A mystery buyer just purchased entire California ghost town Eagle Mountain for $22.5M (transportation, farm)

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by joosoon

It's a major transportation route hence all the development off the I10. Compare that to other side of the park which is nothing. The resident population density of the immediate area isn't a good indicator of how many people the route serves. There's plenty of similar stretches of 'middle-of-nowhere' along the I5.


Point here is, Indio to Blythe and beyond, isn't some far-flung corner of the world in Mongolia.

It's a major transportation route, but there is no development off of I-10 in that area, nothing. This is Desert Center. It's a virtual ghost town. If Desert Center right on I-10 can't make it, then why would any development of any kind, 10 miles up the road in Eagle Mountain work? If any development is going to be successful out there, it would happen in Desert Center, but even that is not going to happen. People don't even want to stop out there to get gas, let along live there. They just want to drive through as fast as possible.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. (Say "Hi" to Mickey.)
A wonderful facility.

That appears to be about the only operating business in Desert Center.

[pathrunner]

As someone who has frequently traveled that route, Chiriaco Summit trumps Desert Center as a stopover. Chiriaco Summit is major for travelers and truckers, with the General Patton memorial/museum and a decent place to stop and walk the dogs, etc. There are only 19.5 miles between Desert Center and Chiriaco Summit.

I think Desert Center is where all those sickly looking palm tree remains are standing, for decades now. If they were to disappear I think people would be nostalgic.

If a stopover were 40 miles to the east, that would be a good place to have a stopover, but will never happen. I have bad memories of Blythe (totally subjective) so I try not to stop there. I'll get gas as soon as I cross over the Colorado River into Arizona, but those places are usually a zoo. Obviously, California taxes and prices are a contributory factor in not developing anything in the middle of the desert. Food, gas, etc.

[pathrunner]

Another thing is that Lake Tamarisk RV Resort with a lake and a pond is only 1.5 to 2 miles from Desert Center. I've never been out there, but Dave's RV Life covered it a year or so back in one of his videos. Nut sure where they get their supplies but it would seem to be Indio for major and even minor items. Chiriaco Summit only has a gas station convenience store and a restaurant.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

If Desert Center right on I-10 can't make it, then why would any development of any kind, 10 miles up the road in Eagle Mountain work?

Did you read the part about the purchase being for the company, its mineral rights and the property? You're still working from the perspective that someone is buying up the mine site to turn it into a resort or some other consumer venture.


It's pretty obvious given the nature of the "mystery" (not really a mystery at all) company who purchased the site that it's going to be used for some sort of materials handling just as it was in the past. That makes all the things I listed about the location and the site itself pretty valuable. It doesn't matter that there isn't a sprawling metropolis in the immediate area because the venture isn't dependent on such things. Besides that, as I've already mentioned, a lot of what you see now just west of there along the 10, even stuff all the way up and over the grade, wasn't around even just thirty years back. At some point once I'm dead, I'm sure there will be even more creeping eastward.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

That appears to be about the only operating business in Desert Center.

Yup, by design.

CVR is very close (if not ON) the property that Patton used to train troops to chase the "Desert Fox." Pretty

sure, it has historical significance, so it's perfect to drive 160mph and make LOTS of noise.

We lose tracks, due to people buying close to the facilities, then having the audacity to complain about noise.

Airports suffer the same stupidity.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

As someone who has frequently traveled that route, Chiriaco Summit trumps Desert Center as a stopover. Chiriaco Summit is major for travelers and truckers, with the General Patton memorial/museum and a decent place to stop and walk the dogs, etc. There are only 19.5 miles between Desert Center and Chiriaco Summit.

I think Desert Center is where all those sickly looking palm tree remains are standing, for decades now. If they were to disappear I think people would be nostalgic.

If a stopover were 40 miles to the east, that would be a good place to have a stopover, but will never happen. I have bad memories of Blythe (totally subjective) so I try not to stop there. I'll get gas as soon as I cross over the Colorado River into Arizona, but those places are usually a zoo. Obviously, California taxes and prices are a contributory factor in not developing anything in the middle of the desert. Food, gas, etc.

I wanted to put Chiriaco Summit on that short list of places between Indio and Blythe, but I couldn't find any reliable population data for it. The entire community appears to consist of a Chevron station, a ChargePoint Charging Station, a restaurant, a convenience store / ice cream shop, the Patton Museum, a general aviation airport, and about two dozen small homes and trailers for the employees. Everything except the airport is owned by one family.

The population of Chiriaco Summit would appear to be less than 50 people, which makes it smaller than Desert Center. For some reason the construction of I-10 killed Desert Center, but Chiriaco Summit survived nicely. Maybe the single family ownership had something to do with it.

But no matter how you look at it, that hundred mile stretch of I-10 has only a few hundred people living along it, and the numbers are not increasing. I think Desert Center has some potential. But Eagal Mountain has no chance.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

But no matter how you look at it, that hundred mile stretch of I-10 has only a few hundred people living along it, and the numbers are not increasing. I think Desert Center has some potential. But Eagal Mountain has no chance.

Presenting Vernon, California. Population ~200.

[JGC97]

Plenty of speculation still being generated as to why Ecology Mountain Holdings purchased this land/town. According to this story, it may have connection with Ecology Transportation Services. Also mentioned in the article is the purchase of over 1000 acres of land by Balwinder Wraich. According to the article, he's a big trucking mogul. He is planning on developing the land with a truck stop, gas station and a hotel. https://startempirewire.com/eagle-mo...ke-a-comeback/

My earlier theory that this has to do with either a transportation hub or alternative energy is looking more like a reality. There's already that very large solar farm in Desert City. In fact, Tulemutt posted an earlier thread about it but it didn't garner much discussion. https://www.city-data.com/forum/cali...alifornia.html

Interesting story, though.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by HereOnMars

Plenty of speculation still being generated as to why Ecology Mountain Holdings purchased this land/town. According to this story, it may have connection with Ecology Transportation Services. Also mentioned in the article is the purchase of over 1000 acres of land by Balwinder Wraich. According to the article, he's a big trucking mogul. He is planning on developing the land with a truck stop, gas station and a hotel. https://startempirewire.com/eagle-mo...ke-a-comeback/

That link seems to be a condensed version of the original story minus a few key details.
I still don't get why the author's frame the LLC as such a mystery. The most likely thing to happen to this property is something that revitalizes the mining operation since the mining rights were part of the deal. That's mentioned in the SF Gate article and it's a big clue as to the intent of the new operation. Why else would anyone waste money on those claims?