RonnieAdventure #0046 - Zzyzx, San Bernardino County, California

Interstate 15 Exit to Zzyzx 

Most people traveling on Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles are perplexed when they see the exit sign to “Zzyzx.” Some people think the sign is a Government secret code dealing with Area 51, or maybe a directional sign for aliens passing through Baker; however, neither are correct!

 Zzyzx (pronounced “Zye-Zex”) is located about 5 miles south of Interstate 15 on the shores of beautiful Lake Tuendae; although, historically, the site was known as Camp Soda located at Soda Springs on the shores of a dry lakebed named Soda Lake.  

Lake Tuendae

 

Fountain at Lake Tuendae

 

 White Beaches at Soda Lake

Palm Trees at Soda Lake

 

Then, in 1944 Los Angeles radio evangelist Curtis Springer, self-proclaimed minister and doctor, moved to Camp Soda and renamed it “Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Resort.” The resort was touted as “the last word in health,” playing on the word “Zzyzx” as the last word in the English language.  

 

After arriving in Zzyzx, Springer started bottling the spring water and marketed it as a miracle medical product that could cure heart problems, arthritis, cancer, baldness, etc. Shipments of the miracle water increased astronomically and Springer soon accumulated a small fortune. He then built a 60-room hotel, church, and private airstrip (“The Zyport”) because people started coming from all over the world to partake of the natural hot springs healing waters. (In reality, the only thing “natural” about the hot springs water was the “natural” gas that fired a large boiler hidden in the basement of the bath house to heat the water.) At some point in time Springer became “Dr. Springer,” and he started a radio station at Zzyzx, so that he could broadcast his program of music, scripture, and messages nationwide.

 

Zzyzx Hotel

 

 Abandoned Building at Zzyzx

 

Unfortunately for Springer, in 1974, Federal Marshals arrested him for FDA violations of food and drug laws associated with his “miracle water” and he ended up spending some time in jail. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Federal Government realized that Springer had no ownership interest in Soda Springs and he was evicted for trespassing on Federal property. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) then came in and assumed control of Zzyzx.

Some of the original buildings are still standing and the facility is now managed by California State University as the Desert Studies Center. Extension classes are open to the public for a reasonable fee that often includes two nights lodging, five meals, and all the “miracle water” that you can use. (For a schedule of classes, Google “Desert Studies Center.”)