Woody, California

Coordinates: 35°42′15″N 118°50′03″W / 35.70417°N 118.83417°W / 35.70417; -118.83417
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Woody
Woody is located in California
Woody
Woody
Location in California
Woody is located in the United States
Woody
Woody
Woody (the United States)
Coordinates: 35°42′15″N 118°50′03″W / 35.70417°N 118.83417°W / 35.70417; -118.83417
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyKern County
Elevation1,654 ft (504 m)
Population
 (2008)
 • Total135
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
93287
Website[2]

Woody (formerly, Weringdale)[3] is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, in the United States.[1] It is located in the foothills of the Greenhorn Mountains, 25 miles (40 km) north-northeast of Bakersfield[3] at an elevation of 1,654 feet (504 m).[1]

History[edit]

Woody was named after Sparrell Walter Woody, who homesteaded with his wife at the foot of Blue Mountain in 1862.[3] The Woody School District was founded in 1873 and a post office opened in 1889.[3] Copper was discovered near Woody in 1891 by Joseph Weringer, who founded the Greenback Mine and built the nine-room Weringdale Hotel. Quartz gold was found on Blue Mountain in 1894, and the population of the town, then known as Weringdale, grew to over a hundred. By the time the townsite was subdivided by Weringer in 1909, the community's name had reverted to Woody.[3]

A small ranch town, the total population of Woody has changed little since the mid-1890s. The post office, fire department, and Blue Mountain Graveyard are situated on the outskirts of town. There is also an elementary school and a community hall where the Woody residents have gatherings and events. There used to be a restaurant/ bar in Woody, but financial problems caused it to close.[citation needed]

A local legend states that the outlaw Joaquin Murrieta once had a cave/hideout in the area that he used while on the run.[citation needed]

Mountain House station[edit]

Just outside of Woody is California Historical Landmark number 589, the Mountain House Station. The spot was a Butterfield Overland Mail Stagecoach stop and station from 1858 to 1861. The location of the Mountain House station was on Dry Creek, on Bakersfield-Glenville Roads about 6.3 miles from Woody.[4]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Woody, California
  2. ^ "Info on Woody (zip 93287), California". analyzed data. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1129. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  4. ^ California parks, Mountain House Station