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 / 35.33111°N 117.93111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Kern County |
| Elevation | 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
External links
- "Kane Springs/Gypsite". Rand Desert Museum. Retrieved December 29, 2020. - Newspaper articles about Gypsite