{"nrhp_refnum":"85002816","name":"Rogers Dry Lake","other_names":["Muroc Dry Lake"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Edwards Air Force Base","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mojave Desert","county":"Kern County","state":"CA","lat":34.960089906000064,"lon":-117.84131563812011,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-03","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1985-10-03","areas_of_significance":["Other","Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Rogers Dry Lake (also called Muroc Dry Lake) is a natural dry lakebed site of about 65 square miles within Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, California, in the Antelope Valley of the Mojave Desert. The nominated portion is roughly 7,680 acres.","why_significant":"The lake's hard, flat clay surface, clear air, isolated location and good weather drew the Army in 1933 and led to Edwards Air Force Base and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. It was the site of landmark flight testing, from the Bell XS-1 supersonic flight to the X-15 and Space Shuttle landings. Lakebed Runways 18 and 23 are singled out for their ties to the X-15 and Shuttle programs.","narrative":"Rogers Dry Lake is a dry lakebed in the Antelope Valley of the Mojave Desert, inside Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, California. Covering about sixty-five square miles, it is shaped like a lopsided figure-8 and has a clay surface hard enough to support the heaviest aircraft. It has about 60 miles of marked runways, forming the largest natural landing field in the world. The Army first used the area in 1933 for a bombing range. In 1942 the secret Bell XP-59A jet was tested there. Later, the lakebed hosted the Bell XS-1 supersonic flights of 1946-1947, the X-15 hypersonic research aircraft, and Space Shuttle landings, including Columbia in 1981. Its natural qualities of clean air, isolation, good weather and vast flat surface made it central to the development of American aeronautics and space flight. Lakebed Runways 18 and 23 are specifically recognized for the X-15 and Shuttle programs. The small settlement of Muroc that once stood on the shore no longer exists.","period_of_significance":"1933 - Present","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in excellent condition and altered; occupied, with restricted public access, and used for military, government, scientific and aerospace research purposes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.001602-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/85002816_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002816/73e4efc7b3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002816/73e4efc7b3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Copied to wikipedia commons by Chillmann","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwards_AFB_satellite_photo.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Copied to wikipedia commons by Chillmann</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwards_AFB_satellite_photo.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857909","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Dry_Lake","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1451247"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/kern-county/rogers-dry-lake-85002816/"}