The word "Mojave" is Spanish for "Hamakhava" (or "Hamakhaaav"), the name of the Native American nation on the Colorado River.
Mojave was founded on August 8, 1876, when workers began laying tracks on the Southern Pacific Railroad route from Bakersfield to Los Angeles reached the community's present-day site.
This photograph shows Mojave railroad workers during the 1890s.
Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections