As published in The Tomahawk, Tehachapi, California, in 1907
Originally published in The Tomahawk, Tehachapi, California, on Friday, Feb. 1, 1907
Residents of Caliente, Amalie, Kernville and vicinity are discussing plans for a new road from Caliente to Bakersfield, and it is probable that a petition for such a highway will be presented to the Supervisors at their next meeting.
The new road would closely fallow the railroad and Caliente creek, the most direct line, and would be about 22 miles in length.
There formerly was such a road, and though it has been abandoned for many years, the construction of a new highway would be rendered much easier on that account.
The only road at present from Caliente to Bakersfield is the White Wolf grade, by way of Bealeville and Rockville, It is a steep grade and very difficult in winter on account of the adobe soil. It is thirty-two miles long, and has proved very expensive to mountains. — Californian
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This transcription keeps the original spelling and punctuation for the sake of accuracy, although more paragraph breaks may be added to aid readers. When errors of fact, or the spelling of names of people or places are known, they will be noted here, as appropriate.
Editor’s Note: To understand this story at all, I think we need to take a look at a Google map of the Tehachapi area and imagine Highway 58 does not exist. Then start to look at the place names — you won’t find Amalie, but you can see that the Amalie Mine was Loraine (once called Paris) and Twin Oaks — all east of Caliente and north of Tehachapi. I couldn’t find the Rockville referenced here and today we spell Bealville without the e. Historian and author Jon Hammond references the White Wolf Grade, White Wolf Fault, and the White Wolf area on the west side of Bear Mountain in an article published Dec. 13, 2023, in Tehachapi News. Here’s what he wrote: “This region, forming one of the larger examples of the lesser valleys in the Tehachapi Mountains, can be found where Highway 223 diverges from Highway 58 and heads southwest towards the town of Arvin. The Bakersfield National Veterans Cemetery is located in a portion of the White Wolf area.” You can read more HERE. If you remember that the freeway didn’t exist — or even Highway 58’s predecessor — you can see that there wasn’t much infrastructure in 1907.
Index notes: No names