San Bernardino County History: Cima, CA – Welcome to San Bernardino County

*Mojave National Preserve Map from The Sun newspaper, April 14, 1995.*

For hundreds of years, travelers crossed the vast Mojave Desert by moving from one watering hole to the next. In the 1800s, many of these watering holes became stopping points for the newly constructed railroad and eventually grew into small towns.

One such town is Cima, a small unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County. Sitting at an elevation of 4,175 feet, Cima lies between Ivanpah Valley and the Mojave River basin.

The town was created at the steepest part of the railroad line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas with tracks rising 2,000 feet within 20 miles. In 1900, H.C. Gibson established the first store in the area. According to local legend, Gibson refused to pump gas for his customers and therefore may have created the first self-service gas station in the country.

By 1905, Cima had grown enough to establish a post office and later a school district. Through the 1950s, it served as a stopping point for mail and supplies for many miners and cattlemen who lived in the surrounding area.

Glenn Malcolm Anderson, who served as lieutenant governor and as a member of Congress, spent his childhood in the tiny town. Like neighboring mining towns such as Calico and Essex, Cima eventually faded away. According to the 2010 census report, no population was recorded for Cima.

The information in this historical feature was originally part of a video series produced by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office.

Additional County Update News – November 20, 2025