Caliente, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caliente is an unincorporated town in Kern County, California, with a population of 1,019.[1] Telephone numbers in Caliente follow the format (661) 867-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93518.[2] It is located south of a small community named Walker Basin in the same telephone exchange area.
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[edit] History
Established in the 1870s, Caliente was originally named Allens Camp for a cattle rancher and settler named Gabriel Allen. Later, the name Agua Caliente, coming from hot springs in the area, was proposed and may have been used. This name conflicted with the community of the same name in Sonoma County. With the railroad's arrival in 1875, the shortened name Caliente was adopted.[3]
Bealville is a district about one mile (1.6 km) to the south toward SR58 and along Caliente-Bodfish Road.[4] It is named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale who served in the US Army, and also as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada. He was also appointed as US Surveyor General of California.[5] Beale established a home in this area about 1855. The location is commemorated by a State Historic Landmark plaque along Caliente-Bodfish Road.[6]
[edit] Today
The sound of diesel locomotives and railroad horns are present day and night. The community is along the track of the Union Pacific Railroad, Mojave Subdivision. The track loops around the post office as it winds through the local hills. Trains climb toward the Tehachapi summit eastbound or descend toward Bakersfield if westbound.
SR58 is about two driving miles south of Caliente.
[edit] Images
 A BNSF freight passing through Caliente climbs eastbound toward Mojave, California. |
 Post office with sign showing the ZIP Code. |
 Bealville marker along Caliente-Bodfish Rd. |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Location name, population, and county from National Geographic Names Database. Location is identified by USGS as feature ID 1660417.
- ^ ZIP Code from sign hanging on United States Postal Service post office.
- ^ Establishment date and Agua Caliente name from, Bailey, Richard C., Kern County Place Names, (Bakersfield, California: Merchant's Printing and Lithography Co., 1967). Allens Camp from Dulme, Glenn, "Chapter 11: The San Bernardino County Flurry," Boom of the Eighties in Southern California, (San Marino, California: Huntington Library, 1944) pp. 127.
- ^ Location and name from National Geographic Names Database and is feature ID 252850.
- ^ Army and Indian assignments from: "Kern County," California Historic Landmarks, (Sacramento, California: State of California, Resources Agency, 1996) pp. 80. Surveyor General title from, Dulme, Glenn, "Chapter 11: The San Bernardino County Flurry," Boom of the Eighties in Southern California, (San Marino, California: Huntington Library, 1944) pp. 127.
- ^ "Kern County," California Historic Landmarks, (Sacramento, California: State of California, Resources Agency, 1996) pp. 80. Historic Landmark #741, see photo.
[edit] External links
- Caliente, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
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