The Scene

I first saw it in 1985 while traveling from Twenty-Nine Palms to Amboy, California. Hundreds upon hundreds of abandoned homes littered a 150 square mile valley. Being young and brash I didn’t quite grasp the enormity and impact of the scene. I have since returned to Wonder Valley, seeking an explanation on what happened there. Located in the Morongo Basin, where the Mohave and Colorado Deserts meet, Wonder Valley extends between the Sheep Hole and Bullion Mountains to the north, and the Pinto Mountains to the south.

There are now fewer hollowed out wrecks of homes, not because they were repaired and reoccupied, but rather many of them were bulldozed down in the early 2000’s. But there are still countless remains of jackrabbit homes built by America’s last homesteaders more than sixty years ago, who came to this valley to realize a dream.

However, something happened to the dream that was intended to make this arid and, seemingly inhospitable landscape, a mecca community and role model of the American dream. Why did thousands of people uproot from elsewhere, move to this valley on a 20th Century homesteading deal, only to abandon their ambition a few years later?

 

The Act

The scattered remnants throughout this valley are all that is left to show for the “Small Tract Act of 1938.” The act was originally aimed at World War One Veterans who could benefit from the desert climate to help overcome aftereffects from things like chemical warfare exposure.  It did not become widely popular though until after the second world war, when a whole new generation of veterans retreated from the pollution of cramped cities for the great open spaces. Although it was heavily advertised for veterans, the act was available to any citizen who was willing to put in the hard work required.

Provisions of the act were specific. It was a transfer of public lands to private use through a leasing program. It was called the “Small Tract Act” because the homesteads were divided into five-acre parcels. An applicant had three to five years to make improvements on the land by building a structure in the form of a home, business or recreational structure. The building had to be at least 400 square and a driveway or road of some sort had to access the property. After specifications were met within the required timeframe, the applicant could apply for ownership. If federal inspectors were satisfied with the project, the government would deed the parcel to the homesteader. The term, “Jackrabbit Homestead,” was a reference to the many desert rabbits that would rest in the shade of the buildings.

In 1950 Desert Magazine wrote, “Jackrabbit homesteads are only for folks who have a bit of pioneering blood in their veins. The land generally is rough, no water is immediately available, more or less road building has to be done. But fortunately, there are many Americans who find infinite pleasure in doing the hard work necessary to provide living accommodations on one of these sites—and cabins are springing up all over the desert country.”

Personally, it would have to be one heck of a lucrative deal to move to an arid climate, abundant with scorpions and rattlesnakes, with a temperature of 120 degrees on any given summer day.

 

The Realization

The Small Tract Act was most popular during the 1950’s and a vast majority of the structures were personal residences. Although they were built in many designs and from a variety of materials, almost all of the homes were small, between 400 and 800 square feet. Home kits and supplies were available by this time from outlets such as Sears Roebuck and Homestead Supplies Inc.

The valley became a hive of thousands of workers braving the scorching heat, torrential downpours and desert wildlife. It was a challenging process without modern conveniences of electricity or running water. Because of this and the general remoteness of the valley, only 40% of the homesteaders were able to fulfill their obligation while leasing the land. Even many of those who completed a home, received ownership of the land and attempted to remain, were disappointed. By maintaining a home in the harsh environment and paying property taxes on it, they expected electricity and running water in return. This did not happen. Whether this was a result of the complexity of trying to service an endless sprawl of five acre lots with infrastructure, or that the government had never specifically promised it, it became an added aggravation.

By the 1960’s the act had lost its appeal and although the Small Tract Act would not be repealed until 1976, it was already turning into a failure. The blistering climate and lack of amenities was too much for many people, causing the eventual exodus. Homestead after homestead were abandoned, most never to be reoccupied but for temporary squatters, animals and the encroaching desert.

 

Not all of them left, however. A few of these homesteads now house second and third generations. In the 21st century these homes that were not abandoned now have water and power and have been added onto or remodeled.  But these few families are in sharp minority to the hundreds of crumbling houses that dot the landscape. Many of the empty homes are still owned by the families that built them. An elderly woman in Pasadena refuses to sell her broken-down shack in Wonder Valley, even though she has not visited there in over forty years. Other families, as well, refuse to sell something that their parents or grandparents worked so hard for.

The people who came here under the Small Tract Act were among the very last homesteaders in America. With their passing, also passes the last pioneers and frontiersman. Prosperous, destitute, fortunate, failed or indifferent, they were the final rush of homesteaders.

 

The Revival

Today, Wonder Valley is still a spectacle. To my estimation, while driving through the valley along Amboy Road, nine out of ten cabins are abandoned and in various stages of ruin. A few boarded-up businesses, probably closed for some decades, butt up to the road.

Even with this, there is type of resurrection taking place. Wonder Valley, in recent years, has become a popular place as an artist’s retreat. Writers, painters, sculptors and others have banded together to make a lasting community here. Among them are some who want to restore one or more of the rotting wrecks of the desert, as a tribute to the homesteaders. Still, other residents want to bulldoze all of them; clean up the valley and rid it of the eyesore of ruin and abandonment.

As long as this valley cradles the hundreds of ruins, it will remain a testament to the sweat and determination of America’s last homestead rush. On the other hand, it will also remain a keeper of broken dreams, a pain that can be felt even today.