HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY —  2015

July 2015. From the Mojave Desert Archives

The Dennis G. Casebier Library was built in 2008 in the image of the Goffs Santa Fe Railway depot (1900-1956) with funding from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment (CCHE) and the membership of the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association. This wonderful repository houses the research collections of the Mojave Desert Archives. (Photo: Leslie Ervin)

SNOW IN GOFFS! — LOOKING AHEAD TO 2015

January 2015. New Year’s Message from President Steve Mongrain.

31 December 2014. Wednesday. A storm came in yesterday evening. On the last morning of 2014 the ground was covered with about half an inch of snow. That is the first time in the 25 years the Casebiers have been in Goffs. Flurries in the air will occur once or twice most years, but this is the only time it has stuck on the ground. (Goffs Schoolhouse photo by Hugh Brown)

The Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association (MDHCA) enters 2015 financially sound, goal-oriented, and strengthened in volunteer support.

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Schoolhouse Centennial - 2014 saw the very successful celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Goffs Schoolhouse. Reaching this goal was a culmination of some fifteen months of planning and coordination. A big thank you to Board Member and Centennial Chair, Jacqueline Ridge.

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Mojave National Preserve - The MDHCA also strengthened its relationship with National Park Service (NPS). Superintendent of the Mojave National Preserve, Stephanie Dubois, has been very supportive of our goals during her tenure, and it is with great reluctance that we witness her departure from NPS, but most certainly wish her well in her retirement.

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Goffs Cultural Center - We launched the Memorial Brick program to assist in moving the GCC into perpetuity. We improved security to the grounds, worked within our budget, successfully ran the American Boy 10-stamp mill, oversaw a Cal Humanities grant, and produced a number of Goffsgrams. Our goals for 2015 include the continuing recruitment of oral history interviewees, the publication of at least one of the desert-related histories we have in works, and the continued organizing of the collections.

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Mojave Desert Archives - 2015 will see the addition of two new residents to the population of Goffs. Long time MDHCA members, Chris and Leslie Ervin, will be moving to the GCC in the early part of the year. Chris has been an active member since 1988, has served as a director and president of the Board and was instrumental in acquiring the original funding and the actual building of the $1M Dennis G. Casebier Library.

Chris recently completed his master's degree in Archival Science and will become Archivist of the Mojave Desert Archives. Leslie manages our social media presence, does the set-up and artwork for the Mojave Road Report, and manages our mailing lists and membership. We could not accomplish what we do without the two of them and they will be most welcome additions.

Looking forward to a successful 2015, and thank you for your continued support.

Steve Mongrain, President

MOJAVE ROAD RENDEZVOUS 2014 and GOFFS SCHOOLHOUSE CENTENNIAL

November 2014. Thank you to our members for a special and memorable celebration.

2014 Mojave Road Rendezvous and Goffs Schoolhouse Centennial. (Photos by A. Cohrs and C. Ervin)

On October 10-12, the MDHCA held its 35th annual Mojave Road Rendezvous and the 100th anniersary of the Goffs Schoolhouse at the Goffs Cultural Center.

The full story on the celebrations are detailed in the latest issue of the Mojave Road Report, #301. Also, an album of Rendezvous and Centennial photos is here.

GOFFS SCHOOLHOUSE CENTENNIAL

September 2014. The Goffs Schoolhouse Turns 100.

Join us Sunday, October 12 to celebrate the Schoolhouse Centennial

History, Fun, and Food for the whole family

Join us to step back in time and learn about life during the early 1900s at this unique one room desert schoolhouse in Goffs, California.

• Visit the schoolhouse and see our collections of historical artifacts
• Hear stories of life as a student in the 1930s from a former Goffs student
• Watch TWO historic ore crushing stamp mills operate as they did in the heyday of mining in the Mojave Desert
• Hear how the U. S. Army brought camels to the desert in the 1850s
• Prizes to children for identifying historic "mystery" objects
• Learn the games children played at the Goffs School in the 1900s
• A special keepsake publication about the students, teachers, and events of the time collected from interviews and newspapers
• Huge book sale, specializing in Western Americana
• Lunch to be served from 12:00 - 1:00 (Donations appreciated)

Please phone (760-733-4482) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. your reservation for lunch including the number in your party.

Goffs is located 30 miles NW of Needles, California, on historic Route 66. DIRECTIONS

Hosted by the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association.