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Desert Discovery Center
The town of YERMO, has been known for years as the "Gateway to the Calico Mountains."
In 1830, Antonio Armijo wrote about stopping in the area at an Indian village for water whilst travelling on the Old Spanish Trail, later pioneer Americans passed through on the Mormon Trail from Salt Lake to Los Angeles.
In the late 1880’s silver and copper mining towns of Calico and Marion sprang up and later died away after mines in the Calico Mountains were worked out.
The original name for the town was Otis. By 1904 the town was established as a material yard for the railroad. In 1905 the company completed the Roundhouse and Depot, which later became the Union Pacific Railroad.
In 1907 the town applied for a post office and found another town in Colorado had the same name, so Townspeople elected to change the name to YERMO, Spanish for "Desert".
In 1929 an Agricultural inspection Station was opened on highway 91. This became the main road through town & more than 1.5 million visitors a year traveled through this gateway into Southern California.
In 1942 the US Navy opened a supply center. The base is still in operation today as a major US Marine corps Logistics, Supply and Rebuild facility.
In 1975 the new interstate 15 freeway was completed and almost immediately the town lost its through town traffic.
The town of Yermo is still an active community with 2000 residents, many of whom work at the Marine Base, Railroad or commute out of the area.
Sponsored by Yermo CSD