Oak Creek Pass

Oak Creek Pass
Elevation 4,820 feet (1,470 m)
Traversed by Tehachapi Willow Springs Road
Location Tehachapi, California, United States
Range Tehachapi Mountains
Coordinates 35°03′40″N 118°23′20″W / 35.061°N 118.389°W / 35.061; -118.389
Reference no. 97

Oak Creek Pass (elevation 4,820 feet (1,470 m)) is a mountain pass through the Tehachapi Mountains, in Kern County, California. The road across it connects the City of Tehachapi with the Mojave Desert.

History

The first European to use the pass was Francisco Garces, in 1776. He used it to return to the Mojave Desert after exploring the San Joaquin Valley.

It was later used by John C. Frémont during his exploration of the west from 1843-1844.[1] Like Garces, he also used it to cross from the San Joaquin Valley to the Mojave Desert. That route would also later be used by present day California State Route 58.

Oak Creek Pass was the only route between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert over the Tehachapi Mountains until 1876, when the railroad was built to the north through Tehachapi Pass.[2] Ironically, the railroad was built on the 100th anniversary of Garces first use of the pass.

Oak Creek Pass is a California Historical Landmark (# 97).[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Oak Creek Pass". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  2. Oak Creek Pass. waymarking.com. Accessed: 04-20-2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.