Asphalto is a former settlement in Kern County

Kern County, California

Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. It was located on the railroad 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of McKittrick

McKittrick, California

McKittrick is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. McKittrick is located northwest of Taft, at an elevation of 1056 feet . The population was 115 at the 2010 census, down from 160 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

, at an elevation of 932 feet (284 m). Asphalto still appeared on maps as of 1932.

History

Originally the site of the Aguaje de La Brea a watering place on El Camino Viejo

El Camino Viejo

El Camino Viejo à Los Angeles , also known as the Old Los Angeles Trail, established in 1820's, was the oldest north-south trail in the interior of Alta California...

. The site has fossils in the asphalt deposits here, similar to other places in the vicinity of McKittrick. A post office operated at Asphalto from 1893 to 1894, and from 1898 to 1900, when service was transferred to McKittrick.