Walker Pass
Walker Pass | |
---|---|
Elevation | 5,250 ft (1,600 m) |
Traversed by | SR 178 |
Location | Sierra Crest,Kern County,California,US |
Range | Sierra Nevada |
Coordinates | 35°39′47″N118°01′37″W/ 35.66306°N 118.02694°W |
Nearest city | Ridgecrest, California |
Built | 1834 |
NRHP referenceNo. | 66000210[1] |
CHISLNo. | 99 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[1] |
Designated NHL | July 4, 1961[2] |
Walker Pass(el. 5,250 ft (1,600 m)) is amountain passbyLake Isabellain the southernSierra Nevada.It is located in northeasternKern County,approximately 53 mi (85 km) ENE ofBakersfieldand 10 mi (16 km) WNW ofRidgecrest.The pass provides a route between theKern River ValleyandSan Joaquin Valleyon the west, and theMojave Deserton the east.
Walker Pass is aNational Historic Landmark,and is under the stewardship of theBureau of Land Management.
History
[edit]Walker Pass was charted as a route through the Sierra in 1834 byJoseph Rutherford Walker,a member of theBonneville Expeditionwho learned of it fromNative Americans.Walker returned through the pass in 1843, leading animmigrant wagon traininto California. In 1845 the military surveying expedition ofJohn C. Fremontused the pass. He suggested it be named after Walker.[3][4]
Walker Pass was used in 1861 by cattlemen from theSan Joaquin Valleyand theTejonregion of the Tehachapi mountains to drive cattle to the silver boomtown of Aurora nearMono Lake.[5]
The Walker Pass Lodge was built nearby in the 1930s and was a well-known rest stop before burning down around 1990.
Aside from the paved road, the pass is essentially unaltered since Walker mapped it in 1834.[3]
Description
[edit]It is the highest point onState Route 178.The pass is also the southernmost crossing along theSierra Crest,with more southerlyTehachapi Passtraditionally marking the geographic divide between theSierra NevadaandTehachapi Mountains.
Between Walker Pass andTioga Pass,several hours drive to the north, there is only one paved road for automobiles to cross over the Sierra Nevada. It runs from the northern end ofIndian Wells Valleyat the east, to the hydrologic pass between theGreat Basinand thePacific Oceanat the top of the Nine-Mile Canyon road, then west along theSherman Pass Road.
All roads between Walker Pass andCarson Pass(State Route 88), over 200 miles (320 km) in distance, are subject to extended closure by winter snowfall. Walker Pass is sometimes closed due to snowfall, but due to its lower elevation these closures are for brief periods. However, most east–west traffic in the region utilizes the four-lane State Route 58 through Tehachapi Pass, located about one hour's drive to the south.
ThePacific Crest Trailcrosses at Walker Pass. A campsite situated about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) southwest of the road pass is a popular stop for hikers and astronomers alike.
California Historical Landmark
[edit]The California Historical Landmark reads:
- NO. 99 WALKER'S PASS - Discovered by Joseph R. Walker, American trailblazer, who left the San Joaquin Valley through this pass in 1834. This area was traversed by topographer Edward M. Kern, after whom the Kern River was named, while accompanying the Frémont expedition of 1845. After 1860 it became a mining freight route to Owens Valley.[6]
See also
[edit]- List of Sierra Nevada road passes
- History of the Mojave Desert region
- History of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
- California Historical Landmarks in Kern County, California
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Kern County, California
References
[edit]- ^ab"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.July 9, 2010.
- ^NHL Summary
- ^abRudo, Mark O. (September 26, 1989)."Walker Pass"(pdf).National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory.National Park Service.RetrievedMay 25,2012.
- ^"Walker Pass"(pdf).Photographs.National Park Service.RetrievedMay 25,2012.
- ^Roger McGrath (1984).Gunfighter, Highwaymen & Vigilantes.University of California Press. p. 17.
- ^californiahistoricallandmarks Landmark chl-99
External links
[edit]- Mountain passes of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
- Historic trails and roads in California
- Landforms of Kern County, California
- Transportation in Kern County, California
- History of the Mojave Desert region
- History of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
- Kern River Valley
- Mojave Desert
- California Historical Landmarks
- Road transportation infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places
- National Historic Landmarks in California
- National Register of Historic Places in Kern County, California
- Protected areas of Kern County, California
- Protected areas of the Mojave Desert
- National Register of Historic Places in California