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On Sunday April 25, 2010,
The Brothers of PXL Invite You to Join Us
At the Tehachapi Centennial Pavillion as We
Plaque the Geography & History of Tehachapi!
The City of Tehachapi, incorporated August 13, 1909, anchors the Tehachapi Pass which is the southernmost point of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. This route was not always the preferred way to access the southern San Joaquin Valley from the Mojave. That distinction originally belonged to the Tejon Pass 10 miles to the southwest. In 1844, John C. Fremont and Kit Carson passed this way and discovered the advantages of using this passage. In 1853 Lieutenant R.S. Williamson, in the process of surveying a railroad route to California, came upon an Indian village where he learned the name of the creek that flows west: Ta-ee-chay-pah. Soon after, the first white settlers arrived in the area and prospectors found gold in the nearby streams. By 1869 the town of Williamsburg (or Tehachipa) had been established along the wagon trail in what is now Golden Hills (5 miles to the east). With the arrival of the railroad in the Tehachapi Valley on July 10, 1876, a new settlement sprung up alongside it, eventually becoming Tehachapi in 1909.
TEHACHAPI PLAQUE
The Tehachapi Pass became the preferred route between the Mojave and the San Joaquin Valley after John C. Frémont and Kit Carson passed this way during the 2nd Frémont Expedition in 1844. Situated at the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Pass provided a reliable way to enter and leave the San Joaquin Valley during the winter.
In 1853, while surveying the area for the U.S. Government, Lt. R. S. Williamson learned from Indian villagers the name of the principal creek that flowed west through the pass. They called it, "Tah-ee-chay-pah." Soon settlers began to arrive, and prospectors discovered gold in the nearby streams. By 1869, the town of Williamsburg or "Tehachipa" had emerged in the Golden Hills, five miles to the east.
On July 10, 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in the Tehachapi Valley, and a new town was established beside the line. On August 13, 1909, that settlement was incorporated as the City of Tehachapi which for a hundred years has served as a commercial center for miners, farmers, ranchers and travelers. Today Tehachapi leads the country in wind-turbine generation technology.
Dedicated April 25, 2010 by the Peter Lebeck Chapter #1866 of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus
