Zzyzx, California

Curtis Howe Springer made up the name Zzyzx and gave it to the area in 1944, claiming it to be the last word in the English language. He established the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa in 1944 at the spot, which was federal land, after filing mining claims for surrounding the springs. He used the springs to bottle his water and provide drinks for travelers through the hot desert. Springer also imported animals from around the country to attract more families to visit his ranch. He used Zzyzx until 1974, when the government reclaimed the land. , 2010 In 1976, the Bureau of Land Management and the California State University agreed to cooperatively manage the land in and around Zzyzx and establish the CSU Desert Studies Center. In 1994, the United States Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act, establishing the Mojave National Preserve on former BLM land and further formalizing the partnership between the National Park Service and the California State University Desert Studies Center. ==Lexicography==

The name appeared as "Zzyzx Springs" in Dmitri Borgmann's 1967 book Beyond Language. In 1977, Borgmann noted his source as being "an old, undated map of San Bernardino County published by the Automobile Club of Southern California" and repeated his description of the settlement as being "a hydrologic feature and privately owned spa in San Bernardino County, California, about south of Baker, on the western edge of Soda Dry Lake, off the abandoned right-of-way of the old Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad." After Borgmann's book, the 1973 Hammond Ambassador World Atlas began to show the place, labeling it as "Zzyzx" without the "Springs"; the 1976 Rand McNally Commercial Atlas and Marketing Guide followed suit. As is the case with the road, Zzyzx, California, is the USBGN's lexicographically greatest (alphabetically last, at least in Latin alphabetical order) place name. Zzyzx has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. Zzyzx was declared the "most difficult to pronounce" place name in California by ''Reader's Digest''. ==In popular culture==

The plot of Michael Connelly's 2004 Harry Bosch novel The Narrows revolves around a crime committed in Zzyzx. The novel was recreated in Season 2, Episode 2 of Bosch: Legacy. The community was featured by Huell Howser in ''California's Golden Parks'' Episode 160. The Internet TV show Smartypants S1 E7 (2024) produced by Dropout (formerly CollegeHumor) has a presentation by Carolyn Page about the history of the town. ==See also==