Saline Valley Salt Tram (Inyo Mountains) - Riding the cable by aerial flight (east to west)
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- Опубликовано: 25 окт 2021
- Saline Valley Salt Tram: Built 1911-1912
Swansea CA - Cerro Gordo Road
Inyo Mountains
The salt deposit in Saline Valley was discovered in 1864. Its potential value was known to the early miners but lack of transportation delayed its development.
The salt deposit was first worked on a small scale in 1903 and 1904 by the Saline Valley Salt Company. Transportation required a two-day roundabout journey by wagon across the Inyo Range by way of Waucaba Canyon.
Building a railroad was impracticable, so an aerial tramway and a pipeline through which the salt could be pumped as brine were considered. The tramway was chosen because it provided a means for shipping supplies into Saline Valley in addition to shipping the salt deposits out.
The Saline Valley Salt Tram was built in 1911 and 1912 to carry salt from Saline Valley to Owens Valley. In its 13½ mile length it rose from an elevation of 1,100 feet at the east terminal to 8,500 feet at the crest of the Inyo Range and dropped to 3,600 feet at the west terminal.
The carriers weighed 800 pounds and held about 700 pounds of salt giving the tramway a capacity of 20 tons per hour.
The tramway required two men at each of the terminals, two men at each of the four control stations, and four line riders who performed lubrication and other maintenance work. All stations were connected by telephone.
The construction required one million board feet of lumber and six hundred tons of iron, which had to be transported over rough, inaccessible precipitous mountain country. Grades of up to 25 percent required a team of eight horses to move 5,000 pounds of equipment.
The construction of the tramway exhausted the Saline Valley Salt Company financially, and in 1915 the operation was leased to Owens Valley Salt Company. This company produced salt until 1918 when it, too, went out of business.
The Taylor Milling Company acquired the Saline Valley plant and produced some salt in 1920. After five years of inactivity the Sierra Salt Company was formed; and in 1926 salt was produced once more. Trucks were used to haul the salt to Keeler over the newly built Saline Valley Road until the tramway was overhauled in 1929. The plant was last operated in 1930, and in 1935 the Sierra Salt Company went into receivership.
Adapted from the NRHP nomination submitted in 1974
Had me fooled! I was expecting more of a documentary about it, not really paying attention to the title. Then as it started I thought it was just the beginning of said documentary. However it was awesome, really was. Not only that it was mesmerizing to follow it. Astounding as to what they accomplished back then using wood and metal. I've been to Cerro Gordo and there is still some cable laying on the ground on the road up. Thank you for doing this, really good
Iv'e driven the Swansea Grade road from Keeler to Cerro Gordo and then down the back way to Owens Lake. That salt tram is a testament to just what a valuable commodity salt was back then and how when a profit could be made.....they'd just "do it" no matter what. Those tramway remnants are made of enormous lumber.
Company filed bankruptcy because of this build. They were bought by another company and it was then finished
Outstanding. Truly amazing! Given to technology of the time it is amazing that they were even able to build that tramway in such rugged topography.
Thanks for making this.
This was truly amazing. To think it was build my just man is a very short period of time. It could not be done in this day and age. Thank you for sharing. AMAZING
Yes, it COULD be. It just wouldn’t... for many reasons. Beginning with the modern lack of intiative... borne from the ease of technology disabling most people’s will to work a little harder.
A M A Z I N G !
Saw a clip on here of a guy that hiked from the top to the salt lake.. last part he had to go down in the wash cause it was to steep to follow the cables.. pretty crazy terrain to built those structures there..
That was the owner of cerro gordo 😉
It would be helpful, I think, to mention that the tramway is moving, in general, from the East to the West.
A person thus interested can do just a teensy tiny bit of the most elementary research and figure that out for themselves. Let’s not take the fun away from armchair explorers.
Does it start in Death Valley or how near to Death Valley, if not?
Just watched this today, and I can answer your question. The tram took salt from Saline Valley to Owens Valley, where Owens lake was still a lake. Then on a barge to either trucks or trains, and on to L.A.
There a thing called the internet. And with a good cennection, you’d be mere seconds away from answering your own question.
How close does it come to Cerro Gordo?
The summit is about 6 or 7 miles NW of Cerro Gordo as the crow flies. It's a great trip in a Jeep or other off-road capable vehicle!