Cottonwood Spring

USA / California / Mecca /
 spring, place with historical importance, oasis
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Cottonwood Spring Oasis, one of the best kept secrets in Joshua Tree National Park, is just seven miles from the southern entrance to the park. The spring, the result of earthquake activity, was used for centuries by the Cahuilla Indians, who left bedrock mortars and clay pots, or ollas, in the area.

Cottonwood Spring was an important water stop for prospectors, miners, and teamsters traveling from Mecca to mines in the north. Water was necessary for gold processing, so a number of gold mills were located here. The remains of an arrastra, a primitive type of gold mill, can be found near the spring, and concrete ruins mark the sites of two later gold mills in the area.

Cottonwood Spring was first mentioned in a gold mine claim filed in 1875, indicating that the trees are native. Fan palms first appear around 1920, perhaps growing from seeds deposited by a bird or coyote.

www.localhikes.com/Hikes/CotonwoodSpring_4472.asp
www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/cottonwood.htm
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Coordinates:   33°44'11"N   115°48'35"W

Comments

  • This area is closed due to a flood that deposited a bunch of heavy metals from an old mine. I don't know when it will reopen.
  • http://www.nps.gov/jotr/parknews/spring_reopened.htm
This article was last modified 8 years ago