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 link to plaque | WILLOW SPRINGS Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map Willow Springs was visited by Padre Garcés in 1776 while following the old Horse Thief Trail (later known as Joe Walker Trail) - Frémont stopped here in 1844, and the famished Jayhawk Party of 1850 found water here while struggling from Death Valley to Los Angeles. Still later, Willow Springs was a stage station of the Los Angeles-Havilah and Inyo Stage Lines. From State Hwy 14, go 6.8 mi W on Rosamond Blvd, then N 0.7 mi on Tehachapi Willow Springs Rd, then 0.6 mi NW on Truman-Manly Rd, Rosamond Note: If there was a sign for Truman-Manly Rd, I totally missed it. Take Tehachapi Willow Springs Rd to Hamilton Rd, go west and the first road south will be Manley Rd. Keep driving until you get to the little "town." There are two plaques, one on each side of the "town." Additional info: Willow Springs: An Oasis in Antelope Valley History | |
 link to plaque | SEBASTIAN INDIAN RESERVATION Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map The Sebastian or Tejón Indian Reservation (headquarters ten miles east of here) was established in 1853 by General Edward Fitzgerald Beale as one of several California reservations. The number of Indians quartered here varied from 500 to 2,000. General Beale acquired title to this area under Mexican land grant of 1843. In 1864 the U.S. government transferred the Indians to other reservations. Grapevine, NE corner of Grapevine Rd and 'D' St, 70 mi S of Mettler Note: The plaque for this and #300 are side by side on the east side of Grapevine Rd W, at the intersection of Rose Station Rd, in Grapevine, CA. If you're exiting I-5 South they'll be on your left at the first intersection. If you're exiting I-5 North you'll have to loop around under the freeway, and they'll be on your right. They are small plaques and easy to miss. Additional info: | |
 link to plaque | ROSE STATION Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map From 1853 to 1875 this site, originally a vaquero camp of the Sebastian Indian Reservation, was known as Rancho Canoa (trough). In 1875, Wm. B. Rose built an adobe stage station on the site of the Overland Mail way station established 1858. Rose Station was a stockmen's headquarters, post office, and polling place. NE corner of Grapevine Rd and 'D' St, 70 mi S of Mettler Note: The plaque for this and #133 are side by side on the east side of Grapevine Rd W, at the intersection of Rose Station Rd, in Grapevine, CA. If you're exiting I-5 South they'll be on your left at the first intersection. If you're exiting I-5 North you'll have to loop around under the freeway, and they'll be on your right. They are small plaques and easy to miss. Additional info: | |
 link to plaque | TEHACHAPI LOOP Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map From this spot may be seen a portion of the world-renowned Loop completed in 1876 under the direction of William Hood, Southern Pacific railroad engineer. In gaining elevation around the central hill of the Loop, a 4,000-foot train will cross 77 feet above its rear cars in the tunnel below. On Old State Hwy, 3.2 mi E of Keene exit, 6.5 mi W of Tehachapi Note: Old State Hwy is really Woodford Tehachapi Rd. You'll get to a turnout with a view of the loop and a plaque on the side of the road. Easy to spot. Additional info: Tehachapi Loop | |
 link to plaque | OLD TOWN (TEHACHAPI) Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map The oldest settlement in Tehachapi Valley, known as 'Old Town,' was established here during the 1860s. Long an important station on the road between Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, the community began to decline when residents gradually moved to nearby Greenwich, later renamed Tehachapi, after completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1876. NE corner of Old Town Rd and Woodford-Tehachapi Rd, 1.3 mi N of State Hwy 202, 2.5 mi W of Tehachapi. Note: Directions are accurate. Look for the plaque under a big tree. Additional info: | |
 link to plaque | POINT ON THE JEDEDIAH SMITH TRAIL Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map About February 1, 1827, Jedediah Strong Smith, first American to reach Mexican California overland, passed near this spot with his party of fur trappers. From San Gabriel Mission, the group was en route north to a land reported teeming with 'plenty of Beaver.' Smith and his men were trailblazers whose exploits soon led to the American conquest of California. SE corner of Old Bena and Tower Line Rds, 3.6 mi E of Edison Note: Nothing interesting to see at this location, and someone has stolen the plaque. The rock base is still there, though. The directions are correct, though the "plaque" is more to the east rather than "at the corner." Additional info: | |
 link to plaque | BEALVILLE Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map Edward Fitzgerald Beale, serving under Commodore Stockton in 1846, established his home here on Rancho le Libre in 1855. He also engaged in mining and became Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada, and Minister to Vienna. On Bealville Rd, 0.9 mi N of State Hwy 58, 1.3 mi S of Caliente Note: Headed north from State Hwy 58, the plaque is on the southeast corner of the Bealville Rd and the first railroad crossing. Wave at the cows. Additional info: | |
 link to plaque | CALIENTE Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map Originally known as Allen's Camp after Gabriel Allen, who in the 1870s had a cabin and stock pasture near here, the settlement was named Caliente when railroad construction reached this point in April 1875. The town became a railroad terminal for about 16 months while a force of up to three thousand men, most of them Chinese, labored on the heavy railroad construction on the mountain. 2.3 mi N of Hwy 58 on Bealville Rd, Caliente Note: Plaque is in the parking lot in front of the post office. Additional info: Wikipedia Entry | |
 link to plaque | RAND MINING DISTRICT Photoset: Flickr Set | Map: Google Map The Yellow Aster, or Rand, mine was discovered in April 1895 by Singleton, Burcham, and Mooers. The town of Randsburg quickly developed, followed by the supply town of Johannesburg in 1896. Both names were adopted from the profusion of minerals resembling those of the ranch mining district in South Africa. In 1907, Churchill discovered tungsten in Atolia, used in steel alloy during World War I. In June 1919, Williams and Nosser discovered the famous California Rand Silver Mine at Red Mountain. Kern Co Desert Museum, Butte Ave, Randsburg Note: Actual address: 161 Butte Ave, Randsburg, CA. Plaque is on a short wall beside the steps to the museum. Additional info: |