Historical Timeline
Pre-1800s: Long before it had a name, the Tehachapi Valley was home to the Kawaiisu people. They called themselves Nuwu, meaning “the people,” and lived off the land, moving with the seasons between the Mojave Desert and the southern Sierra.
1776: Spanish missionary Francisco Garcés crossed the Tehachapi Mountains using Oak Creek Pass, the only known route. He was among the first Europeans to explore the area on foot and horseback.
1854: John Moore and Amanda Brite became the area’s first known permanent settlers. They homesteaded in Brite Valley, built a home, raised livestock, and even opened a lumber business.
1860s: The first organized town in the valley was Williamsburg, or “Tehichipa.” It was four miles west of modern Tehachapi and was a key stop for stagecoaches and travelers between the San Joaquin Valley and Los Angeles.
1869: Gold prospector and rancher Peter D. Greene was appointed postmaster at the Oak Creek stage stop. The settlement around the post office became known as Tehichipa.
1874–1876: The Southern Pacific Railroad blasted its way through the Tehachapi Mountains and built the now-famous Tehachapi Loop — an engineering marvel that let long trains gain elevation by looping over themselves. This railroad line linked San Francisco and Los Angeles.
1883: Tragedy struck when a runaway train derailed near Tehachapi, killing 15 people, including the wife of former California Governor John G. Downey. It was one of the deadliest accidents of its time.
1909: Tehachapi officially became a city on August 13. It had grown from a quiet stop into a small mountain town with its government.
1940s: During World War II, local farmers in the Tehachapi Valley grew massive amounts of potatoes and other crops to support the war effort, and agriculture was a big part of the town’s survival.
1952: A massive 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked Kern County and severely damaged Tehachapi. Buildings collapsed, rail lines twisted, and 12 people lost their lives. The town rebuilt, stronger than before.
Late 20th Century: Tehachapi found itself on the cutting edge of renewable energy. The mountain passes around town are filled with wind turbines, making it one of the first places in the country to harness wind power at scale.
2008: The original Tehachapi Railroad Depot — the oldest structure in town — burned down during restoration. Locals were heartbroken, but they weren’t finished.
2010: Tehachapi rebuilt the depot from the original plans and opened it as a museum. It now stands as a tribute to the town’s railroading legacy.
Present Day: Tehachapi is a small mountain town with a big story — part pioneer, part rail town, part renewable energy hub. It’s known for its cool summers, snowy winters, historic downtown, and the hum of windmills spinning on the ridge.