Oasis Palms

The Lost Pearl of the Mojave Desert

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Home » History » 2023 – Epilogue Oasis Palms the Lost Pearl of the Mojave Desert

2023 – Epilogue Oasis Palms the Lost Pearl of the Mojave Desert

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The story of Oasis Palms is the story of every small town in America. They are born, they die, they are forgotten and then they are memorialized. Do not try to visit Oasis Palms, you won’t find it. There is nothing in the Ship Mountains today but rocks and sand. The only remaining artifact of Oasis Palms is in the garage of the author of this semi-true story. Click here to read our blog about our High-rail O-gauge recreation of the town of Oasis Palms.

It’s a semi-true story, believe it or not
I made up a few things and there’s some I forgot
But the life and the telling are both real to me
And they all run together and turn out to be
A semi-true story
— Jimmy Buffet
Rest in Paradise
1946-2023
« BACK - 1992 – Oasis Palms is Gone Forever
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  • 1838 – Cameron Smith Heads West in Search of Adventure
  • 1840 – Smith Strikes Gold while Searching for the Lost Pearl Boat of the Mojave
  • 1842 – The Smiths Settle the Oasis
  • 1845 – Mexican Land Grant for Rancho Barco is Issued
  • 1859 – The U.S. Land Patent is Issued
  • 1860 – Barco Mining Company and the Civil War
  • 1883 – The Railroad & Gold Mining arrive in the Mojave Desert
  • 1885 – The Town of Oasis Palms is Established
  • 1892 – Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Launch the California Limited
  • 1898 – Oasis Palms Spur is Completed and the Barco Mine Goes Bust
  • 1901 – Scooters California Rye Whisky Begins Production
  • 1905 – Oasis Palms Hot Spring Resort is Established
  • 1915 – The Santa Fe Begins Mojave Limited Daily Service
  • 1925 – Daily Train Visitors, Desert Tourism Bring Prosperity to Oasis Palms
  • 1927 – Prohibition and Hollywood Give Birth to the “Midnight Limited”
  • 1932 – Oasis Palms a Getaway from the Depression
  • 1941 – Oasis Palms Benefits from WWII Population Growth in California
  • 1953 – Lefty’s Folly the Oasis Palms Scenic Railroad
  • 1955 – Family Friendly Attractions Come to Oasis Palms
  • 1957 – The California Desert Resorts are Booming
  • 1958 – The Atomic Jackalope Gains Worldwide Notoriety
  • 1959 – Harold “Happy” Higgins Adds to the Lore
  • 1960 – Steinbeck writes about Survival in the Mojave
  • 1961 – The Winds of Change in the Desert
  • 1962 – Twin Brothers Floyd and Lloyd Smith
  • 1963 – Floyd Smith and the Texas Chicken Farmer Go Racing
  • 1965 – Lloyd Smith Turns On, Tunes In, and Drops Out
  • 1972 – I-40 Opens and Oasis Palms becomes a Ghost Town
  • 1979 – An Earthquake Brings the End to Oasis Palms
  • 1980 – The Last Residents Move Out of Oasis Palms
  • 1992 – Oasis Palms is Gone Forever
  • 2023 – Epilogue Oasis Palms the Ghost Town in the Mojave Desert

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