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FRONT WAGON is loaded aboard a Preferred Towing flat bed for the trip
from Twenty Mule Team Park to the California City Police station. BOB SMITH/Desert
News
|
Last trip for 20-Mule Team wagons
Moved to police station
BY BOB SMITH
CALIFORNIA CITY - Two 120-plus-year-old borax wagons made what may
be their last trip along the Twenty-Mule Team Trail last weekend. But this
time they rode on shiny flat-bed tow trucks provided by Preferred Towing
of California City.
The trip was part of an ambitious plan by the East Kern Historical
Museum Society and the CalCity Police Department to safeguard the historical
wagons and provide a pleasant area where residents and tourists can see
items and documents from the city's past.
The wagons, provided to the city by Joan Jones and the estate of Danny
Jones and the estate of Eugene "Mac" McKendry, husband of Pancho Barnes,
have been on display at the Borax Bill Park on Twenty-Mule Team Parkway
for over two years.
"Even with a caretaker present at the Park," explained Police Chief
Steve Colerick, "There was the obvious possibility of destructive vandalism."
On display at California City
Police Station
Agreement signed
"The Museum Society agreed with the CCPD that the wagons would be safer
and more easily viewed by more people at the Police Department," agreed
Pat Gorden, president of the Museum Society. Fencing donated by Jim and
Linda Love-Quiggle that protected the wagons at Borax Bill will be used
with the Quiggle's permission to enlarge the area used by the DIRT (Desert
Incident Response Team) Team to provide police, fire and medical services
on long weekends when the population of the desert area swells greatly
with visitors from around southern California.
Seven-hour move
The movement operation was conducted by city employees Greg Fielding,
Allen Vasquez, Rick Vasquez, Robert King, and Paul Kaupp and supervised
by Pat and TV Gorden and Buddy Garcia. The movement of the two wagons and
a water truck from Borax Bill and a second water wagon from Silver Saddle
took almost seven hours and went almost without a hitch. A mechanical glitch
involving a broken attachment did cause one of the borax wagons to drop
about 12 inches but it withstood the drop without damage.
Preferred Towing provided two flat bed tow trucks driven by regional
managers Micole Gerhart and Rick Jones and supervised by company owner
Amanda Adolph.
In addition to the exterior walking trail where the wagons are displayed
the Society and the P.D. will use the Emergency Operations Center room
in the police station to store and display old newspapers and photographs
and documents that will give visitors a broad glimpse of the history of
the area.
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