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Gypsite was a small community at the site of a mill in Kern County, California.[1]

Gypsite
Ghost town
Gypsite
Location in California
Gypsite
Gypsite (the United States)
Coordinates: 35°19′52″N 117°55′52″W
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyKern County
Elevation
[1]
1,959 ft (597 m)

It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Saltdale, in the Fremont Valley of the Mojave Desert[2] at an elevation of 1,959 feet (597 m).[1] It is located near Koehn Lake south-southwest of Ridgecrest near Garlock, California.


History


In late 1909[3] Charles Koehn found a large deposit of gypsite (a mixture of gypsum and clay) in the bed of Koehn Lake. In 1910[4] or 1911, the California Crown Plaster & Gypsite Company leased Koehn's claims and built a mill at Kane (Cane) Spring,[5] located just north of Gypsite.[6][7] A post office operated at Gypsite from June 1911 to March 1912.[2][5] In January 1912, Koehn was involved in a shootout at "Cain" springs where he constructed a rolling fort and held off 17 gunman during a dispute with T.H. Rosenberger about Koehn's mineral claims.[8] During the summer of 1912, 12 men produced 30 tons of plaster per day.[5] In December, 1912, after a court case concerning the gunfight, Koehn sold the springs to Thomas Thorkildsen who then sold to the Diamond Salt Company of Los Angeles.[9] In 1913, a 3-mile narrow-gauge railroad was built on the lake bed. The company also built a hotel, houses, a depot and a post office (which was never reopened).[5]

In 1915, the operation failed and Koehn took over the mill. Production was intermittent until 1928, when Koehn was convicted of attempted murder of a San Bernardino judge and Koehn lost control of the site. George Abel took over production until his death in the early 1930s. Intermittent production again continued until the 1950s.[5]


References


  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gypsite, California
  2. Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1043. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  3. Hess, Frank L. (1909). Gypsum Deposits near Cane Springs, Kern County, California (Report). US Geological Survey. pp. 417–418. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  4. Hess, F.L. (1920). Stone, R.W. (ed.). Gypsum Deposits of the United States (PDF) (Report). US Geological Survey. p. 73. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  5. Hensher, Alan. "Gypsite: A Humble Product from a Humble Camp" (PDF). SBCMA Quarterly. Vol. 45, no. 1, 2. San Bernardino County Museum. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  6. Searles Lake (Map) (1915 ed.). 1:250,000. 1915. Shown as Cane Spring.
  7. Searles Lake (Map) (1922 ed.). 1:250,000. 1915. Shown as Koehn Spring.
  8. "Behind A Mobile Fort He Fights 17". San Francisco Call. January 24, 1912. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  9. "Charles Koehn sells famous Salt Springs". Bakersfield Morning Echo. December 9, 1912. Retrieved March 31, 2021.



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