| (December 3, 1919). As the Mojave River exits Afton
Canyon, the main wash continues east to Soda Lake. This
view is downsteam along a wash that drains north, a
distributary of the Mojave River into the Cronese Valley in
the background. Two dams, one in the foreground and one
in the middle ground, block and channel water flow to the
Cronese Valley. The dam in the foreground is filling with
sediment, burying desert willows. Mesquite covers the
dunes in the background (David Thompson 389, USGS
Photo Library). |
| (February 26, 2001). In the intervening years, the dam in
the foreground was breached, leaving a partial dike in the
background. The large shrubs in the wash are desert
willows, still alive but smaller and less robust than 82
years earlier. They are mixed with cattle spinach. In the
background, the mesquites are gradually dying and being
replaced by creosote bushes. One tamarisk is in the wash
and several athel tamarisks are along Interstate 15
(Dominic Oldershaw, Stake 105). |
