Coso (also, Granite Springs) was a settlement in

Inyo County Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is o ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It is located in the

Coso Range The Coso Range of eastern California is located immediately south of Owens Lake, east of the Sierra Nevada, and west of the Argus Range. The southern part of the range lies in the restricted Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the northern pa ...

east-southeast of

Coso Peak Coso Peak is the highest summit in the Coso Range, a small mountain range east of the Sierra Nevada, in Inyo County in the U.S. state of California. The peak has an elevation of and a topographic prominence of , making it the 88th most pro ...

. Today, Coso is located within

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake is a large military installation in California that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the United States Navy. It is part of Navy Region Southwest under Commander, Navy Installat ...

. Dr.

Darwin French Doctor Erasmus Darwin French (1822–1902)Mary Ellen SnodgrassFrench, Erasmus Darwin (1822–1902)in ''Settlers of the American West: The Lives of 231 Notable Pioneers'', McFarland, 2015. Page 61. was an American man of adventure. He was born N ...

discovered gold at the site in 1860. The place was named Granite Springs in 1860. The name Coso comes from the Coso people, local Native Americans. There are at least three places named Coso in Inyo County. This settlement is sometimes known as Old Coso and is located southwest of

Darwin, California Darwin is an unincorporated mining community in Inyo County, California, United States. It is located southeast of Keeler, at an elevation of . The population was 43 at the 2010 census, down from 54 at the 2000 census. History It is named a ...

. There is also Coso Junction, located on US 395. South of Coso Junction is the rail siding of Coso.

References

Former settlements in Inyo County, California History of the Mojave Desert region Ghost towns in Inyo County, California Populated places established in 1860 {{InyoCountyCA-geo-stub