Out of the Past

Ridgecrest is a relatively new town with the earliest known settlers homesteading in the 1910s. Ridgecrest stayed a small desert town until 1943 when Navy built a research facility in the Indian Wells Valley.  The influx of construction workers followed by researchers affected the size of Ridgecrest with businesses springing up to accommodate the increase of personnel stationed at the Naval Ordnance Test Facility.  The Maturango Museum has quite a number of high-quality photographs from 1911 to the early 1950s showing what the town looked like before and during the growth of the town due to the Navy establishment.  Mark Pahuta, a professional photographer and videographer as well as a museum volunteer and supporter, organized this exhibit.  Photos of early businesses that are on display include the Bamboo Club (1949), Atomic Cocktail Lounge (1949), the first Ridgecrest Post Office (1950), the first school in the Indian Wells Valley (1911) and Bentham’s Corner (1940).