On the right track
On the right track
By: Stefani Dias
Local train enthusiasts are ready to toot their horns as the city of Tehachapi gears up for the grand reopening of the Historic Tehachapi Depot and Museum on June 5. The event marks the culmination of hard work by residents who have strived to preserve the area’s rich past as well as the latest feather in the city’s tourism cap.
For more than 100 years, the depot has been the center of this mountain town about 40 miles from Bakersfield. It was one of more than 60 depots built between 1896 and 1916 and the last of its design in its original location, which withstood the destructive power of the 1952 Tehachapi earthquake. Serving cargo and passengers alike, the train stop at the top of the Tehachapi Pass was used as a station until May 1971, when it became an office and storage building for Union Pacific Railroad.
A community effort in 1999 landed the depot on the National Register of Historic Places, a move that helped pave the way for the restoration and rebuilding of the site. In 2004, the Friends of the Tehachapi Depot formed to support the preservation of the depot as a museum and recreation location. The city struck a deal with Union Pacific for the land in 2005, and restoration work began soon after. The project hit a major setback in 2008 when fire gutted the structure. A year after the fire, ground broke on the current reconstruction effort. Thousands of man-hours later, the depot is near its public unveiling, with plans for it to serve as a railroad museum and community meeting space.
The museum details the route from Bakersfield to Mojave, which was made possible by the completion of the famed Tehachapi Loop in 1876. With exhibits featuring hundreds of items from the collection of legendary local railroad man Bill Stokoe, the memorabilia and other items bring history to life, recounting the “romance of the rails.” An orientation area gives visitors a complete overview of the loop, which literally put Tehachapi on the map.
The June 5 event runs from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. The festivities will also include live music, entertainment and refreshments.
The reopening of this historic site will certainly be a site to see, and the short trip into the mountains will be worth it if you make a day of it checking out other local points of interest. Some ideas include:
Walking tour of historic downtown Tehachapi
Stop in and visit the downtown area with a listing of 29 historic sites all within walking distance of each other. Start off at the Tehachapi Museum and then head to the Errea House, which was moved from its original location in “Old Town” (or Tehichipa) and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. A collection of family homes and other noted sites round out the tour, which wraps up with a look at historic murals depicting people and places key to the town’s past.
Tehachapi Museum and Errea House
The Tehachapi Heritage League rented and later purchased the Errea House, the oldest structure in the city, from Dr. Jerry Gassaway in 1998. Dr. Gassaway also paid for landscaping and yard work, which allowed the league to later restore the garden under the supervision of Mary Farrell. Across the street, the building that is now the museum began as the branch library in 1932. When a new library was built in 1981, the league moved to rent it from the city the next year, designating it a museum. The natural history museum includes exhibits on local American Indian history, Tehachapi Loop and railroad artifacts.
Indian Point Ostrich Farm
The Indian Point Ostrich Ranch was founded by Joel Brust in March 1992, on the former ranch and home site of Milo and Marjean Sprinkle of the Sprinkle Brothers Cattle Co. Trading cattle for ostriches, the entire operation totals 80 acres, including a 60-acre mountain side ranch and a separate 20-acre farm divided by a county road. The ranch, which opened to the public for tours in 1997, contains two natural springs, an oak and pine forest and provides beautiful vistas of the entire Cummings Valley. Along with tours, the farm also hosts birthday parties and other events.
This is only a small sampling of what Tehachapi has to offer. Enjoy some fresh mountain air and visit with friendly folks in this growing tourist locale.
Grand opening of the Tehachapi Train Depot
Noon to 4 p.m. June 5
101 W. Tehachapi Blvd.
For more information, call 822-2200 or visit tehachapicityhall.com
Tehachapi Depot Historical Museum
101 W. Tehachapi Blvd. 823-1100. tehachapidepot.com.
Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday (after June 5)
Historic Downtown Tehachapi Walking Tour
Download a map at tehachapimuseum.org/walking_tour.html
Tehachapi Museum
310 S. Green St. 822-8152. tehachapimuseum.org
Open noon to 4 p.m. Friday to Sunday
Indian Point Ostrich Farm
Sasia Road at Giraudo Road. 822-9131, ext 113. indianpointranch.com
Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, May through October