Barbara J. Pratt - Around Boron

Joshua Rufus Ridge (in the wagon, under the X) was the rail section foreman. His wife, Ella, sits next to him in the wagon, while their son, Harry Albert Ridge, stands with his toy wagon. The hay bales indicate that horses were still an important form of transportation, although by 1897, the Santa Fe Railroad was well established, with two passenger trains traveling through every day to Barstow and beyond to the east and to Mojave and the rest of California to the west. There was very little agriculture, so the hay was probably brought in by train, too. By the next year, the railroad to the Randsburg mining area would be completed, but at this time, Kramer was the supply station for the Rand area. (Photograph by Stiffler; Harry Rufus Ridge and Jacqueline Ridge.)

Capt. John Blake built this complex, which provided a grocery store that sold everything imaginable, a hotel with a bar, and the post office. Captain Blake lived in this location for many years. He managed the store and the hotel until he leased it to A. E. Crouchwell and Company in 1912. It was rumored that Blake owned a gold mine he visited occasionally, taking devious routes so he could keep its location a secret. The first postmaster in Kramer was Charles M. Palmer.

There were a few homesteads scattered around Kramer, usually to the south and west where there were a few springs. Water and wood for fuel generally had to be hauled in. Rattlesnakes, spiders, and scorpions were constant threats.

The photograph above has a sign that clearly indicates this is the Kramer Hills Mining Company, although there is no indication of what was being mined. There are several possibilities because there was much mining activity in this vicinity. It could have been gold, silver, borates, or other minerals. The other image shows the great interest generated by the mines and also by oil wells, which never produced much, if any, oil, but the operators sold quite a bit of stock to investors motivated by numerous newspaper accounts of the imminent oil strikes. The drivers of all of these automobiles must have driven quite a few miles, as there were no cities very near the site. (Both, Deric English.)

Herbert Forgey was the Santa Fe agent at Kramer from 1915 until his death in 1927. His wife, Nora, was the telegrapher-clerk and continued working in that capacity until the Kramer Station was closed. She moved with the station to Boron in 1941. Until her retirement in 1945, one of her duties was to hand orders to the engineer. She is shown here holding the orders aloft attached to a hoop, which the engineer hooks with his arm as the train slowly passes.