Gerstley Station

Gerstley Station (also referred to simply as Gerstley) was a siding and minor stop on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railraod T&T mainline in Inyo County, California, at milepost 101.26. Located approximately 4 miles north of Shoshone along the Amargosa River valley (near present-day California State Route 127), it served as a key transfer point rather than a major settlement or passenger station.

The station was established around 1921–1924 and named in honor of James Gerstley Sr., a business associate of Francis Marion Smith and a key figure in the Pacific Coast Borax Company (later U.S. Borax). The naming reflected the close ties between the railroad and borax mining interests.

Introduction to the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad

The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad (T&T) was a historic narrow-gauge railroad incorporated in 1904 by Francis Marion “Borax” Smith, a prominent mining entrepreneur known for his borax operations in Death Valley. The railroad aimed to connect mining districts in Nevada (including the booming gold towns of Tonopah and Goldfield) to tidewater ports in California, but it never reached either endpoint—terminating at Ludlow, California (connecting to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad), and extending north to Gold Center, Nevada (near Beatty), with joint operations to Goldfield via the Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad.

Spanning approximately 168 miles through the harsh Mojave and Amargosa Deserts, the T&T primarily transported borax, minerals, and supplies, supporting mining booms and early tourism in the Death Valley region. It operated from 1907 to 1940, outlasting other Death Valley railroads by decades. Operations ceased due to declining mining activity, and the tracks were dismantled in 1942–1943 for World War II scrap metal.

Connection to the Gerstley Mine

Gerstley Station’s primary significance stemmed from its link to the Gerstley Mine (also known as the State Lease Mine), a colemanite (calcium borate) deposit discovered in 1922 by prospector Johnny Sheridan. The mine was sold to Clarence Rasor (a Pacific Coast Borax engineer) and then to the company in 1924.

To transport ore efficiently, the Pacific Coast Borax Company constructed a 3-mile narrow-gauge (“baby gauge”) railroad from the mine to the T&T siding at Gerstley. This short line featured:

• A Milwaukee gasoline locomotive (and possibly a small battery locomotive).
• Approximately eight 3-ton ore cars and a tank car for water/supplies.
• Split tracks at the siding: one for loading ore bins and another parallel to the T&T for transferring supplies.

The operation allowed borax ore to be shipped via the mainline T&T to processing facilities. Mining ceased in October 1927 due to exhaustion of viable deposits or shifting priorities, and the narrow-gauge equipment was relocated to the company’s new mine at Boron, California.

Decline and Current Status

With the closure of the Gerstley Mine in 1927, the station lost its primary purpose. The T&T continued limited operations until 1940, but Gerstley remained a minor point on the line. Today, the entire T&T right-of-way is abandoned, with much of the grade visible along modern highways. Remnants of tracks, roadbed, and ruins can still be traced in the Death Valley area, though little specific to Gerstley Station survives beyond historical records and possible faint traces of the narrow-gauge spur.

Historical Significance

Gerstley Station exemplifies the symbiotic relationship between the T&T and the borax industry in the early 20th century. While not as famous as stops like Death Valley Junction or Ryan, it highlights how short branch lines supported remote mining operations in the desert. The T&T as a whole played a vital role in developing the region, outlasting competitors and leaving a legacy in abandoned rail grades that attract historians and off-road enthusiasts today.

Sources: Historical accounts from Pacific Narrow Gauge, Abandoned Rails, Wikipedia, and regional mining records (e.g., David Myrick’s Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California).