Tram

A nice thing about a walk down old 4×4 roads in this area is finding abandoned ruins of old mining operations and such. This is the top of a defunct tram that runs over the Inyo mountain range. The Saline Valley salt tram was finished in 1913 and brought 20 tons of salt every hour from 1100 feet in Saline Valley, west over the Inyo crest at 8500 feet, and back down to Owens Valley at 3600 feet. Salt was used heavily as a primary food preservative. Operations ceased in the 30s, but the tram works, especially at the top, remain as one of the largest and best preserved. The operator’s cabin is still fairly intact (thanks to people leaving what they find behind) paneled in fragrant cedar, and was an excellent place for a brief siesta.

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