Matching Historical Go-Devil Photo!

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).

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

******************************************************************
QUESTION1: Find the location of this Go-Devil photo (and you find the Go-Devil route as well).

******************************************************************
This historical photo (below) shows 5 men preparing to run the Go Devil down the North wall of Daisy Canyon, all the way down to the bottom of Daisy Canyon. The Go Devil is loaded with 1  Electric Motor to power Control Station II on the tramway. There appear to be 2 brakes (long boards in the photo) that provide stopping power to the device, as well as 2 ropes attachs to the rear skids, apparently to be used by the 2 hapless gentlemen to the left and the right in the photo, who are expected to hang onto them for dear life! There are 2 brakeman, as well as a driver of the skid, along with 2 (also hapless) mules out in front to cushion them from possible collisions. Photo Courtesy Eastern California Museum (click to enlarge).

Note that in the photo above that there are no "hooks" that act as brakes, as was stated in the ASCE May 1917 document.

We believe that we know the location of this photo, on the ridge of the Inyo Mountains, likely just to the South of the Summit Station. Next time we are up there, we will know for sure. A few modern photos show the comparative terrain. Now we have to get out there and identify the EXACT site of the photo, and try to follow the Go Devil route down to the bottom of Daisy Canyon.

Update May 2010: Though we have not yet found the EXACT spot of this photo, we have come pretty close. It will remain to be seen whether any of Tom or Brian's photos from this trip match the historical photo above. I believe that they indicated that to match the historical photo, you would have to be quite a bit below the Salt Tram Summit Station - a conclusion reached from examining the 2 photos above.

*****************************************************************************************

click to go to SALT TRAM HOME

Go-Devil Route to CS II

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).

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

*********************************************************************************
QUESTION1: Find the original Go-Devil Route from the Summit Station to the top of the Temporary Construction Tramway from the bottom of Daisy Canyon to Station 15. DONE MAY 2010! Congrats to Tom and Brian!!!

*********************************************************************************
Background (October 2009): We did a trip to the Salt Tram in October 2009. One of our objectives was to match the Go-Devil historical photos to the scenery at the Salt Tram to determine where the photos were taken. This supported our other objective, which was to determine the Go-Devil route from the Summit Station to the top of the Temporary Tramway in the bottom of Daisy Canyon. On this trip, we failed to meet either objective. Below is a description of that effort.

Upon Alan's suggestion, I used google earth to look at Salt Tram Go-Devil routes. An 8 to 12 horse team moved salt tram building material loads from the Owens Lake Train Depot up to the summit, then they were switched from wagon to go-devil, and dragged down the bottom of daisy canyon until the top of the temporary tramway, where they were put on the tramway and trammed to Control Station 2.

Click on Google Earth Map (below) to see a full resolution map.

 



What a Ride! (Trenton, New Jersey to Tram Station 15)
- Tram built at Trenton Iron Co. in Trenton, New Jersey
- Railroad transported across country to tramway spur at Owens Lake ("Tramway")
- Loaded onto 8 to 12 horse teams to Horse Camp (1/2 way up to the Inyo summit)
- New horse team brought the load the rest of the way to the summit
- Transferred from horse team wagon to Go-Devil skid device and 2 mules
- Dragged down daisy canyon
- Loaded onto temp tramway and moved to Station 15
- Assumedly moved from Station 15 to Stations 11, 12, 13 and 14

Our goal is to find the go-devil route. This Google Earth Map will help find spots.

The spot we are looking for needs a flat staging area that allows for 2 teams of horses, a transfer of building material from horse wagon to horse go-devil team.

(The ASCE 1917 document alleges that the) go-devil employed 2 hook skids for brakes that were deployed going down hill, with the horse team in front. They must have done a lot of loads of material, therefore, there should be a path left over from these massive skids and massive loads. We should also find some artifacts (things that fell off), resting places, etc. along the route. Note that there is NO PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER that these "hooks" were EVER used.

Some spots are more likely than others. Start with the fact that the blue road is where the Charcoal Road (and the horse wagon loads) come up to the Inyo Ridge. From there, the loads are transferred to the Go-Devil, and then dragged down to the temporary tramway down below in Daisy Canyon.

Based on the location of the Old Charcoal Road, and the terrain on the East side of the Inyos in the vicinity of the Salt Tram are:

MOST LIKELY:
6 (theres a clearing for staging, and its the most direct route, and there
appears to be a road bed not attributed to erosion)
9 (the least steep route, but off the picture below; there's a road
going to it, diverting from the main ridge road)
1 (there's a appears to be a road bed not attributed to ersion)
2 - 3 (there appears to be a road bed not attributed to erosion)

MODERATELY LIKELY: 4, 5

MOST UNLIKELY: 7, 8

Thanks Alan, for the tip.

*********************************************************************************
On the October 2009 trip, we failed to match the Go-Devil photo below with the exact spot near the summit of the Inyos where this photo (below) was taken:

Note that the ridge road along these options runs about 2.5 miles. Therefore, I suggest that our plan on is to load up a pickup truck (with us) and DRIVE along the ridge road and check each one out,
then drive back to the summit station and get ready to hike down Daisy Canyon. We'll probably have to split up and hike down different paths shown in orange.

More technical information on the use of the Go-Devil's in moving Salt Tram building material will be posted on this blog in the future.

*****************************************************************************************

click to go to SALT TRAM HOME