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MIDLAND, CALIFORNIA Midland California was a small company owned mining community. Today it is a ghost town of cement foundations and lots of history. Midland is located 22 miles northwest of Blythe California. The Midland community has always shared a very important part in the history of Blythe and Palo Verde Valley.
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In 1907 two prospectors, Floyd Brown and Jack Grey discovered and filed on the original gypsum claims in the Little Maria Mountains North of Blythe. In 1910 the U.S. Gypsum Co. bought the gypsum claims . This site was originally called Mineral City, later it became known as Midland. The U.S. Gypsum Co opened their plant in 1925.The plant produced sheetrock (a gypsum wallboard) and a rock lath (a plaster base).This plant at one time was the number one producer of wallboard and plasterboard in the world. In it peak production years (World WarII) the mine employed about 350 people. The town had more than 1,000 residents, 200 houses ,a company bunkhouse and cookhouse ,a company school (grades 1-8), a company store and service station. Well water was never sufficient to supply the needs for the town. In 1916 the California Southern Railroad put in a spur from Rice to Blythe , which passed right through the town of Midland. Approximately 250,000 gallons of water were shipped by railroad car from Blythe to Midland daily. It was estimated the community used an average of thirteen tank cars of water per day.
In 1966 the U.S. Gypsum Co. closed the Midland operation. Some of the buildings were sold and transported to the surrounding communities, while other abandoned building were razed by fire departments from Riverside County for training of personnel. A total of 22 town site buildings were burned. The Victor Mine shaft was later used as a fallout shelter. The shelter was set up and stocked by the Riverside County Disaster Preparedness Office and then later maintained by the Blythe Jeep Club. The gypsum mine was used to stockpile food and water in case of an atomic bomb attack or major natural disaster. The mine was stockpiled with water, hard candy and crackers. The shelter was set up to accommodate 8,000 people for three weeks or 12,000 for two weeks on a minimum survival basis. In later years because of vandalism to the mine and supplies, the Midland mine entrances were closed by demolition and bulldozing for public safety purposes.
Midland, Ca 1967 Grades 4,5 & 6 Are you one of these kids?? If you wish to be identified email the webmaster. Thanks for help on this naming from a few past Midlandites.
1. Jimmy Burleson, gr-6
2. Billy Scharf, gr-6 William F. Scharf 8205 North Browning Drive Flagstaff, AZ 86004 wfs3@nau.edu 3. Nancy Rawlins, gr-5 4. Dickie Hammock, gr-6 5. Vance Kim Kelley-Grade 6 or 7 6. Andy Garcia(?), gr-4 7. -unknown- 8. -unknown- 9. Donnie Lazzarotto, gr-6 10. Tina Marie Kelley -Grade 5-(tkelley@dishmail.net) 11. Leah Hedin, gr-5 12. -unknown- 13. -unknown- 14. Patricia Connelly, gr-5 15. Louisa Gabea, gr-5 16. -unknown- 17. Tina Hammock, gr-4 18. Andy Hedin, gr-6 19. Robert Connelly, gr-6 20. -unknown- 21. -unknown- 22. Corky Fritz, gr-5
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