Reefer City | |
|---|---|
Ghost town | |
  Reefer City Location in California | |
| Coordinates: 35°00′21″N 118°11′06″W / 35.00583°N 118.18500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Kern County |
| Named for | Refrigerated train cars |
| Elevation | 2,762 ft (842 m) |
Reefer City is a ghost town in Kern County, California. [1] It was located 3.25 miles (5.2 km) south-southwest of Mojave, [2] at an elevation of 2762 feet (842 m). [1] Reefer City still appeared on maps as late as 1947. [1]
Reefer City was established in June 1936 [3] by Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa, formerly Gold Fields of South Africa Limited, a company founded and based in London, [4] after a gold lode was discovered on Soledad Mountain near Mojave. The company purchased refrigerator cars, known colloquially as "reefers", from the Southern Pacific Railroad to house the miners. After the mine closed in 1942, the community housed military personnel from Edwards Air Force Base until the 1960s. In 1971, Reefer City was purchased and demolished by a salvage company. [5]
References
- ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Reefer City, California
- ^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1096. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
- ^ "Resume Work On Milwaukee Mine" from “The Bakersfield Californian” (Bakersfield, California) Friday, June 05, 1936 Page 2
- ^ "Mine Option Exercised" from “Los Angeles Times” (Los Angeles, California) Friday, January 11, 1935 Page 19
- ^ Alice, Matthew (December 16, 2004). "A trip to Reefer City, California". San Diego Reader. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
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