National Register of Historic Places

Saline Valley Salt Tram Historic Structure

Keeler, Inyo County, California
Listed
December 31, 1974
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
74000514

About this property

The Saline Valley salt tram is located in Inyo County, California, United States. The electric aerial tramway was constructed from 1911 to 1913 to carry salt from the Saline Valley over the Inyo Mountains and into the Owens Valley. Covering a distance of 13.4 mi (21.6 km), it operated sporadically from 1913 to 1935 for four different companies. During its operation, it was the steepest tram in the United States. The tram was built for the Saline Valley Salt Company (SVSC) by the Trenton Iron Company, but the costs of its construction and operation were ruinously expensive for the SVSC. The salt mining operation and tram were leased in 1915 to the Owens Valley Salt Company until it went bankrupt in 1918. In 1920, the tram was taken over by the Trenton Iron Company, which sold it to the Sierra Salt Company in 1928. The Sierra Salt Company put it back into service until the company went bankrupt in 1935. The tram was included in the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1974.

Location

Keeler, Inyo County, California
36.62680, -117.84890

Categories

INDUSTRYENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Inyo County Courthouse
Civil War
22.9 mi
Smithsonian Institution Shelter
Industrial
24.9 mi
Death Valley Scotty Historic District
Listed
38.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Saline Valley Salt Tram Historic Structure listed on the National Register?

Saline Valley Salt Tram Historic Structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1974.

What type of historic resource is Saline Valley Salt Tram Historic Structure?

Saline Valley Salt Tram Historic Structure is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Saline Valley Salt Tram Historic Structure?

The period of significance for Saline Valley Salt Tram Historic Structure is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Saline Valley Salt Tram Historic Structure?

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