In 1870, entrepreneur John W. Searles punctuated a career of fruitless gold prospecting by losing a battle with a grizzly bear. Two years later, a full beard hiding the scars, his luck changed. Stumbling across the sun-parched Mojave Desert, burro in tow, he came upon the dried up remnants of an ancient lake bed. Spotting a crystal formation on its surface, he picked it up and pocketed it. Borax wasn't the gold he'd so patiently sought, but it turned his fortunes just the same.

Evolving technology has brought about many changes in the barren desert landscape since Searles and his handful of laborers toiled with crude picks and shovels. John Searles' San Bernardino Borax Mining Company is long gone, but "Searles Valley" remains and was declared a California Registered Historic Landmark in 1962.

Today, the combined operations of Searles Valley Minerals cover over fifty square miles, employ hundreds, support thriving communities and ship product around the world. The company utilizes modern methods and innovative technology to extract brines from the Valley floor and produce minerals at its three plants (Argus, Trona, & Westend) near Searles Lake.

ARGUS is a 117 acre power and production complex, boasting the industry's most efficient cogeneration systems. Dense sodium carbonate (soda ash) is produced at this facility.

Boron Products are produced at the Trona and Westend facilities. Our Boron product portfolio includes: Boric acid, PYROBOR® anhydrous borax, V-BOR® pentahydrate borax, decahydrate borax, and anhydrous sodium sulfate. These products are all sold under the Three Elephant® brand name.

Like the mythical Greek, Argus, who could look both forward and backward at the same time, Searles Valley Minerals will learn from the past to better meet the challenges of the future with new products, improved technology, and a consistent commitment to customer service.

By combining state-of-the-art solution mining and crystallization techniques with careful nurturing of this harsh environment, Searles Valley Minerals insures that the wealth of the Searles Valley bonanza will be available to customers worldwide and preserved for future generations.