Willow Springs, Kern County, California

Summary

Willow Springs is a village located around a set of former springs (no longer flowing) in Kern County, California, United States.[2] It is located off of Rosamond Boulevard,[3] 7.5 miles (12 km) west of Rosamond,[4] at an elevation of 2,523 feet (769 m).[1]

Willow Springs
Willow Springs Ghost Town
Willow Springs Ghost Town
Willow Springs is located in California
Willow Springs
Willow Springs
Location in California
Willow Springs is located in the United States
Willow Springs
Willow Springs
Willow Springs (the United States)
Coordinates: 34°52′42″N 118°17′48″W / 34.87833°N 118.29667°W / 34.87833; -118.29667
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyKern County
Elevation2,523 ft (769 m)
Reference no.130

Willow Springs International Motorsports Park is approximately two miles east of the original village of Willow Springs.

An underground grid storage project is planned near the Whirlwind Substation.[5]

History edit

Willow Springs were used pre-settlement as a water source for indigenous people.[3] The springs were visited by Father Garces, John C. Frémont, and 19th migrants on route through the Death Valley.[3]

Willow Springs was an important stop on Los Angeles–Havilah and Los Angeles–Inyo freight and stagecoach lines.[4][3] Most of the masonry buildings were built around 1900 by Ezra Hamilton,[4] who had discovered gold in the area.[3] A post office operated at Willow Springs from 1909 to 1918.[4]

The site is now registered as California Historical Landmark #103.[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Willow Springs, Kern County, California
  2. ^ Waring 1915, p. 318.
  3. ^ a b c d e Bailey, Richard C. (1967). Kern County Place Names. Annual Publications of the Kern County Historical Society and Kern County Museum (No. 29). Introduction by Ralph F. Kreiser (1st ed.). Bakersfield, Calif.: Merchants Printing and Lithographing Co. p. 28. LCCN 74018077. OCLC 158106.
  4. ^ a b c d Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1128. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  5. ^ "Hydrostor applies for license for 4GWh California compressed air storage project". Energy Storage News. December 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "Willow Springs". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 7, 2012.

Reference bibliography edit

  • Waring, Gerald Ashley (1915). Springs of California. U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper. Vol. 338. U.S. Government Printing Office. doi:10.3133/wsp338.