The projected railroad Surprise Valley was named for the Surprise Valley in northeastern California east of Alturas and along the Nevada border. This is a ranching and hay farming area. See
Surprise Valley Chamber of Commerce. The railroad was to have run from the WP north to the Valley.
There is another Surprise Valley in California -- Southern California -- that is "located about seven miles east of Landers or three miles west of Sunfair Heights in San Bernardino County, California. It is north of Joshua Tree National Park. The valley is an areal feature."-- Wikipedia. It shows on the Joshua Tree 7.5 minute quadrangle USGS map about 8 miles north and 2 miles east of the community of Joshua Tree. This is a relatively a small geological area that is now occupied by scattered residences. This is about 60 miles ("as the crow flies") from San Bernardino.
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