Zzyzx, Desert research station in San Bernardino County, United States
Zzyzx is a research facility in San Bernardino County, United States, located in a remote desert landscape with mineral springs. The site sits at an elevation of 290 meters and includes several old structures plus a small lake surrounded by sparse vegetation.
Curtis Howe Springer founded a health spa here in 1944 after claiming the land without permission. The government shut down his operation three decades later and transferred the property to California State University for research purposes.
Scientists and students work at the research station studying desert plants, animals, and soil patterns in this remote Mojave location. Visitors can spot remains of the old spa along the access road, including weathered structures built with colorful stone and concrete in unusual shapes.
A paved access road about seven kilometers long leads here from Interstate 15 and is suitable for regular vehicles. The nearest gas stations, stores, and restaurants are in Baker, roughly eleven kilometers north of the turnoff.
The name Zzyzx was invented by the founder so that his place would appear last in any alphabetical directory. Lake Tuendae was artificially created and now shelters the rare Mohave tui chub, a fish found nowhere else on Earth.
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