Why the name "China" Lake?


   The lore is that during the late 1880s - during the mining boom in the local area, a camp of Chinese laborers popped up on the shore of the lakebed, probably for the purpose of  harvesting borax from the lakebed - giving rise, no doubt, to the original Chinese Laundry in the area.  Many Chinese laborers were used in the local mining operations:  cutting wood and making charcoal for smelting the ores, mucking about, and finally owning and operating the numerous Chinese restaurants we have in the town of Ridgecrest.
  Yes, there is a lake at China Lake!  Ordinarily a dry lake (playa), but since we have had 6 - to - 10 inches of rainfall since Christmas 2004, the real lake has appeared.  The lake is totally enclosed by the Naval Air Weapons Station test ranges.  The photograph is taken from the east side of the lake bed, near Burro Canyon and the Survivability Range, looking to the west to the Sierra Nevada.  The horizontal line about 1/3 up the foothills of the Sierra is the L. A. aqueduct that still drains Owens Valley to our north.  The lake bed  starts about 2- 3 miles north of the China Lake Golf Club and the community of China Lake, and extends for several miles to the north. 
Who says there is no water in China Lake??
Picture and text submitted by Linda Clark
Page 8
Select a page number above
to move from page to page
. 1 & 2  -  In the beginning
   3        -  Naval Air Facility
   4        -  The Ranges
   5   -        Doc the B-29
   6   -       NAWC Museum
High Desert Memories - A Hometown Journal Commemorating Ridgecrest California
China Lake
 
 
  Is there a Winter on the Desert???
 
 
I'd say the answer to that is
a rather resounding YES!!!!
 
Select a page number above
to move from page to page
. 1 & 2  -  In the beginning
   3         -  Naval Air Facility
   4         -  The Ranges
   5         -  Doc the B-29
   6         - NAWC Museum
 
 
A birds eye view of the Indian Wells Valley and the Trona basin
 
 
 
  shuttle photo taken of RC from about 140 miles into space.  The barely discernable beige colored circular feature Approximately 2 inches from  top center is a parachute drop zone with a diameter of 1 mile.
From B mountain looking across the valley
Michelson Lab and admin buildings
Public Works area and Contractor quonset huts.
This is the old Administration Building
The Chapel in winter. 
Snowy pathway to the entrance of Michelson Lab
Looking from the front of the O' Club down Brandy St.
This is out at the airfield looking across at the mountains
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    7   -        The Sidewinder
    8    -       About China Lake

  
9    -      60 Year FED service
   10  -      
China Lake named
                  National Historic site
|_1_|_2_|_3_|_4_|_5_|_6_|_7_|_8_|_9_|_10_|
    7   -        The Sidewinder
    8    -       About China Lake

  
9    -      60 Year FED service
   10  -      
China Lake named
                  National Historic site