Imperial Sand Dunes
Last week we drove to the Sand Dunes and found this interesting bit of history.
Picture yourself back in 1918 trying to cross the burning desert of Imperial County. You reach the treacherous Imperial Sand Dunes and face the challenge of a seamless ocean of sand. With relief and anxiety you begin to ascend the first dune on the Plank Road. The heat, swirling sand, and jarring ride across the rough planks makes you nauseous, but you are grateful since this new route offers safety and cuts many hours off the adventurous trip across the desert.
Amid great fanfare, the first planks were laid on February 14, 1915. For the next two months, a combination of volunteers and paid workers hauled lumber and laid down two parallel plank tracks, each 25″ wide, spiked to wooden cross pieces underneath. The wheel path floated across 6 1/2 miles of shifting sand east of Gray’s Well. Work ended on April 4, 1915. A week later, the ‘glad Hand Excursion,” consisting of 25 cars loaded with over 100 riders, gaily traveled the Plank Road and declared it a success