Caliente Marker

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Caliente in Kern County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Caliente

By Syd Whittle, November 29, 2005

1. Caliente Marker

Inscription. 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.

Erected 1961 by The Kern County Historical Society, Bakersfield Parlor No.42 N.S.G.W., El Tejon Parlor No.239 N.D.G.W., and Kern County Museum. (Marker Number 757.)

Marker series. This marker is included in the Native Sons/Daughters of the Golden West marker series.

Location. 35° 17.43′ N, 118° 37.601′ W. Marker is in Caliente, California, in Kern County. Marker is on Bealville Road, on the right when traveling east. Click for map. Marker is located 2.3 miles north of State Highway 58. Marker is in this post office area: Caliente CA 93518, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. Bealeville (approx. 1.3 miles away); Arvin-Sierra Glider Port (approx. 2.7 miles away); Bakersfield National Cemetery (approx. 3.5 miles away); The Great Flood of 1932 and Engine No. 3834 (approx. 7 miles away); Tehachapi Loop (approx. 8.4 miles away); Tehachapi Pass Railroad Line (approx. 8.4 miles away); Point On The Jedediah Smith Trail (approx. 10.6 miles away); Walker Basin (approx. 11.7 miles away).

By Syd Whittle, November 29, 2005

2. Caliente Marker

More about this marker. This site has been designated California State Historical Landmark No.757

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.

Caliente Building Photo, Click for full size

By Syd Whittle, November 29, 2005

3. Caliente Building

By Syd Whittle, November 29, 2005

4. Caliente

Southern Pacific Railroad Jail Marker - Kern County Museum image, Click for more information

By Syd Whittle, November 27, 2009

5. Southern Pacific Railroad Jail Marker - Kern County Museum

Information posted on the “Southern Pacific Railroad Jail” marker at the Kern County Museum describes Caliente as:

“infested with a numerous horde of thieves and robbers, comprising the worst class of hoodlums in the country.”
Click for more information.

The Depot at Caliente Photo, Click for full size

6. The Depot at Caliente

A close-up of a photo displayed on the marker in photo #5.

Credits. This page originally submitted on September 29, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. This page has been viewed 941 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 29, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. 5, 6. submitted on December 18, 2009, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.