Bell Station, California
Encyclopedia
Bell Station is an unincorporated area
located along State Route 152
between Casa de Fruta
and Pacheco Pass
near the southeast extent of Santa Clara County, California
.
A Department of Transportation (Caltrans) maintenance station used to exist in this area. A California Department of Forestry fire station is west of Bell Station along SR152.
The ZIP Code
is 95020 and the community is inside area code 408
.
street of the same name). It was renamed for Lafayette F. Bell, who had built a saloon at the entrance to a road over Pacheco Pass
. Later, Bell bought the road over Pacheco Pass from Andrew Firebaugh
and began charging a toll for passage. A Bell's Station Post Office was established by the U.S. Postal Service, and was in use from 1873-1914.
Some references say the locale was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail
stagecoach route. The stagecoach route to San Francisco from the American midwest was known to have stops every ten miles or so along its length.
The US Geological Survey latitude and longitude for the locale is given as 37°02′12"N 121°18′39"W. The area is about 350 feet above mean sea level (AMSL).
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
located along State Route 152
California State Route 152
State Route 152 is a state highway that runs near the latitudinal middle of the U.S. state of California from Watsonville to Route 99 southeast of Merced...
between Casa de Fruta
Casa de Fruta
Casa de Fruta is a large roadside attraction located in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County, just west of the Merced County line, in the Pacheco Valley of Northern California, along State Route 152. Casa de Fruta was founded as an orchard by the Bisceglia brothers, who were Italian...
and Pacheco Pass
Pacheco Pass
Pacheco Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass located in the Diablo Range in southeastern Santa Clara County, California. It is the main road over the hills separating the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley....
near the southeast extent of Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
.
A Department of Transportation (Caltrans) maintenance station used to exist in this area. A California Department of Forestry fire station is west of Bell Station along SR152.
The ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 95020 and the community is inside area code 408
Area code 408
North American area code 408 is a telephone area code in California that covers most of Santa Clara County and includes Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, and San Jose. It was created in a 1959 split from area code 415 in a flash-cut...
.
History
The location was originally called Hollenbeck's Station, (possibly after the namesake of the SunnyvaleSunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
street of the same name). It was renamed for Lafayette F. Bell, who had built a saloon at the entrance to a road over Pacheco Pass
Pacheco Pass
Pacheco Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass located in the Diablo Range in southeastern Santa Clara County, California. It is the main road over the hills separating the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley....
. Later, Bell bought the road over Pacheco Pass from Andrew Firebaugh
Firebaugh, California
Firebaugh is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 7,549 at the 2010 census, up from 5,743 as of the 2000 census. ZIP Code for the community is 93622 and the city is located inside area code 559. Firebaugh is located on the west side of the San Joaquin River west...
and began charging a toll for passage. A Bell's Station Post Office was established by the U.S. Postal Service, and was in use from 1873-1914.
Some references say the locale was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
stagecoach route. The stagecoach route to San Francisco from the American midwest was known to have stops every ten miles or so along its length.
Geography
Bell Station is an officially-defined geographic feature of type locale in the National Geographic Names Database. The feature ID number is 218994. The location also appears on the US Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangle "Pacheco Peak, California" and the 1921 "Gilroy Hot Springs, California" 15-minute quadrangle.The US Geological Survey latitude and longitude for the locale is given as 37°02′12"N 121°18′39"W. The area is about 350 feet above mean sea level (AMSL).
