ABOUT

Cima is a small unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, in the United States. It lies in a mountain pass on the divide between the Ivanpah Valley and the Mojave River basin, at an elevation of 4,175 feet (1,273 m). 

History

Cima was founded circa 1900 when H.C. Gibson established the first store. In 1905 the first post office opened in the store. Gibson refused to pump the gas for his customers and therefore may have created the first self-service station in the country. The town served as both a railroad siding and a commercial center for ranchers and miners. Few people now live in the area. In fact, like the neighboring town of Kelso to the southwest, Cima is now usually considered aghost town.