Saline Valley Salt Tram

Salt Tram - TABLE OF CONTENTS

2010-12-03T09:36:00.001-08:00

Instructions: Click on a topic link below. Read that topic. Click on the last link at the bottom of that topic to return to this TABLE OF CONTENTS page and repeat the process until you have read everything on this site about the Saline Valley Salt Tram. Note that occasionally some blog topic pages appear more than once under different headings, when the topic applies to multiple headings.

If you are new to this website and asking yourself, "What is a Salt Tram, and why should I care?", then you want to click on the "Welcome" link below for a brief introduction, then come back to the home page and pick a salt tram topic of interest to explore further. Our research into the Salt Tram is ongoing, and we solicit your input and help in this endeaver. We encourage you to make comments on any given salt tram topic, as it helps us in our research and the quality of the site. Thank-you!

New: Month Year! indicates a newly added section, and the month and year it was added.

Updated: Month Year! indicates section has had substantial new material added on that Month and Year.

Introduction

Welcome to White Smith's Marvelous Salt Tram

Tim at the Salt Tram

People of the Salt Tram

Updated: November 2011! People Names of the Salt Tram

People and Place Names of the Patterson Diary

Horace Albright: 2nd Director of the NPS

White Smith's Genealogy

The Face of White Smith: Finally Found!

Where is White Smith's Bishop Home?

Watterson Family Genealogy

A. A. Forbes: Salt Tram Photographer

Bledsoe Photo Co. L. A. Cal: Salt Tram Photographer

Lillian Hilderman (wife of Harry)

Diary of Henry Clifton Patterson

Introduction

Cliff Starts Work

People & Place Names of the Patterson Diary

Transcription of Patterson Diary Continues

What are Cutter Shoes?

Cliff Leaves the Salt Tram ... Forever

Salt Tram Pre-Construction Work and Planning

1910: Evaluating Utah Tramways

Selling Shares in the Saline Valley Salt Tram

SVSC Stock Certificate Found!

Construction of the Salt Tram

Construction Camp: Flagstaff

Hydroelectric Power for Tram from Where?

Salt Tram and Mulholland's Aquaduct
Mule Rights and Lefts

Numbering of Salt Tram Parts

Go-Devil 1: Routes to CS II

Go-Devil 2: Possible Trail from Summit to CS II?

Go-Devil 3: Matching Historical Photo

Go-Devil 4: Origins

Go-Devil 5: Search Continues in April 2010

Go-Devil 6: Route Found in May 2010!

In Search of the North Pass Route into Saline

Electrical Systems

Telephone Systems

Hydroelectric Power for Tram from Where?

Timing Bell or Gong?

Sam's Sierra Salt File

Operation of the Salt Tram

Timing Bell or Gong?

Alan's Carrier Operation Video

Operation of the Salt Tram: Back Traffic

Wood Waterpipe Mystery

Loading Station Site

Salt Lake with No Name

Salt Collection Gear in Salt Lake

Summit Station and Cabin Site

Summit Station Stabilization

Aerial View of the Tram Summit

Mighty Halford's Summit Adventure!

Summit Station Doghouse Mystery

What is this?

Summit Corral: The Search

Summit Corral: Found at Last!

Summit Cable About to Snap?

Discharge Station

Introduction

Historical Photos

Contemporary Photos

Alan's Carrier Operation Video

Station Analysis: East Side (Section I, II and III)

Station 1

Station 2

Station 18

Station 19

Station Analysis: Summit Station

Station Analysis: West Side (Section IV and V)
New: October 2011! AA Forbes Salt Tram Construction Postcard

Document Analysis

Document 05: Agricultural Survey - June 1917

Document 01: San Bernardino Sun Telegram - May 1960

Document 06: Ghost of a Skeleton Revisited

Periodical Search

Introduction to our Periodical Search

Inyo Register Log (Bishop, Cal.)

Inyo Independent Log (Independence, Cal.)

Inyo Independent: Feb. 24, 1911 article

Firsthand Accounts (Modern Era)

Baptism of Fire: Outing Gone Bad! by Wendell Moyer

The Later Years: Sierra Salt Co.

San Lucas Canyon Road

Sam's Sierra Salt File

The Much LaterYears: After Salt Mining Ended

Salt Tram in the 1960's

Miscellaneous Salt Tram

Let's Have Fun: Old & New!

286 Buckets on the Line!

Power Pole Route

Station and Tower Route

Searching for "Yard Artifacts"

Salt Tram Email Address & Google

Visits to the Salt Tram

April 2010 Field Report (Alan and Brian)

May, 2010 Field Report

November 2010 Field Report

Salt Tram Presentations

HSUMD Tues. May 18, 2010 in Ridgecrest

Our first Salt Tram Presentation: March 13, 2010

Inyo Register: March 11, 2010

March 13, 2010: Eastern California Museum

Links to Other Saline Valley Salt Tram Websites

Owens Valley History

Explore Historical California

Links to our Favorite Desert Stuff (not focused on the Salt Tram)

Eastern California Museum (Independence, Calif.)

Friends of the Eastern California Museum

Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert (Ridgecrest)

Ray's Den Motel (Independence)

Major Tom's 2011 Saline Valley Calendar (order yours now!)

Ghost Town Explorers (Lewis' Site)

Panamint Springs Resort

Your Friendly Neighborhood Bishop BLM Office

Your Friendly Neighborhood Ridgecrest BLM Office

Saline Valley Preservation Association

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Friends of the Saline Valley Salt Tram www.SaltTram.BlogSpot.com (updated frequently). You are invited to comment or become a follower! Tim Waag (personal) - home (805) 544-2109 - cell (805) 440-9144 (no answering service) - email: SalineValleySaltTram@GMail.com Brian Waag (personal) - home (310) 322-2262 - email: Waagman@sidedoorstudio.com

Brian's wife, Laura, is a wonderful graphic designer (see her work at Side Door Studio) and made these business cards for our efforts to learn more about that Marvelous Salt Tram! (Thanks, Laura!). She printed a batch of these cards for us on her 1930's letterpress (hand-inked, hand-cranked!), and I've already gone through them all and am ready to order another batch. click to enlarge.

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Mule Rights and Lefts

2010-12-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

AA Forbes Salt Tram Postcard

2010-12-03T09:24:00.003-08:00

Friends of the SALINE VALLEY SALT TRAM
www.SaltTram.blogspot.com SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com
Salt Tram history is rapidly disappearing, and we are striving to rediscover the efforts of our forefathers in order to give proper recognition to their hopes, dreams and abundant sweat from an era that is rapidly fading from our memories. We are actively seeking out information about the mining of Salt in Saline Valley between 1903 and the 1950's, including: documents, photos, articles, stories, artifacts, etc. If you can help us out, please email us at the address above - Thank-you! --Tim and Brian Waag, the Waag brothers (aka E. Clampus Waagus).
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 1 National Register of Historic Places 2

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More information on pioneer photographer A. A. Forbes.
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On September 23, 2011, I received this email:

Dear Tim Waag-
Saw your blog. Thought you might want to know about this auction item, if you have not already seen it. LINK.
-Bob (Bob Edberg, Piedra Pintada Books, P.O. Box 1376
Claremont, CA 91711, 909-620-6742, books@rock-art.com).

Of course, I was thrilled to get this email, then took a quick look at the link he provided for the eBay auction item. The item in question was an A. A. Forbes postcard depicting the Saline Valley Salt Tram. The caption in the photo read “Tramway under construction, SALINE VALLEY SALT CO., Inyo, Calif.”, but no mention of A. A. Forbes. Forbes, like most other photographers of his day, included his name in his photos, but its missing on this one. That omission, of course, called into question whether or not this was really the work of Alexander Forbes. Also, I was disappointed to realize that it was a postcard, and not an original Forbes photo print. Oh well.

I emailed a neighbor who frequented eBay auctions as both buyer and seller, and asked if he could work his magic on this one for me. On 10/1/2011 when the auction closed, my friend Nick G. had won the bidding, overpaying at $78.77 plus $2.95 shipping and handling, for a grand total of $81.72. But it was mine, and it arrived in the mail yesterday (10/8/2011) and I was thrilled. The seller was a Robert Varlotta of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; you can bet I’ll be following up with Robert to see what other A. A. Forbes or Salt Tram stuff he might have.

My plans for the postcard are to scan it at high resolution (done), then donate it to our friends at the Eastern California Museum and take the tax deduction! In the meantime, a few observations about the postcard:

1. RARE HISTORICAL PHOTO: I wanted it, not just because it was the work of Forbes, but because it depicted a section of the tramway on the west (Owens Dry Lake) side, which has largely been decimated by vandals and scavengers AND we don’t already have historical photos of this section of the tram route. It was filling in some missing information on a section of the tram that turns out to be unique.

2. TEN TALL TOWERS IN A ROW: The photo shows a section of very tall towers spaced very closely together - ten towers in a row to be exact. We don’t believe that this occurs anywhere else along the tramway - especially towers of such height. Remember, again, that these towers are now gone, with only scattered concrete foundations to show they were ever there.

3. TRAMWAY CONSTRUCTION ERA: The tow tall towers in the foreground of the postcard are similarly missing today. However, they are shown without any tram cables attached in the postcard, neither traction nor track cables. This means this is a construction phase photo, which are also more rare than operational photos.

ON-SITE PHOTO EVALUATION: We’ll be taking this photo out to the Salt Tram and investigate the particular location in which this photo was taken, as well as examine the two-tower and ten-tower cluster site. Its possible that there were ultimately additional towers in this section of the tram that were not built yet. Historical photos show the addition and removal of towers over time. This was surely done on an “as-needed” basis in order to fine-tune the operation of the tram.

CONSTRUCTION ROADS: Another contribution that this photo makes is that it reveals the roads that existed during construction to support the building of the tramway (see postcard photo showing the roads in the area). Again, we’ll visit the site and map the roadways and add them to our master map of pack trails and roadways that serviced the Salt Tram.

MAP SECTION: The area in the postcard is in Section IV of the Salt Tram. I’ve included the map showing the exact part of the tramway depicted in the postcard. The postcard photo was looking west (towards Owens Lake). The map is from the 1917 ACME article, and it only shows 8 towers where the postcard shows the 10 tower cluster. The 2 large towers in the postcard foreground match the 2 towers in the map.

MANY THANKS TO: Bob Edberg of Piedra Pintada books for alerting me to this eBay auction, Nick G. for winning the auction bidding for me, and the folks at the Eastern California Museum for being such excellent caretakers of Salt Tram history.

PHOTOS BELOW (CLICK TO ENLARGE):

This appears to be the same tramway section as in the postcard, only looking the other direction. The four towers in the foreground are part of the grouped set of 10 from the postcard. The two towers in the distance are the two towers in the foreground of the postcard. The photo below shows the tram towers with buckets and cables, obviously in an operational state. Photo Courtesy of the Eastern California Museum.

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unused

2010-12-01T08:23:00.001-08:00

NEW POST TO GO HERE!

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Cliff Patterson Starts Work on Salt Tram

2010-12-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Cliff Patterson Leaves the Salt Tram ... Forever

2010-11-20T08:08:00.001-08:00

Friends of the SALINE VALLEY SALT TRAM
www.SaltTram.blogspot.com SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com
Salt Tram history is rapidly disappearing, and we are striving to rediscover the efforts of our forefathers in order to give proper recognition to their hopes, dreams and abundant sweat from an era that is rapidly fading from our memories. We are actively seeking out information about the mining of Salt in Saline Valley between 1903 and the 1950's, including: documents, photos, articles, stories, artifacts, etc. If you can help us out, please email us at the address above - Thank-you! --Tim and Brian Waag, the Waag brothers (aka E. Clampus Waagus).
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 1 National Register of Historic Places 2

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QUESTION 1:

No doubt, after leaving the Salt Tram in October, 1913, Cliff went on to other work and never returned to the Salt Tram. What did Cliff do after leaving the Salt Tram?

QUESTION 2: We believe that Cliff stayed in the Owens Valley area for the rest of his life. Brian needs to investigate the Census records to see what he lists as his occupation.

QUESTION 3: Perform periodical search of the Owens Valley Herald for Salt Tram information.

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Cliff Patterson reports in his diary on October 25 - 26, 1913 that he is packing up his stuff, unloading the tram line, and heading down to Swansea. That can only mean one thing. Here's the diary entry for those dates

(click to enlarge):

In the Patterson Diary Book (available for purchase at the Waag Brother's cost to print it!), we document Cliff's departure from the Salt Tram ... forever:
"If you have made it this far in reading Cliff's diary, then it is my sad duty to inform you that Sunday, October 26, 1913 (see diary page above) was his last day to ever work at the Salt Tram. That fateful day marked Cliff's completion of a grueling 2 years and 7 months of dedicated work committed to the planning, construction and operation of the Salt Tram. He notes on October 25, 1913 that he "worked all day packing my duds", then the next day "ran [the] tram and unloaded [the] line", then "gathered up [my] tools" and "came to Swansea" (the location of the discharge station show below right). Cliff gave us a clue that all was not well with the Saline Valley Salt Co. when he indicated that he "unloaded [the] line", meaning they moved the tram buckets off the track cables and into the control stations until the time when the tram would run again."
Corroborating Evidence of Cliff's Departure: Our intense periodical search has revealed corroboration of Cliff's (and his brother, Earl Patterson) departure from the Salt Tram workforce, in the form of an article from the October 30, 1913 edition of the Inyo Register, which announces his return to Bishop in the column that Chalfant labels "TABOOSE". This column also announces the return of Ambrose White (White Smith's older brother) from the Salt Fields as well. Scroll down to the section highlighted in yellow

(click to enlarge):

Much Salt is on Hand: We were fortunate to locate another key article in our search of the Inyo Register, also appearing on Thurs. Oct. 30, 1913 (click to enlarge).
The above article gives a plausible explanation for the sudden shut-down. It implies that the Salt Tram is working so well that too much Salt is being accumulated at the Discharge Station (i.e., the end of the Salt Tram line, i.e., the "delivery end") in Owens Valley at Swansea. It goes on to explain that the massive 5,000 ton accumulation of Salt has to be sold and shipped before the Salt Tram restarts its operation. This story is convincing, as the photo archives of the discharge station repeatedly show massive salt piles. Photo Courtesy Eastern California Museum (click to enlarge):

What is missing from these Discharge Station photos (taken over several decades of intermittent operation) is the "conveyor system" that was

to deliver salt to the dryer and the grinder.

The above 1920's photo is just one of many that gives evidence that the conveyor system alluded to in the article was never built. What was built is seen in this photo: a conveyor system designed to dump salt all over the ground. This is what our photographic history of the Discharge Station tells over and over again: Salt is piling up at Swansea, its pure salt contents getting contaminated with the persistent dust of Owens Valley. Where are the storage bins to keep the salt pure and protect the product? Where is the conveyor system and the automation required to process a large volume commodity such as Salt?

First, that little automation detail was never fully dealt with, and as they say, the devil is in the details. The pre-occupation with the salt collection operation at the Salt Lake, along with building and operating the monsterous 13.5 mile tramway over the Inyos apparently precluded serious thought about salt processing operations at the "delivery end". This problem would never adequately be addressed, and in fact, we believe that the salt piled up in the above photo was wheel-barrowed (!) to the drying facilities - yikes! Evidence for this is in the form of multiple historic photos of workmen and their wheel barrows moving salt from the pile to the dryer. Here's one of those photos, courtesy of Eastern California Museum of course! (click to enlarge):

Grip Problem Rears Its Ugly Head: Unfortunately, the problem of salt accumulation at the discharge station was nothing compared to a much larger problem: the grip mechanisms on the buckets were failing, causing the salt carrier buckets to fall off the line! This problem would be solved by designing a completely new grip mechanism, but it took years to do it. More on this elsewhere in this website. At this point, we believe that the Salt Tram would not be run again until August 11, 1916. Evidence for this is provided by the article (Courtesy of the Eastern California Museum) below that appeared in the Owens Valley Herald on August 11, 1916. No doubt, after leaving the Salt Tram in October, 1913, Cliff went on to other work and never returned to the Salt Tram. (click to enlarge):

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Station 18

2010-11-20T08:07:00.001-08:00

Friends of the SALINE VALLEY SALT TRAM

www.SaltTram.blogspot.com SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com

Salt Tram history is rapidly disappearing, and we are striving to rediscover the efforts of our forefathers in order to give proper recognition to their hopes, dreams and abundant sweat from an era that is rapidly fading from our memories. We are actively seeking out information about the mining of Salt in Saline Valley between 1903 and the 1950's, including: documents, photos, articles, stories, artifacts, etc. If you can help us out, please email us at the address above - Thank-you! --Tim and Brian Waag, the Waag brothers (aka E. Clampus Waagus).

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 1 National Register of Historic Places 2

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QUESTION 1: Observe the anchorage features of Station 18.
QUESTION 2: Observe the current state of the track and traction cables at Station 18. Where is the bitter end of the small track cable (it is NOT attached to its weight box).

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Internal Code: 204

Location: Station 18 is the 2nd station below the Summit Station to the East (see Section III Map above).

Basic Characteristics: Station 18 is classified as "C", meaning that it is an Anchorage and Tension Station. The anchorage features still needs to be field-observed. Station 18 tensions the 2 track cables that run from Station 18 and through Station 19 and up to the Summit Station (Station 20); it does so with 2 Weight Boxes (see photos). The larger, heavier weight box tensions the heavy 1.25 inch North track cable, and the smaller weight box tensions the lighter 7/8 inch South track cable. Below: view of Station 18 looking North (click to enlarge).

Current Condition: The larger weight box is still attached to the heavy track cable, but the smaller weight box is detached from its cable. Both weight boxes are generally intact (and full of rocks), but sitting on the ground. The structure in general is intact. Below: 1st photo below shows large Weight Box with track cable still attached; 2nd photo shows the smaller Weight Box withOUT the track cable attached.

Dimensions: Station. 4 Sections Long. 4C. 4l. 14'.

Unusual Features: There is a large wood water pipe lying on the ground adjacent to Station 18 to the South. It is believed that this was "back traffic" used for water operations from Hunter Spring to the Salt Lake and Loading Station. It is believed that this water pipe may have fallen off its tram hanger and was never re-loaded onto the tramway for shipment to Salt Lake. Noted in 2006 field notes that trail was hard to follow up to this Station.

Also on this blog, see Wood Water Pipe Mystery.

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Station 19

2010-11-17T09:56:00.001-08:00

Friends of the SALINE VALLEY SALT TRAM

www.SaltTram.blogspot.com SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com

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Internal Code: 203.

Below: From Station 19, you can look uphill and view the Summit Station (Station 20).

Location: Station 19 is the 1st station below the Summit Station to the East (see Section III Map above). Using National Geographic topo software, the distance from the Summit Station (Station 20) to Station 19 is .61 miles (3,220 feet), with a net descent of 1,041 feet - for a tramway, that is quite a span!

Below: Station 19 with Saline Valley in the background.

Basic Characteristics: Station 19 is classified as "F", meaning that it is a Curved Rail Station, the most boring and featureless of stations! Curved Rail simply means that when the carriers go off the track cable and onto the fixed track inside the station, the fixed track is curved to allow the buckets to traverse the ridge with the least amount of resistance by matching the angles of the incoming and outgoing track cables - got that? More later.
Below: one of the many buckets littered around Station 19.

Current Condition of Structure and Features: The structure in general is intact. There are 2 more-or-less complete buckets in the Station: 1 hanging from the structure, and 1 on the ground. It would appear that there are 1 or more hangers tangled up in the structure as well. Station 19 looks very similar to Station 18, in that they are both similarly structured and surrounded by a pinon pine forest, including saplings surrounding the tramway itself; its likely that pinon pines were cut down at this location to make room for the tram station, and that the seedlings have taken root, and this is how much they've grown in about 100 years. There are 2 buckets inside the Station on the ground, an one bucket hanging up in the air in the station.

Dimensions: Station. 7 Sections Long. 77 feet long (14 feet wide???).

Unusual Features: There is a massive coil of 3/4 inch traction cable lying on the ground just to the West of Station 19. It was intentionally coiled around two tree stumps, and we estimated each coil at 500 feet long, and at least 14 sets of coils (ie, 7 loops), making the total length of cable approximately 7,000 feet of track cable. Speculating, it was either there as spare cable (unlikley, as they would have stored it on cable spools at the Summit Station) or it was one of the track cables that frequently snapped (according to the Patterson Diary), and when the cable was replaced, they coiled it up out of the way, rather than take it down the mountain.
Below: piles of traction cable spooled around the tree stumps at Station 19 (seen in background).

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Construction Camp: Flagstaff

2010-11-16T17:48:00.001-08:00

Friends of the Saline Valley Salt Tram
SaltTram.blogspot.com SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com

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QUESTION 1: Examine mining prospects and shaft along the Old Charcoal Road and look for signs that it was at one time could have been the Flagstaff Camp during the Salt Tram construction phase. Let’s call this location Flagstaff Mine - North. In particular, we would expect to find signs of a dump in the area with cans and other material from the Salt Tram era.

QUESTION 2: Examine old topo maps in the area of the Flagstaff Mine and the Flagstaff Mine - North. Look at maps from around 1880 to 1920 and see what was shown on these topos in these 2 sites. We expect to find the Flagstaff Mine on maps of this era, as is known to have been in operation prior to 1882. However, we are curious to see if the Flagstaff Mine - North prospects and shaft is shown on these older maps.

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Flagstaff Mine:
Background information on the mine itself. A report from the State Mining Bureau (of California) shows that their museum collection includes sample silver ore from the Flagstaff Mine in the Inyo Mountains near Swansea. This publication is dated April 16, 1881 and was published in Sacramento in 1882. It clearly identifies the Flagstaff Mine as being of rather old vintage, and certainly establishes that it existed prior to the construction of the Salt Tram in 1910 - 1913 timeframe. A 1986 reference puts the Flagstaff Mine in Inyo County as producing the commodities of Silver (Major), Lead (Trace) and Zinc (Trace), and its current status was as a “past producer”. Below: Brian and Mark at a portion of the Flagstaff Mine (click to enlarge).

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Patterson Diary References to “Flagstaff” Camp:
Cliff Patterson references numerous construction camps, including at least 3 references to “Flagstaff”. Control Station IV (CS IV) is also known as Station 29, and is not far from the “Flagstaff Mine” on a current topographical map. CS IV is also only .9 miles by pack trail from what we consider to be the likely location of the Salt Tram’s Flagstaff Camp along the Old Charcoal Road, and only 1.3 miles from the late 1880’s Flagstaff Mine.

Below: 3 entries from the Patterson Diary that mention Flagstaff:
July 21, 1912 (graph paper): Sun. Reed & one of Ben’s gang put up tent at Flagstaff.
July 21, 1912 (ledger paper): Sun. Put up one Tent & moved the other at Flagstaff.
July 22, 1912 (ledger paper): Mon. Moved To Flagstaff and excavated on Station # 29.
There are 2 entries on separate diary pages for 7/21/1912 and 7/22/1912. The reasons for this is unknown, except for the fact that the diary pages are not bound, and in fact, the diary uses 5 different types of 3” x 5” paper! We speculate that he simply misplaced the original diary pages and reproduced them from memory, then subsequently found them later. Under this scenario, he chose to keep both of the duplicate pages in the diary. Obviously, the statements for the same day from the 2 separate pages are similar.
Below: Diary Page from Henry Clifton Patterson Diary, which references the Flagstaff Camp:
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Location of Flagstaff Camp:
We believe it is most likely that the camp is located in the draw through which the Old Charcoal Road passes. On current topo maps, it shows numerous mining prospects in that area, along with a mine shaft. It is conveniently located along the Old Charcoal Road (the Salt Tram’s main access road on the West side of the tramway), and is in a sheltered canyon that provides some protection from the elements. Control Station IV (CS IV) is also known as Station 29, and is not far from the “Flagstaff Mine” on a current topographical map. CS IV is also only .9 miles by pack trail from what we consider to be the likely location of the Salt Tram’s Flagstaff Camp. Below: Topo Map showing Old Charcoal Road, Pack Trail, Flagstaff Mine, Flagstaff Mine - North.

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November 2010 Salt Tram Field Report

2010-10-25T07:47:00.003-07:00

Friends of the Saline Valley Salt Tram
SaltTram.blogspot.com SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com
As the years pass, researching the true story of the Salt Tram is getting more difficult, as the abundant photos and written first hand accounts from that era find their way into landfills (instead of museums). We are striving to rediscover the efforts of those who built and ran the Salt Tram, in order to give proper recognition to their hopes, dreams and abundant sweat from an era that is rapidly fading from our memories.  We are actively seeking out information about the mining of Salt in Saline Valley between 1903 and the 1950's, including: documents, photos, articles, stories, artifacts, etc. If you can help us out, please email us at the address above - Thank-you! --Tim and Brian Waag, the Waag brothers (aka E. Clampus Waagus).
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 1          National Register of Historic Places2

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QUESTION 1: Match the Salt Tram photo that references the "pictographs" with the area around Owens Lake to determine where the photo was taken.

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Introduction: Fred had the idea a few months ago to hike from the Salt Tram Summit in the Inyos all the way down the old pack trail along the tram route to the Saline (pronounced by locals as SLEEN or SUH-leen) Valley in a single day. We had certainly not done it in one day before, as we usually did it as a 2 day with an overnight stay at Control Station 2 (Station 15). We checked around, and there was enthusiastic interest in Fred's idea, so it was a go! We rounded up the usual suspects, along with a new one or two, and we were in business. Although this Summit-2-Sleen hike would be the focal point of the trip, we did do a few other Salt Tram-ish things on this trip (as well as numerous other interesting non-Salt Tram-ish stuff that will not be included in this report. On with the fun! Below: Moonrise over Control Station I (click to enlarge).

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Field Trip Summary: Since it takes so long to put Salt Tram data collected from field trips like this one onto the website, I'll give a summary of the trip, leaving out the many non-salt tram stuff we did on the trip, because that just wouldn't fit the theme of this website, now would it? Most of these numbered items below will eventually be described or linked to in this blog entry.

Visited the Cottonwood Hydroelectric Plant - rumored to be the source of electricity to run the Salt Tram - still with its original turbines, circa 1908 (unit 1) and 1909 (unit 2).

Visited the Eastern California Museum in Indie to actually get a look at the recently donated Saline Valley Salt Company Stock Certificate.

Visited Nancy and Fred Patterson in Bishop (Fred is the son of Salt Tram diarist Henry Clifton Patterson - it was great to see and visit with them).
Stayed at "Ray's Den Motel" in Indie - the unofficial home of the Friends of the Saline Valley Salt Tram! (yeah, Linda!). Okay - not really a Salt Tram bullet, but kinda...
Field observation of the pack trail below Control Station IV, including power pole route, pack trail, Station 30 and 31 (54 feet high - thanks Mark!), tram towers, cable spool, misc. buckets down canyons, interesting artifacts, etc.
Discovery of the likely location for the so-called "Flagstaff Construction Camp" referenced in the Patterson Diary.
Exploration of the famous Swansea Petro site (INYO-272) that is referenced in a historic Salt Tram photo below (probably photographed by longtime Keeler resident Lillian Hilderman).
4x4 Drive to the Salt Tram summit in preparation for the next day's "Summit-to-Salt" hike (hey, I just gave it a nickname!).
Brian's desert-famous "Death Valley Chili" - the colon cleanser! (also not a Salt Tram bullet).
Summit-to-Salt Dayhike - with numerous observation objectives, a few of which were actually completed - see below. For a link to Corey's unlisted U-Tube video of the trip, click here.
Observation of the Temporary Tramway System from Chuckawalla Hollow Camp to Control Station I.
Brian and Mark hike up to the Zig Zag trail and put in fixed ropes to aid the hikers coming down from the Summit (Thanks, guys!).
Tim's desert-famous "Death Valley Burritos" (also not a Salt Tram bullet).
We can't end the list with lucky number 13, so I added this one: everybody got home - either driving, flying, or getting dropped off. Thanks to everyone who helped out on this trip! Awesome experience - again :-)

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Trip Observations: The trip observations are divided into two groups: observations from the thru-hike, and other non-thru-hike observations. Here we go:
A. Non-thru-Hiker Trip Observations

A1 - Find the Swansea petro site and explore? Done. Ironically, we became curious about these petros because of a historical Salt Tram photo that made reference to them! The photo mentions pictographs, rather than petroglyphs, but that still got our interest. We are not able to match the photo to the mountains in the area to see if we could identify where the photo was taken - that'll have to wait for another time. See photo below.
Also, thanks to Earl for meeting us at the petros to give us his take on these unusual petroglyphs. Part of what makes them unusual is that they are carved, not into heavily patinated volcanic rock, but a light marble-dolomite rock that gives them a different look from your more typical Death Valley-area petroglyph. Below: Earl at Swansea Petroglyph site.
You can find out a bit more about these petros online at these sites:
Harry Helms Blog
Equinox Project
Reminder: the Swansea Petro site, like so many others, has been heavily vandalized and abused. Please respect this site. I know it sounds obvious, but don't walk on the petros, and certainly don't re-peck them, as has been done here. Sadly, the real damage was done to the site by a mining operations that used this site as a gravel quarry (so I've been told - I do not have independent confirmation of this, but it looks right).

A2 - Find the lower Salt Tram construction camps on the west side of the tram? Started. Found one (Flagstaff camp). See blog entry: Construction Camp: Flagstaff

A3 - Detailed exploration of the lower west side tramway and facilities? Progress made (area below CS IV). We explored the area shown on this map below, including the towering Station 31, which we measured to be 54 feet tall!

A4 - Find failed friction grip - uh, yeah? No (no time to look).

A5 - Examine temp tramway between Chuckawalla Hollow Camp and CS I? Extensive progress made.
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B. Saturday Thru-Hiker Trip Observations (Alan, Jim, Fred, Corey, Alex). Brian notes tha the drive from the Summit Station to the base of the tram in Saline Valley took around 2 1/2 hrs. Brian and Mark left the summit at around 6:20am and arrived at around 9am at the base. For the hike for my buddy Mark and I to fix the ropes at the top of the zig zag was around 3 1/2 hrs with a few rest breaks in the middle (Brian wasn't in his best "fighting shape", although Mark always is - he works out 5 days at week at 5am - discipline!). Tim and Corbett took 3 hours to make the same drive in our twin white Broncos!

B1 - Which Station has the wood water pipe next to it? Station 18.
B2 - Document anchorage of 1.25 inch (heavy) track cable and 7/8 inch (light) track cable between Summit Station and station to the East? Done, but awaiting photos from Alan Station 18 has 2 Weight Boxes which would tension the 2 track cables that go to the summit station; both Weight Boxes are sitting on the ground. The heavy track cable is still attached to its Weight Box, but the light track cable is not attached to its Weight Box. See photos. New Question: Station 18 Weight Box for 7/8 inch track cable is not attached - where is the detached cable?
B3 - Evaluate pack trail around the hump near “cut limb 14” waypoint on map? Did not find. Alan indicates no discernable trail at all. I’m surprised by this answer, as I've seen it several times, and its hard to believe its completely washed away. Its possible that Alan was either looking in the wrong place, or just didn’t have enough time to find it.
B4 - Hike from CS II to Station 13, 12, and 11 and identify trail in confused area? Did not make the hike.
B5 - Identify original trail on final approach to CS II from above? Did not have time.
B6 - Photos of “May Pole” (temp tramway structure) next to CS II from various angles? Done (awaiting photos from Alan).
B7 - Examine lower dump below CS II above trail? Did not have time.
B8 - Historical Zig Zag photo - recreate photo? No. Tried but ran out of time.
B9 - Structural integrity of CS II - photos? Done (Alan reports only 3 support beams below the station deck appear to have any damage whatsoever - a very small number). Awaiting photos from Alan.

BX. Bonus Question: which station (19 or 18) has all the extra track cable next to it - to the west (see photo below)? STATION 19.

Observation below Control Station IV:
We had a short amount of time to drive up the Swansea Grade and hike the newly discovered pack trail that ran from Control Station IV (CS IV) to the modern Swansea Grade Road below (note that the trailhead located at 36 33.630 117 54.023). We have a goal of making detailed observations of the entire Salt Tram route, and the newly discovered pack trail gave us a good reason to cover this area next. On previous occasions when we have hiked along the West side of the Salt Tram, we would find snippets of pack trails (single track) to go along with the numerous wagon (and auto) roads that were built to construct and maintain the tram. It slowly dawned on us that there was a pack trail along the entire West end of the Salt Tram. The extensive Salt Tram pack trail on the East end of the Inyo's existence is well known, if not well-defined! However, the pack trail's existence on the West side is probably known only to us. The diary of Cliff Patterson tells us that Cliff worked as the operator at CS IV when it first began operation in 1913, and it is likely that he used this pack trail extensively when he traveled between CS IV and Swansea. Knowing that we were walking along a trail extensively used by Cliff was exciting!

We killed alot of time early in the day on other projects, and only had about 2.5 hours to spend on this activity, which was just not enough time to cover it all. Below: view of the pack trail as it winds below CS IV (click to enlarge).

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A big thanks...
...goes out to you, all my team members for this incredible event we pulled off. This was not the adventure I would have contemplated on my own, it clearly took all our efforts to bring it to fruition, climaxing to completion when all back safely at base camp by the next morning.
To my team members: I truly meant it when I stated that this event will live in my memory for the rest of my life, all because you were standing with me, each in his/her own role to make success possible.
In appreciation for what we all pulled off, I am truly grateful, my life sincerely enriched because of it. I love each and every one of you. Wow, we did it!
-- F. F. PS: I'll shuttle "next year"

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Saline Valley Salt Company Stock Certificate Found!

2010-10-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

Friends of the SALINE VALLEY SALT TRAM

www.SaltTram.blogspot.com SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com

As the years pass, researching the true story of the Salt Tram is getting more difficult, as the abundant photos and written first hand accounts from that era find their way into landfills (instead of museums). We are striving to rediscover the efforts of those who built and ran the Salt Tram, in order to give proper recognition to their hopes, dreams and abundant sweat from an era that is rapidly fading from our memories.

We are actively seeking out information about the mining of Salt in Saline Valley between 1903 and the 1950's, including: documents, photos, articles, stories, artifacts, etc. If you can help us out, please email us at the address above - Thank-you! --Tim and Brian Waag, the Waag brothers (aka E. Clampus Waagus).

Dorothy, the donor of the certificate, hadn't thought to look on the back of the certificate. We knew there was something back there, because it bled through to the front! Here's a photo of the back, which isn't so great (click to enlarge), but some day I'll bring my scanner up to ECM and scan the back. Until then, this has gotta do:

Here's what the back of the stock certificate says:

For value Received, __________, hereby sell, assign and transfer unto
______________
______________ Shares
of the Capital Stock represented by the within Certificate,
and do hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint
______________ Attorney
to transfer the said stock on the Books of the within named
Corporation with full power of Substitution in the premises.
Dated__________________ 19___

In Presence of_____________
_____________

NOTICE: THE SIGNATURE OF THIS ASSIGNMENT MUST CORRESPOND WITH THE NAME AS WRITTEN UPON THE
FACE OF THIS CERTIFICATE IN EVERY PARTICULAR, WITHOUT ALTERATION OR ENLARGEMENT, OR ANY CHANGE WHATEVER.

And finally, I was able to reverse the corporate seal, and was pleasantly surprised! It says "THE SALINE VALLEY SALT COMPANY" (that's not the surprise), followed by the corporate icon showing a sunrise over the Saline Valley, with piles of Salt in the Foreground! Awesome. Can't wait to scan it cleanly, the reproduce the logo! (click to enlarge).

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Update! November 1, 2011:
Just got home from Halloween in southern Calif., and found this in the mail! A scan from Dorothy! Thanks, Dorothy - this is an awesome contribution to vintage California History! (click to enlarge)

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We recently received an email from Dorothy of the state of Georgia, who inherited a Saline Valley Salt Company Stock Certificate from her grandfather 20 years ago! She was puzzled for all of these 20 years, until she found our website! Then it made sense! Her grandfather, from Tennessee, owned the certificate. Since we now know that Tennessee investors provided the bulk of the investment money to build the tram, it made sense that her relative from Tennessee would own the certificate! As far as we know, it is the only surviving Salt Tram stock certificate! We understand why Dorothy was initially confused: She lives in Georgia, inherited a SVSC stock certificate from her grandfather in Tennessee, from a company that was incorporated in Arizona and ran something called a Salt Tram in California! Dorothy is planning on having it scanned for us, then donated to the Eastern California Museum in Independence, California. For a more detailed account of our email discourse, see below:

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2010.09.16: [Email correspondence from Dorothy from the state of Georgia] I just googled this company [Saline Valley Salt Company, we presume] for the first time, and found your website [this site], and your request for information. I have a stock certificate, number 135, dated 6 May 1920, for 250 shares of this company, par value $1.00 each, made over to my grandfather, E. B. Houseal. The secretary's signature looks looks like "Jno. M. Ray" and the president, "J. A. Goodman." It's a good-looking stock certificate. I could not figure out how my grandfather would know about such a company, since he lived in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1920. I have only skimmed over a couple of articles so far, but have already found a reference from a 1910 newspaper article referring to Tennessee investors, and in another to a "go-devil," [for more information on the origins of the Salt Tram's Go-Devil, click on this link Go Devil] a term my grandmother used - she grew up in the Texas panhandle on an early cotton farm (1900 or so). From her description, I thought of it as a plow, but now I think it was something used to clear land. I inherited the certificate about 20 years ago, but was unable to find out much at the time. This was before I had access to the World Wide Web!!! This is so interesting! Thanks for the information, Dorothy, Georgia.

2010.09.16: [Email correspondence from Dorothy from the state of Georgia] I am confused. The Saline Valley Salt Company stock certificate I have says the company was incorporated in Arizona on 16 June 1903. Was this an Arizona company or a California company, or both? [Answer: Incorporated in Arizona but operated in California; held board meetings in Arizona, probably as required by law?]

2010.09.17: [Email correspondence from Dorothy from the state of Georgia]... I will investigate scanning the certificate, etc. Dorothy

2010.10.18: [Email correspondence from Dorothy from the state of Georgia]... I dropped the stock certificate off at a local photographer's to get a "high resolution scan" on a disk, which I am prepared to mail to you this week. After I make myself a photocopy, I think I'll take your advice and donate it to the Eastern California museum in Independence, California. Do you have contact information for the museum? Since no one here has any idea of the history involved, I suspect it would eventually get lost one way or another, as so many artifacts do - water, fire, landfill. This has been a lot of fun, Thanks, Dorothy, Georgia.

2010.19.21: [Email correspondence from Jon Klusmire, Museum Services Administrator, Eastern California Museum, Independence, Calif.] Ms. Dorothy *****: The Eastern California Museum would be delighted to have you donate your family's stock certificate for the Saline Valley Salt Company. We have a substantial collection of photos, documents and some artifacts from the mining operation and the stock certificate would be a nice addition to our collection. I'm sure that you could simply mail the certificate to the Museum (maybe put it between two piece of light cardboard), and when we receive it, we will provide you a confirmation of your donation and other necessary paperwork to complete the donation. Our mailing address is: jklusmire@inyocounty.us

2010.10.27: [Email correspondence from Dorothy from the state of Georgia] Tim, I need an address so I can send the disc to you, it's ready to go. I have sent the original stock certificate to Joh Klusmire, who contacted me recently via email. Yours, Dorothy ------
[We emailed Dorothy back, and thanked her profusely for her donation of the stock certificate to the Eastern California Museum, and for the scan of the stock certificate for us; we will post the stock certificate on this website as soon as we receive the scan of it - yeah!

2010.10.27: [Email correspondence from Dorothy from the state of Georgia] Tim, the newspaper clipping is great! [Dorothy is referring to the image at the end of this post]. Thanks so much. My address is ... Georgia. The disc will arrive inside the photog's envelope. We were in San Luis Obispo many years ago, and stayed at that inn Madonna Inn [Tim lives in SLO, Calif. and takes any chance he can get to promote the town!]. Unforgettable! Gosh, that was 20 years ago. I hope we can get out West at least one more time. I am deeply involved in researching my family history ... I have an MA in history and have done a lot of historical research and writing. Perhaps when I've gotten more of my family history completed, I can help you out with historical research on the Saline Valley Salt Co.. Just ask me what you want to know, and I'll try to find out. The internet is a wonderful thing ... put me on your [Salt Tram] mailing list ... Till later, Dorothy...

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Replica of Stock Certificate Available
If you would like a replica of the Saline Valley Salt Company stocker certificate, reply to SalineValleySaltTram@gmail.com and one will be sent to you - a high quality color on antique-style parchment, with a write-up on the backabout the the Friends of the Saline Valley Salt Tram organization and the person who made the donation of the stock certificate - they are $8 including shipping, which is our cost to print and mail them to you).

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Originally, I didn't have any images for this blog post, but wanted to put something up, so I went with this private ad that was run in the Inyo Register. I can't put my finger on the date it ran (although I do have the date somewhere), but it was somewhere in the Salt Tram construction time period, since the ad indicates that the tramway was still being built: (click to enlarge)

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