Searles Valley and Trona, which lie at the northwest extreme of San Bernardino County and the gateway into Death Valley, are hardly thought about by many of San Bernardino County’s residents. It will now be a less obscure place, thanks to a splendid book by James Fairchild, Russell Kaldenberg and the Searles Valley Historical Association. Titled Around Trona and Searles Valley, it is published by Arcadia Publishing of Charleston, South Carolina as part of the Images of America series.
The book has chapters about the native inhabitants, early travelers through the area, the first hard rock miners to work the claims staked there, John and Dennis Searles, and their Borax company built on what is now known as Searles Dry Lake, the mining industry that grew up around the lake, the founding of Trona as a corporate town and subsequent developments. Those looking to purchase the book can do so by directly ordering it from Arcadia Press, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com or the Searles Valley Historical Society at P. O. Box 630, Trona 93562; 760 372-5222.