BARSTOW

city, San Bernardino county, south-central California, U.S., in the Mojave Desert. Lying at a junction of pioneer trails, Barstow was founded in 1880 during a silver-mining rush. First called Fishpond and then Waterman Junction, it was renamed in 1886 to honour William Barstow Strong, then president of the Santa Fe Railroad. Mining declined, but Barstow endured as a railroad town (diesel repair shops) and tourist spot. Its growth was stimulated in the 1940s by the establishment nearby of a large Marine Corps supply depot and the (now deactivated) Fort Irwin armour and desert training centre. In 1958 the Goldstone Tracking Station was established in the locality, as was Barstow Community College (1960). Irrigated agriculture and the mining of agate, jasper, copper, and salt supplement the economy. The Mohave River Valley Museum in Barstow has displays devoted to the archaeology, minerals, and Indian lore of the area. Inc. 1947. Pop. (1990) 21,472.