The Mojave Project

Jackrabbit Homesteading and California City are examples of two uniquely bizarre mid-century development patterns found in the Mojave Desert.

The Asi Huviav or Salt Song is a vast interconnected ritual song map describing the sacred geography of the Nuwuvi people (Southern Paiute).

Virtually pressed up against the northern boundaries of Los Angeles, the Mojave Desert can be considered Hollywood’s backyard if not its backlot. See the Mojave take on multiple guises in well-loved movies throughout the decades.

On a smaller scale, recreational prospecting is thriving throughout the West — especially in its desert regions.

A historical gold boom has resulted in thousands of abandoned mines spread across the Mojave desert that have grave environmental repercussions.

Exploration of the Mojave Desert was directly driven by the desire to locate gold. These hell-bent gold seekers would bring about enduring cultural transformations and irreversible environmental legacies within California and other western states.

Mojave, CA (pop. 4,238) has been the center of civilian-led, commercial space travel since 2004. Astronautics companies are now reaching into space in their effort to provide commercial spaceflight to those who can afford it.

Author/activist Chris Clarke outlines the cultural and ecological history of the iconic Joshua Tree—while highlighting the profound symbiotic relationships that sustains this unusual plant species now threatened by climate change.

Edwin Corle, a popular mid-century American author fantastically embellishes Jack Mitchell’s first descent into Cave of the Winding Stair in this suspenseful narrative intertwining references to modernist painter Paul Klee, female anatomy and space-time.

A newspaperman from the 1950s dives into a legend from over 40 years prior, and identifies a manhunt. But history and legend battle each other and make this story a timeless mystery.  Did Willie Boy get away? You decide.