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Isabella, California

Steven Barton founded Isabella, originally known as Barton Junction, in 1886. In 1893, he completed his plans for the township, which he laid out into ninety-eight parcels, and renamed it in honor of Queen Isabella of Spain. Isabella had its own post office, church and school, and a few residents. It was situated on an important route through the Kern River Valley that connected the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley with the Owens Valley, on the eastern side of the Sierras. This route eventually became State Highway 178. Lake Isabella submerged the original town site in 1953, and residents rebuilt the town nearby.