Rock Spring

Story and photos by Cliff and Ilene Bandringa

First used by ancient Native American travelers and later home to a small U.S. Army outpost, Rock Spring is one of several natural springs in the Preserve.  With water being the most precious of all resources in a desert, Rock Spring was a vital link in the chain of springs necessary to the survival of all early travelers. Evidence that this area was used by both Native American and soldier can still be found here in the form of markings on the rocks. 

In the mid-1860's, the U.S. Army found it necessary to create a post here to protect the supply and mail route between California and Arizona (the Mojave Road) and Camp Rock Spring was born.  As one of the most isolated Army posts in the West, conditions were extremely difficult for the soldiers here and desertion was common.  After only a couple of years of existence, the Camp was abandoned.

West of Rock Spring, about 0.5 miles, is an oddly-named place on the map called Government Holes.  Actually, this location is not so oddly-named once you learn that the U.S. government sank several water wells here for use by the farmers in nearby Lanfair Valley as well as the soldiers of Camp Rock Spring. 

Getting There

Cedar Canyon Road, which runs east-west, is the main road to Rock Spring and can be accessed from either end.  Cedar Canyon Road is a wide, well-maintained dirt road that is easy for any vehicle class.  Once you turn off this road, however, you will need to use 4WD or have to hike the short distance to the parking area because of the soft sand here.

The restroom is located to the west of Rock Spring at Government Holes.  To get there, turn left onto Cedar Canyon Road as you exit the soft sand road from the parking area.  Go about 0.4 miles (0.5 km) and turn left onto the next dirt road.  Go about 0.1 miles (0.16 km) and take the next left turn.  You will now see the restroom and cabin at Government Holes.

From the west (Kelso Cima Road):
To access Cedar Canyon Road from the west, you can either go north from the Kelso Depot Information Center for 14.2 miles (22.9 km) or go south from the tiny town of Cima for 4.7 miles (7.6 km).  At the junction, go east on Cedar Canyon Road (crossing the railroad tracks) for 11.3 miles (18.2 km).  The road starts out paved but turns to a wide, well-maintained dirt road after about 3.0 miles (4.8 km).  You'll pass the scenic Pinto Mountain on your left and the intersection with Black Mountain Road on the right.  Continue reading directions at the * below.

From the east (Lanfair Valley):
To access Cedar Canyon Road from the east, you can either go north from Goffs on Lanfair Road for 16 miles (26 km) or go south from the junction of Morning Star Mine Road and Ivanpah Road on Ivanpah Road for 21 miles (34 km).  At the junction, go west on Cedar Canyon Road for 9.7 miles (15.6 km).  Continue reading directions at the * below.

*At this point, look for a small, dirt road that heads off Cedar Canyon Road to the southeast at a 45° angle.  This "road" is actually in a sandy wash and is where you will need 4WD.  The sand can be very soft so, if you are traveling in a Class A vehicle, you will need to park along Cedar Canyon Road here and walk the last distance.  Follow the tracks as they bear right and lead a short distance (0.2 miles or 0.4 km) to opening of the canyon and the interpretive signs on your right. 

Note:  As of April 2006, you could not drive your vehicle to the original parking area near the interpretive signs anymore because of heavy erosion to that area.  Park your vehicle in the area, in a safe location (out of the way), and walk up the small canyon towards the large rock outcropping (west).  The spring are a short distance.

History

Native Americans have been using Rock Spring for thousands of years as one in a series of stopover points along their route between Arizona and the coastal or mountain regions of California.  Whether traveling as part of their seasonal migration or for the purpose of trading with other tribes, their survival depended upon knowing where they could find the most precious resource of any desert - water.  And so, as they became masters of crossing the Mojave Desert, their routes took shape as they connected one reliable spring to another.   It was, perhaps, a day's walk from here to either Piute Spring to the east or Marl Spring to the west.

Once these routes had been established, they were used by generations of Native Americans; mainly the Chemehuevi and Mojave tribes.  In the mid 1800's, the Mojave Desert was being explored by early white explorers like Jedediah Smith and John C. Frémont.  They realized, too, that knowing where to find water was critical and hired the Native Americans to guide them across the desert via these vital springs. 

By the 1860's, the U.S. government had established a trade route based on one of these Native American routes.  This road was first known as Government Road (and still is on some maps) and later became the Mojave Road.  The Mojave Road was used to carry supplies and mail between Prescott (Arizona's capital at that time) and Los Angeles. 

Because the water at Rock Spring was not always reliable enough for the Army, wells or "government holes" were sunk sometime prior to 1864.  Around 1865, the U.S. Army established an outpost at Rock Spring and it was given the name Camp Rock Spring. 

Quoting from one of the interpretive signs at the Camp Rock Spring parking area, "This is the site of Camp Rock Spring, a U.S. Army post established in the late 1860's after gold and silver was discovered in Arizona Territory and Prescott became its capital.  The citizens of Prescott needed dependable mail service because all  supplies and manufactured goods for the area came from California.  The Army set up a string of posts to protect this mail-and-supply route on the Mojave Road.    Life on the desert was harsh for the soldiers.  Food, clothing and other supplies were scarce.  The quarters were primitive, like the ones shown here at El Dorado Canyon.  Other facilities consisted only of a corral, command hut and camp oven at the base of the rocks north of the small parade ground.  Of 73 men stationed here for various periods, 23 deserted."  Camp Rock Spring must have been one of the most isolated and comfortless Army posts that ever existed in the Old West. 

Like Fort Piute to the east and Soda Springs to the west, the Army used Camp Rock Spring to protect the Government Road supply route from various threats.  But by 1868, Camp Rock Spring was abandoned because of its remoteness and its unreliable water supply.  Supplies and mail began to take a more southern route via the La Paz Road and, in the 1890's, the entire delivery system was changed forever with the completion of the Santa Fe railroad.

Today, the amount of water you'll find at Rock Spring will still vary from year to year and season to season.  We were fortunate that our visit to the Spring was right after the area had experienced record rainfall.