Mojave Desert: The forgotten town of Lockhart.....

Abandoned warehouse in Lockhart.

....was the result of a post-World War Two attempt to bring agriculture to not-so-fertile land.

By 1953, there were enough turkey and alfalfa farms to warrant the creation of a post office here.

Decent water, which was originally thought to exist close to the surface, was deeper underground than expected.  Drilling for, and pumping the deep water caused the water table to descend further.  This, the heat, and the poor quality of the soil drove most of the inhabitants away from Lockhart.

Indeed, the Lockhart post office closed in 1957.

Today, the few remaining residents get their mail in the nearby town of Hinkley.