Keyesville (formerly, Keysville and Hogeye) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It is located west of

Lake Isabella Lake Isabella also called Isabella Lake, is a reservoir in Kern County, California, United States created by the earthen Isabella Dam. It was formed in 1953 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Kern River at the junction of its two f ...

and the

Kern River Valley The Kern River Valley is a valley and region of the Southern Sierra Nevada, in Kern County, California. History The valley was inhabited for millennia by the indigenous Tübatulabal and Kawaiisu people, and various bedrock mortar and pictograph ...

, at an elevation of . Keyesville, founded in 1854 is named for Richard M. Keyes, whose discovery of gold in 1853 started the

Kern River Gold Rush KERN (1180 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Wasco-Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General Media. The radio studios and offices are in the American General Med ...

History

Keyesville townsite has been privately held since the 1890's. Gold was discovered here in 1853 and the town became a gold hub of Southern California. Still located on the site are the original Post Office, Gold Assayer's office, Merchantile Building, Blacksmith Shop, and one of the brothels. A petition to the commander of Camp Babbitt about the depredations of the local Native Americans led to the Keyesville Massacre nearby on 19 April 1863. The community is registered as

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#98.

Natural history

Keyesville lies in the lower elevation

Greenhorn Mountains The Greenhorn Mountains are a mountain range of the Southern Sierra Nevada, in California. They are protected within the Sequoia National Forest. Geography The range is located in eastern Kern County and Tulare County. They are east of the San ...

. There are scattered trees and brushy

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranea ...

slopes surrounding it. A number of

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...

s are in evidence in this part of the Greenhorn Mountains, including the yellow mariposa lily, ''

Calochortus luteus ''Calochortus luteus'', the yellow mariposa lily, is a mariposa lily endemic to California. Description The primarily bright deep yellow flower is 3–5 cm across and perianth bulb-shaped, lined red-brown inside, often also with central re ...

'', which species is at the southern limit of its range within the Greenhorn Mountains.

California Historical Landmark

The California Historical Landmark reads: :''NO. 98 KEYSVILLE - From 1853 until 1870, Keysville was a center of both placer and quartz gold mining. On the knoll just below the townsite may still be seen the outlines of an earthworks fort, built to meet a possible Indian attack in 1863.''Cal California parks Historical Landmarks
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References

Unincorporated communities in Kern County, California Greenhorn Mountains Kern River Valley California Historical Landmarks Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States) Unincorporated communities in California {{KernCountyCA-geo-stub

History

Natural history

California Historical Landmark

See also

References