Images of America: The Mojave Desert

A vast land of mineral wealth, eerie beauty, and countless contrasts, the Mojave Desert joined the Union of the United States on September 5, 1850, and became part of the new San Bernadino County three years later. A massive, parched region, its varied terrain rolls eastward from the Antelope Valley to the Colorado River. The nation's highest temperature on record occurred in this region; on the other extreme, the freezing winters here shroud the land in ice and snow.