Local History - Historic sites

Rosamond, like all towns, has bits and pieces of its past embedded throughout the more modern infrastructure.  While individually they may not be particularly dramatic, in sum they are an echo of lives lived in a very different world.

Local resident Gretchen Winfrey is attempting to compile a more comprehensive history of our town and provided this preliminary list of buildings dating back to Rosamond's earliest days.
 

Historical Sites Identified Around Rosamond
(as of July 15, 2010) 

Kinton (or Kenton) House
Originally at Sierra Hwy. and Center, now at Tropico Mine Gold Camp. Built by John Stuckey in 1903. Managed by George and Ella Kinton (brother and sister). Originally housed a general store, hotel, and served at point for mail picked up by Mr. Graves to be delivered. Rawley B. Duntley lived here later.

Original Wayside Chapel (now Masonic Lodge)
Comer of Diamond and Locust. An adobe church and parsonage constructed 1936 by Union rescue Mission and given to the town. Church property originally invested in the name of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Graves Houses
Located on Rosamond Blvd. a bit west of the high school. Charles Graves was the first "postmaster'. 

Angel (or Angell) House
Located on Poplar east of Diamond. It was the site of the first stationary post office. Mr. Angel was postmaster after Mr. Graves. Mr. and Mrs. Angel were of opposite political parties, so no matter the party in office, one was always appointed as postmaster. There was a library in the basement. 

Current Wayside Cafe
Located on Sierra Highway. This building was the site of the post office after the Angel House. Per Gladys Adams, this was the site of the post office when she came in 1952. Harriet Vials was postmaster at that time followed by Bill O'Neill, who was the last appointed postmaster. 

Building north of current Wayside Cafe (most recently was Tattoo Parlor)
Located on Sierra Highway, This was the site of the Wayside Cafe prior to it's present location. 

Former Johnson's Market (now KS Market)
Located on Sierra Highway at Popular. Death Valley Scotty is reported to have stopped here. In the 1950's it was Vials Market. 

Juanita's Indian Lodge (now the Zebra Club)
Originally the Hamilton Hotel. In 1942 it was called Juanita's Bowling Alley. Wives of the bowlers manned the pins. Popular place with service men as Juanita let them use the phone, Local miners bowled here also. 

Railroad Station Section Houses Site
Located east of Sierra Highway at approximately Orange Street 

Former Fire Station
Located on Desert. Built on what was formerly called Walnut Street. Loomis' gave the property to the fire department. 

Former Fisher House
Located on 20th Street West behind construction yard at 2221 20th St. West. Part of the house is original adobe possibly late 1800s. 

Former Randleman House
Located at 3735 Felsite. Built in 1925 by McClachie (sp?) 

Saloon at Willow Springs
Two historic markers currently exist at site of Willow Springs. Saloon is being refurbished. Swinging doors of saloon are original.

Site of Lawrence Duntley House
Site was south of the Willow Springs Racetrack on Rosamond Blvd. House burned. 

Houses at Tropico Gold Camp
Some were moved in houses, some were box cars for miners. When the mine was closed by govt. order in WWII, houses were occupied by Bell Aircraft personnel working at the base.

Butler House
Located at 5675 Rosamond Blvd. House still occupied by family member. This portion of a larger house, which was originally built in 1919, was moved from Bakersfield.

 Former O'Neill House
Located north side of Rosamond Blvd. west of 601h (white house set back from road). Home of last appointed postmaster. 

House with portions relocated from Manzanar
Located at 1839 Locust Street, portions of the house were relocated from the WWII Manzanar Internment Camp.

 Buildings relocated from what is now Edwards South Base In 1957
     Former hospital-Delano house on Truman Rd.
     Former dental office-Williford house on Irone Rd.
     Church/chapel (?)-Catholic Church on 15th 
     ???????-Community Park Bldg.
     ???????-House on Made 

Former Darr homestead house (Yeager House)
Located behind Trailer Park at 5335 Rosamond Blvd. This house was on the land acquired when the Base expanded and took over the Darr homestead. Chuck Yaeger lived in the house prior to it being moved and relocated to its current location. 

Former Backus Ranch (now Moonraker Ranch)
Located near 25th Street West and Backus Road. Homesteaded about 1916 by Oscar Backus where he hand dug at least two wells 65-85 ft. deep and 10 feet across. During the WWII extra living spaces at the ranch were used for R&R by servicemen from Muroc and Mojave bases.  

Indian Site
North of Backus Rd., East of 90th.  Reported to be a wintering area. Site currently has deep rock mortars and areas reported to be drying rocks for skins. At one time many small artifacts, e.g., pestles, could be found in the area. 

Other places mentioned for investigation include the following: Former home of Ruell and Winifred Williams, former Farris home, Feed Store Bldg., Stemwedel house, old clapboard house off of 80th south of Rosamond Blvd, former Tumbleweed Motel

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