Camp Cady (on the Mojave Road)

This plaque does something almost no plaque of its kind does: it says the Paiute, Mohave and Chemehuevi were defending their homeland. Not raiding, not menacing travel. Defending. The dragoons put up a mud redoubt here in 1860 to hold the road open, rebuilt it half a mile west in 1868, and left in 1871. The text still frames the outcome as peace achieved and the economy boosted, but it names the other side's reason, and that is worth stopping for.

What the plaque says

Camp Cady was located on the Mojave Road which connected Los Angeles to Albuquerque. Non-Indian travel on this and the nearby Salt Lake Road was beset by Paiutes, Mohaves, and Chemehuevis defending their homeland. To protect both roads, Camp Cady was established by U.S. Dragoons in 1860. The main building was a stout mud redoubt. Improved camp structures were built 1/2 mile west in 1868. After peace was achieved, the military withdrew in 1871. This protection provided by Camp Cady enabled travelers, merchandise, and mail using both roads to boost California's economy and growth.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Calico Ghost Town — 15 mi
  An 1881 silver boomtown in the calico-colored hills, saved and rebuilt by the founder of Knott's Berry Farm.
• Barstow — 24 mi
  The Mojave's rail-and-road hinge, where the Santa Fe yards and Route 66 meet at the Casa del Desierto Harvey House.

More markers nearby

• The Mojave Road — 9.4 mi
• Town of Calico — 15 mi
• Possum Trot — 16 mi
• Harvey House — 24 mi