the respect that it deserves. What little remains is of great historic value, and should not be disturbed in any way. Heck, its probably against the law to move parts of the tram around, and certainly a crime to take home some of the few bits of it that remain (though you'd have to ask your friendly local BLM agent for details). So please treat it with the respect it deserves, so that future generations can enjoy whats left, without you messing it up. Really. Please. You can see its listing on the National Register of Historic Places at these web links: National Register of Historic Places • Inyo County Places of Importance
*****QUESTION 1: Speak to Cleo, Bob or Bill Hayes (grandchildren of Salt Trucker C. W. Hayes) and find out what they remember of their grandfather's trucking business, especially as it pertains to the Salt Tram.
*****QUESTION 2: Where did Charles William Hayes live during the time he trucked salt for George Russell? (Bakersfield?) Where was C. W.'s trucking business, how many trucks did he have, how many Moreland 3 axle, 6 tire, dual rear-axle 4 wheel drive trucks did he own, how did he know and make contact with the Sierra Salt Co.'s George Russell or White Smith?
*****QUESTION 3: Find out if the Eastern California Museum already have a copy of the blue Sierra Salt Co. brochure below (and do we have a copy?) or do we need to get a copy of this document from Bob D? The ECM has a copy, but is missing page 12 and 13, which Bob D. has supplied to me and that I will supply to ECM! Thanks, Bob. Supply the ECM with page 12 and 13 to complete their booklet.
*****QUESTION 4: Does the showroom in Bakersfield California on Chester Avenue (the photo showing Charles Wesley Hayes standing with a Moreland Truck out in front of the Moreland Bakersfield showroom - photo below on this web posting) still exists?
Note that "City Market" in Bishop, Calif. was owned by none other than Phillip Keough, the owner of Keough Hot Springs. Though Keough bought the Hot Springs in 1919, it hit its heyday in the 1920's and 1930's as a resort and spa. Though more quaint than fashionable, it is still open to this day!
*****Pre-Introduction: Before reading this post, we recommend that you read the section on the San Lucas Canyon Road by clicking here - if you haven't done so already. For all photos below - click to enlarge (you'll be glad you did!).
*****Introduction: In the early to mid 1920's, George Russell, President of the Sierra Salt Co., was desperate to save his failing Salt Mining operation that he had taken over as President from White Smith. He saw that the operation of the Salt Tram may have been too expensive to make a profit, but that the pure salt just waiting to be picked up off the Saline Valley floor was still a valuable commodity. He was certain that with the advancement of over-the-road trucking, the salt must surely be able to be trucked out of Saline Valley with less cost than the operation of the massive tramway. If they could find a short route to run trucks out of Saline Valley that avoided the long road out via North Pass, maybe they could start making some money with this operation, after suffering through business losses in the salt mining industry for so many decades.
*****New Information: We recently found documents indicating that George Russell opened the San Lucas Canyon Road to truck out Saline Valley Salt merely as a clever scheme to get the Steel Company to sell the Salt Tram to Sierra Salt at a steep discount. Mr. Russell and White Smith believed that using the Moreland 4 wheel drive trucks to transport Salt out of Saline Valley would diminish the value of the tramway, thus lowering the price during future negotiations to buy it back! I was happy to hear this news, because after looking firsthand at nightmare that was the San Lucas Canyon Road, it was clear to me that this was a bad idea and an easy way to lose money. The San Lucas Canyon Road was used merely as a pawn in the game to retrieve ownership of their beloved Salt Tram.
*****Witness the Birth of the San Lucas Canyon Road: George Russell convinced the Inyo County Board of Supervisors that an efficient trucking road needed to be built to economically access the various mining operations in Saline Valley, including the Sierra Salt Company's Salt Lake. Serious route evaluation resulted in the selection of San Lucas Canyon road as the shortest route out of Saline Valley where it was possible to build a road.
Just one problem: a short section of narrows presented a road construction nightmare to any potential road builders. Sierra Salt partnered with Inyo County anyways, and took 2 years to build the San Lucas Canyon road. A handful of photos exist that demonstrate the difficulties encountered in building the road. No doubt, it took longer to build than expected, and cost more money. But they did build it! Now they would need some really tough trucks to haul the loads of salt up San Lucas Canyon and over to the Salt Tram terminus.
*****Enter professional trucker Charles Wesley (C. W.) Hayes: George Russell initially contracted with trucker C. W. Hayes (of Bakersfield) to move the first bagged loads of salt out of Saline Valley. The initial photos of this effort show trucks with the name "C. W. Hayes" stenciled above the driver and passenger door of his innovative 6-wheel Moreland Motor Trucks. Later photos of Moreland Motor Trucks used to move the salt give no indication that they were owned or operated by Mr. Hayes. That is, there are no drivers that look like C. W. and no Moreland Motor Trucks that are marked with the C. W. Hayes name in the later photos.
*****Tough Moreland Motor Trucks: After having hiked most of the rugged and steep San Lucas Canyon road, we could not figure out how the heavily loaded Moreland trucks could possible make it up the canyon grade with such a heavy load. Remember, they were hauling the salt up and out of Saline Valley, then were driving the trucks downhill (light and empty) to go back for more. From some of the Moreland truck photos, it was clear that they were not 4 wheel drive - or more specifically, that the front axles did not have a differential. We would later learn from Bob D. that the Moreland trucks had an ingenious 4 wheel drive system that drove both of the rear axles. Back in the 1920's when Moreland invented his Model S-X 6-wheel trucks, many freight auto roads were still dirt, and traction was still an issue. Take a close look at the rear axle of the truck from the Moreland brochure below.
*****Many thanks to Bob D. of Bakersfield, California for finding this Salt Tram website and contacting us. Bob's wife's great grandfather was none other than pioneer trucker C. W. Hayes. Yes, the same C. W. Hayes whose name is stenciled on the side of the truck that moved that first load of salt out of Saline over the San Lucas Canyon Road. The same C. W. Hayes who is standing next to Saline Valley Salt Company founder White Smith in Lone Pine after he drove the first salt load out. Bob pointed out which person in the photos was C. W. Hayes.
*****A Brief History of Moreland Motor Truck Company:
The Moreland Motor Truck Company of Burbank, California was originally located in Los Angeles. The Moreland trucks were sold worldwide. In 1917 Watt L. Moreland was planning to move his business to Alhambra, California. When Burbank city officials heard about this news they offered Moreland 25 acres of land for free, located on the corner of San Fernando Blvd. and Alameda Ave. The city of Burbank raised $25,000 to pay for the land, buildings were constructed and the truck company moved in. The factory was still surrounded by acres of farms at that time.
Above: Photo of rear axles of Moreland 10-ton 6-wheel truck, including unique single spring pack to service the 2 rear axles.
At the opening of the new factory in 1920 Watt Moreland wrote:
"As I look back to the little old shack where the first Morelands were built, all the way it has been a story of co-operation and I want with all the strength and emphasis possible express my appreciation and thanks to all those who, by their encouragement, their faithful work and interest, have helped to put this organisation where it now stands."
Above: Interior of the Moreland machine shop. 250 employees worked in the machine shop. 10 x 8 inch black and white photograph. Photo Courtesy Burbank Historical Society.
Moreland had branches in Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Stockland, Oakland, Portland, Santa Ana, Fresno, El Centro, Sacramento, San Francisco, Spokane and Salt Lake City. The company slogan was "Built in the West -- for Western Work".
Moreland had branches in Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Stockland, Oakland, Portland, Santa Ana, Fresno, El Centro, Sacramento, San Francisco, Spokane and Salt Lake City. The company slogan was "Built in the West -- for Western Work".
Due to wartime shortages the plant had to close in 1940. Virtually unknown today outside of the small fraternity of antique truck enthusiasts, the Moreland Motor Truck Company of Burbank, California was a technical innovator along with West Coast truck firms Fageol, Kenworth and Kleiber in the first half of the last century. The big Moreland TX6 featured a twin axle bogey rear suspension (nice name!). The system was originally developed in 1924 for a massive 60 passenger double-decker bus and, although one prototype was built, it proved too expensive for frugal bus company operators and never reached production.
The design was not abandoned, and it worked great in the trucks used to haul out salt through San Lucas Canyon. The double-decker bus design was adopted to the heavyweight 1925 TX6. Moreland claimed to be the first in the industry to design, build and sell 3 axles, 6 wheel, 4 wheel drive trucks. The details of their system were certainly unique, but fellow Golden State manufacturer Fageol began producing a similar three axle truck at about the same time.
*****Hayes Family geneology: Charles Wesley Hayes (born May 7, 1885, died October 4, 1977) had a son named Charles Hulin Hayes, who was also a truck driver. Both father and son have since passed, but Charles Hulin's 2 sons, Bob and Bill Hayes, are still walking the planet, as well as his daughter Cleo. More details: My research shows that Charles Hulin has 2 sons and a daughter: son Charles W. (William? Bill?) Hayes of Denver, Colorado, son and daughter-in-law, Robert H. (Bob?) and Dora Hayes of San Antonio, Texas; and daughter and son-in-law, Cleo A. and Warren Brackett of Bakersfield.
