Oak Creek Pass
Encyclopedia
Oak Creek Pass is a mountain pass
on the eastern side of the Tehachapi Mountains
, in Kern County
, California
. It connects the City of Tehachapi
with the Mojave Desert
. It is also a California Historical Landmark, number 97.
The first European to use the pass was Francisco Garces
, in 1776. He used it to return to the Mojave Desert after exploring the San Joaquin Valley. It was later used by Fremont during his exploration of the west from 1843-1844. Like Garces, he also used it to cross from the San Joaquin Valley to the Mojave Desert. It was the only route between Tehachapi and the Mojave Desert until 1876, when the railroad was built to the north through Tehachapi Pass. That route would also later be used by present day state route 58. Ironically, the railroad was built on the 100th anniversary of Garces first use of the pass.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
on the eastern side of the Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
, 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 connects the City of Tehachapi
Tehachapi, California
Tehachapi is a city incorporated in 1909 located in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and Mojave in Kern County, California. Tehachapi is located east-southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of...
with the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
. It is also a California Historical Landmark, number 97.
The first European to use the pass was Francisco Garces
Francisco Garcés
Francisco Hermenegildo Tomás Garcés was a Spanish Franciscan missionary who explored much of the southwestern part of North America, including what are now Arizona, southern California, and northeastern Baja California. Garcés was born April 12, 1738, in Morata de Jalón , Zaragoza province,...
, in 1776. He used it to return to the Mojave Desert after exploring the San Joaquin Valley. It was later used by Fremont during his exploration of the west from 1843-1844. Like Garces, he also used it to cross from the San Joaquin Valley to the Mojave Desert. It was the only route between Tehachapi and the Mojave Desert until 1876, when the railroad was built to the north through Tehachapi Pass. That route would also later be used by present day state route 58. Ironically, the railroad was built on the 100th anniversary of Garces first use of the pass.