Bena Depot
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 35° 23.534 W 119° 01.278
11S E 316424 N 3918417
This is one of many historical interpretive signs on the grounds of the Pioneer Village at the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield.
Waymark Code: WMJE3N
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/06/2013
Views: 1
Bena Depot
Situated at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, Kern County was part of a natural corridor for a railroad running between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The Southern Pacific Railroad began laying track southward from San Francisco through the San Joaquin Valley in the 1870s. The Tehachapi Mountains were the last obstacle to finishing the railroad. The steep climb from the valley floor up the mountains was overcome with an engineering marvel known as the Tehachapi Loop, which conquered the ascent by looping the train around and crossing over itself. By 1876, the railroad to Los Angeles was completed.
The Bena Depot was located a few miles west of the Tehachapi Loop. This freight depot also operated as a telegraph station helping to route trains over the Tehachapi Mountains.
The Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads donated the depot to the museum in 1961.