Rio Bravo (former settlement), California

Rio Bravo (also, Panama and Old Panama) is a former settlement in Kern County, California.[1] It was located on the railroad 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Panama.[1]

Rio Bravo was a Mexican settlement established in 1849. It took its name from the Spanish name for the Kern River Rio Bravo de San Felipe.[1]

Later Rio Bravo was called Panama, and after that name was applied to the current place, as Old Panama.[1] The application of the name Panama was descriptive of the location as low, swampy, and plagued by mosquitos.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1085. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.