Freeman Junction
Freeman's Junction (c.1800 - c.1920) | |
|---|---|
 Overlooking the area where Freeman Junction once stood. The town of Ridgecrest is visible in the background | |
| Nickname: A Town With Two Pasts | |
  Freeman Junction | |
| Coordinates: 35°36′06″N 117°54′11″W / 35.60166°N 117.90295°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Kern County |
| Reference no. | 766 |
Freeman Junction, a ghost town in Kern County, California, USA, was first homesteaded in the early 1870s. Freeman S. Raymond built a stage coach station here to accommodate travelers between the desert mines and Los Angeles. A group of Native Americans who were defending their homes and families in 1909 killed off the homesteaders and burned the stage station, after which the property lay dormant for several years. It was re-homesteaded in the 1920s by Clare C. Miley, who was born in 1900, and his wife. By the 1930s their small stone cabin became a gas station/car repair and later, a restaurant and some mining activities dominated the site. In 1953 a post office was planned, but never materialized and residents had to travel seven miles to Inyokern to collect their mail. By June, 1978, the town had died once again and the remains of the town have since been removed by passersby. Today, the site has reverted to its natural state and nothing remains.