Harper Lake California

In 1869, JW Robinson made a temporary camp at Harper Lake. This area of green pastures and mesquite was located on the eastern shoreline. After three years, CS Black built an adobe cabin. He also established a cattle ranch including a stagecoach stop. This ranch was called Grant's Station which became a prominent landmark.

Since 1990s, Harper Dry Lake has been dry. At one time, Harper Dry Lake was a marsh that got its water from the runoff from alfalfa farming known as Lockhart Ranch. When the ranch closed in the 1990s the lake dried up. Today with the help from nonprofit organizations and the the federal Bureau of Land Management water is be pumped into the lake bed to once again create a marsh like desert oasis. A place for people who like to watch birds and view wildlife.

In 1989 and 1990, the two largest solar fields in the world were built at Harper Lake. The plants have a combined electrical capacity of 160 MW. The site was selected because of high solar levels, water resources, electric transmissions facilities and natural gas lines.

ON HOLD FOR NOW - The new Harper Lake Energy Park, is a $1-billion project that could create 700 jobs. This project would setup indoor dairy farms, a new mini-city, and two energy plants. One of the electricity plants would be powered by methane gas supplied from "cow condos". The park could house 90,000 dairy cattle.

ON HOLD FOR NOW - Harper Dry Lake, the start of a new dairy city free from contamination, waste odors and flies. From the indoor facility, a single cow daily is capable of producing as much as 100 pounds of solid waste. This manure system could generate up to 50 megawatts of electricity, About 25 megawatts will be needed to power the cow park, so the rest would be sold to the Southern California's electricity grid.