Vestibule
The Vestibule is a small exhibit room dedicated to a variety of temporary displays.
Learn more about our current and past exhibits below and visit the Maturango Museum or Contact us today to find out our current happenings!
Current Exhibits
Indian Wells Valley Search and Rescue (IWVSAR)
The IWVSAR got its start in 1963 when 14 members of the Sidewinder Citizen Band Radio Club were sworn in as special deputies for the Kern County Sheriff’s Department. The IWVSAR fulfilled a need for search and rescue on the eastern side of the Sierra’s. The group specialized in mine and surface rescues and was called upon frequently by the Kern County Sheriff and other counties. The members of the group were innovative, highly trained and very dedicated.
IWVSAR fell under the Volunteer Services Division of the Sherriff’s office. The team participated in numerous Kern County Sheriff Search and Rescue operations such as ground searches for missing persons and aircrafts to contraband and body recoveries from wells and mines. The IWVSAR was one of thirteen Kern County SAR groups, but the only volunteer group certified by the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) and one of a handful of MSHA certified teams in the southwest United States.
American Magnesium Company Monorail
A model of the American Magnesium Company Monorail was made and donated to the Maturango Museum by Joe Powell of Las Vegas, Nevada. This model depicts a section of the monorail that connected the Epsom salts mine located in the Panamint Range just east of Wingate Pass to the standard gauge Southern Pacific Railroad at Magnesium Siding located 6 miles south of Trona. This monorail, also known as the Epsom Salts Monorail, was the longest monorail ever built in the United States. The monorail was built and operated between 1922 and 1923, but was not commercially successful and was abandoned by 1927.
