The Mojave Road was built with congressional funding in as a transportation corridor linking California to the southwest and presently bisects what has since become the Mojave National Preserve MOJA. The passage through the desert that later became the Mojave Road served for centuries as a vital trail system for Native Americans tribes of the southwest.
The trail system became significant in American history when trapper Jedediah Smith passed through the region in , followed by Antonio Armijo in and John C. Fremont in In the U. Topographical Engineering party of Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale between Conflict between travelers and Native Americans resulted in an increased military presence and the construction of small forts and redoubts along the road. The U. Use of the road by miners, homesteaders, and ranchers continued in the s, though cessation of Native American hostilities meant the Army no longer had reason to occupy the forts.
After the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the road fell into disuse. Portions of the road were used through the twentieth century by ranchers, farmers and the military but the majority of the historic road reverted to native vegetation. The complete road was rediscovered and carefully uncovered during the s and s.
The road and its associated resources maintain a high degree of integrity clearly reflecting its important historical associations. Native Americans inhabited the Mojave Desert for several millennia. In late prehistoric times the tribes of the Mojave Desert established trade routes extending from the Colorado River to the California coast. Thus, the Mojave blazed trails between known water sources to ensure safe passage. They also acted as middlemen, bringing blankets and other goods manufactured by the Hopis to trade with the coastal and mountain Indians far to the west of the Mojave Villages.
Along the way, they passed just south of Piute Springs and Soda Lake. When Smith crossed the Mojave Desert he was deep inside Mexican territory without permission. With Smith and eight men in midstream, the Mojaves suddenly attacked.
