Aaron G. Lane
Aaron G. Lane settled beside the Mojave River in 1858, about half a mile below the Lower Narrows near present-day Victorville. Travelers already used this river crossing on the route between the desert and Cajon Pass. Lane established a ranch and way station where they could rest, obtain supplies, and feed their animals. By 1860, the stop was known as Lane’s Crossing.
Lane grew hay, barley, and other crops for his own livestock and the animals passing through. Photographer Rudolph D’Heureuse recorded the station’s original log structures. Lane became one of the earliest permanent American settlers in the Victor Valley, a region where Indigenous people had lived and traveled along the river for generations.
The crossing brought Lane business, but life there was uncertain. Richard D. and Kathryn L. Thompson’s history describes raids on his ranch and a period when he left the desert temporarily. Later accounts report that fire destroyed his station in October 1867. He rebuilt, then suffered further losses when the Mojave River flooded his land.
Lane also took part in the valley's civic life. He worked on desert roads in the early 1870s, and when San Bernardino County created a Mojave River voting precinct in 1873, residents cast their ballots at his home. Lane died in 1883. His name remained attached to the crossing, an important stop in the early history of travel and settlement along the Mojave River.
Mojave River
Lane's Crossing
Rudolph D’Heureuse
Victor Valley
Pioneers
The Life and Times of Aaron G. Lane
Re-creation of Aaron G. Lane from sketch