Woody, California

Unincorporated community in California, US

Unincorporated community in California, United States

35°42′15″N 118°50′03″W / 35.70417°N 118.83417°W / 35.70417; -118.83417CountryUnited StatesStateCaliforniaCountyKern CountyElevation

^[1]

1,654 ft (504 m)Population

(2008)

• Total135Time 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

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

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]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Woody, California
^ "Info on Woody (zip 93287), California". analyzed data. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
^ ^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.
^ California parks, Mountain House Station