Abandoned Mentone Installation

SoCalDesertFox

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Nov 27, 2015
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Just north of Highway 38 in Mentone, east of an orange grove, there's what appears to be an old abandoned facility, possibly military given there are what appear to be bunkers on-site.

MentoneInstallation.jpg

And this is also inside part of the San Bernardino wash, along the Santa Ana River. This area could yield a fair amount of historical relic, coin, and gold, plus unfortunately a lot of trash from local kids and drug users using the place as a party spot.

Well, I might be heading here today. If I do, I'll come back and post up pics.
 

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SoCalDesertFox

SoCalDesertFox

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Additional research - The Lockheed Propulsion Company was a division of the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation located at 1500 Crafton Avenue in the Mentone, California area northeast of Redlands, California, adjacent to the Santa Ana River, from 1961 to 1975. It developed, tested and produced solid rocket motors and propellant used in military and National Aeronautics and Space Administration applications.
 

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SoCalDesertFox

SoCalDesertFox

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Looks like fun

It does, until you realize that a huge chunk of that area is actually toxic. Perchlorates, unlined burn pits which are toxic, etc. I wouldn't be hunting that area without proper PPE.
 

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SoCalDesertFox

SoCalDesertFox

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1961 to 1975 seems pretty boring date-wise, to be metal detecting a site.

It's located right in the San Bernardino Wash and right along a couple of bends in the dry Santa Ana riverbed. I'd be willing to bet there's plenty of older stuff in that ground, and possibly some gold!
 

Got_4by4

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Beware of trespassing on 'privately owned' property!
 

Tom_in_CA

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Mar 23, 2007
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got4-by-4, what makes you think it's trespassing , or private, or that he doesn't have permission ? From the opening description he gave (eg.: "abandoned" and place where kids party) it seemed fairly innocuous , vacant, or whatever.
 

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SoCalDesertFox

SoCalDesertFox

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Nov 27, 2015
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got4-by-4, what makes you think it's trespassing , or private, or that he doesn't have permission ? From the opening description he gave (eg.: "abandoned" and place where kids party) it seemed fairly innocuous , vacant, or whatever.

Well, it's abandoned because it's been declared an environmental hazard. Lockheed or somebody else still owns the property (and I am in the process of ascertaining who) and I'd like to know who does before I go walking around there. On the other hand, the river right next to it appears to be fair game for hunting around.
 

mathrah73

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Apr 25, 2020
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the area of the riverbed outside the berm is fair game for hunting while the compound itself inside the berm is off limits as there is a guard at the main Gate however access is obtainable just not legally. there is in fact a private company that owns the compound and rents out portions of facility buildings to outlying local companies. i live local to the facilities and obtained legal access only while providing maintenance to one of the refrigeration units when called out by the customer
 

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