Helendale, California

Helendale is an unincorporated community located in San Bernardino County, California, on historic Route 66 west of the Mojave Freeway, between Barstow and Victorville, in the Victor Valley. It includes the Helendale resort community of Silver Lakes.

History

Several Native American tribes lived in the area, namely the Mojave and Serrano. It is believed that the first White man to travel through was the Franciscan priest Francisco Garcés in 1776. He was exploring a route to the missions on the Coast following the Mojave River.

The original name for Helendale was Point of Rocks. There were several early trails and roadways through this area of the Mojave Desert, including the Mojave Trail, which was used by the Indians and Father Garcés, the Spanish Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, the Mormon Trail, et cetera.

After Father Garcés, Jedediah Smith traveled through the Point of Rocks area in 1826 on a fur trapping expedition. In 1844, John C. Fremont and his guide, Kit Carson, traveled through heading east via the Cajon Pass. During the Mexican-American War, in late 1846 or early 1847, the Mormon battalion camped at Point of Rocks on their way to Los Angeles. They were released from the military shortly afterward and part of the battalion returned to Salt Lake City through Point of Rocks.

The first Mormon wagon train traveled through in about 1851. In 1857, Edward Fitzgerald Beale and his camel driver, Hi Jolly, brought a famous caravan through on the way to Wilmington for the Camel Corps. After a few horse ridden mail conveyance companies during the 1850s went out of business, the short-lived Pony Express began its service in the early 1860s and a stone station was built by the river at Point of Rocks. The stagecoach station at Point of Rocks was located west of where the railroad tracks were later put down. In about 1863, the station was burned by Paiute Indians of the Shoshone branch.

The Santa Fe Railroad arrived in the 1880s and built a Point of Rocks station, which provided a watering stop for the steam engine locomotives then moving trains across the High Desert. On December 15, 1897, the name was changed to Helen in honor of Helen A. Wells (born 1885), daughter of railroad executive Arthur G. Wells (1861–1932). On September 22, 1918, the name was changed to Helendale.

Route 66, or National Trails Highway, was paved and officially opened in the Helendale area in 1926. Helendale has a historical marker commemorating the old road that is located 100 yards south of the intersection of Route 66 and Vista Road.

In 1969, construction began on two manmade lakes, North Lake and South Lake, covering approximately 277 acres, and a resort community called Silver Lakes was built at Helendale that opened in the early 1970s. Today, Helendale is sometimes known as "SoBa" short for South Barstow.

The ZIP Code is 92342 and the community is inside area code 760.

Geography

Helendale is located at latitude 34.743°N and longitude -117.324°W.

Elevation: 2,430 feet above sea level.

Public Safety

Law Enforcement is provided by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department out of their Victor Valley Station. Traffic enforcement is provided by the California Highway Patrol. The San Bernardino County Fire Department maintains a full-time station with Paramedics near the Post Office on Helendale Road.

Demographic estimates

The United States does not define a census-designated place called Helendale, but it does define a Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA), 92342. Because Helendale is contained within this Zip Code Tabulation Area, it is possible to obtain Census data from the United States 2000 Census for the area even though data for "Helendale" is unavailable. Note however, that the community is only a part of the entire 92342 ZIP code.

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,936 people and 4,909 households in the ZCTA of 92342. The population was made up of 50.5% males and 49.5% females. The median age was 45.7.

Places of interest

*Cottonwood Park
*Exotic World Burlesque Museum
*Silver Lakes Country Club
*South Lake Park
*Desert Fox airsoft field

External links

* [http://www.hidesertnewsonline.com/ High Desert News]
* [http://www.empirenet.com/richkat/sagebrush1.html California Route 66 History]
* [http://www.desertusa.com/mag03/trails/trails08.html Kit Carson and the Santa Fe Trail]
* [http://www.sbcfire.org/ San Bernardino County Fire]