Lake Hughes, California
Encyclopedia
Lake Hughes is an unincorporated community northwest of Palmdale
and the Santa Clarita Valley
in the Angeles National Forest
on the sag pond waters
of Hughes Lake
and Elizabeth Lake (Los Angeles County, California). The community is agricultural in character, with a population of 649 at the 2010 census, but also has a strong recreational element centered on its four lakes. The town of Lake Elizabeth actually resides within Lake Hughes, sharing the same zip code. They together make the entire town of Lake Hughes.
In 1907 William Mulholland
, superintendent of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
, started work on the Elizabeth Lake Tunnel for transporting water in the Los Angeles Aqueduct
from Owens Valley
to Los Angeles
. Less than a half a mile east of Lake Hughes, the five-mile (8 km)-long tunnel is 285 feet (86.9 m) under the valley floor. The tunnel was driven from both ends. The north portal is at Fairmont Reservoir and the south in Bear Canyon (now Portal Canyon) just off of Green Valley. This 11 feet (3.4 m)-wide tunnel was driven 27000 ft (8,229.6 m). through solid rock and met in the center within 1½ inches in line and 5/8 inches in depth. Work was around the clock and averaged about 11 feet (3.4 m) per day. The Elizabeth Lake tunnel was the largest single construction project on the Los Angeles Aqueduct and set speed records in its day.
C.A. Austin promoted Lake Hughes as a summer resort in 1924.
. Lake Hughes was previously known as West Elizabeth Lake.
(LASD) operates the Palmdale Station in Palmdale
, serving Lake Hughes.
Lake Hughes has its own community Town Council, The Lakes Town Council, which meets twice every month at the Lakes Community Center. The council helps plan community events (such as the yearly 49ers day festival and parade), hosts socials and mixers, and works with Los Angeles County officials on community planning and community standards.
The Ranch Club is a country club and golf course located in Lake Hughes. It has been open for over 60 years. The 8400 square feet (780.4 m²) clubhouse incorporates the historic Frakes homestead which was once a way station along the old stagecoach route.
There are many clubs and associations within the Lake Hughes/Elizabeth Lake Area. The most prominent is the Ranch Club, the town's Country Club and Golf Course. These include the Lakes Women's Club, The Go for Fun Club, Lakes And Valleys Conservancy Group, Lakes & Valleys Art Guild, Fire Safe Council and the Lakes Baseball & Softball Teams.
The Mountain Yodeler is the local newspaper.
Lake Hughes has its own post office, dedicated by President George Herbert Walker Bush in 1989.
Churches include The Lakes Presbyterian Church, The Oaks Christian Retreat and The Saint Elizabeth Mission.
The Rock Inn, Crossroads Tavern and The Greenside Grill are the local restaurants. The Rock Inn was built by Joel Hurd, Sr., in 1927 to 1929, first as a wood structure and then of steel, concrete, and stone after fire destroyed the first attempt. It served as an inn, store, and post office, and it still has gas pumps as evidence of its long history of serving passers-by. The Inn is built of diverse chunks of metamorphic rock, mostly granitic gneiss but with a variety of the other gneisses and perhaps granites. Several of the chunks contain cross-cutting veins reflecting a complex geologic history.
The Painted Turtle
Camp is located in Lake Hughes. It is a camp for chronically and terminally ill children, founded by the actor Paul Newman
in 1999.
was 60.7 people per square mile (23.4/km²). The racial makeup of Lake Hughes was 544 (83.8%) White, 19 (2.9%) African American, 7 (1.1%) Native American, 5 (0.8%) Asian, 1 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 54 (8.3%) from other races
, and 19 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 104 persons (16.0%).
The Census reported that 626 people (96.5% of the population) lived in households, 23 (3.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 300 households, out of which 55 (18.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 114 (38.0%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 26 (8.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 16 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 23 (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 4 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 111 households (37.0%) were made up of individuals and 26 (8.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09. There were 156 families
(52.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.76.
The population was spread out with 105 people (16.2%) under the age of 18, 53 people (8.2%) aged 18 to 24, 143 people (22.0%) aged 25 to 44, 273 people (42.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 75 people (11.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.9 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
There were 400 housing units at an average density of 37.4 per square mile (14.5/km²), of which 175 (58.3%) were owner-occupied, and 125 (41.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%. 381 people (58.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 245 people (37.8%) lived in rental housing units.
and Bakersfield. A wooden structure was built that lasted until it was replaced in the early 1930s by the adobe structure on the east side of Elizabeth Lake Road, a quarter mile north of Andrada Corner (intersection of San Francisquito and Elizabeth Lake Roads). The district's name was changed to Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District
.
purchased a new retreat at Lake Hughes. He named his home the “Sky Haven Ranch” and it is still referred to this today. The home of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
in Lake Hughes, served as an ideal location for their wedding party, where they hosted 600 guests, including Roy’s sisters and parents, who all lived in California at the time.
Cheryl Rogers, the first Rogers child of school age, began 1st grade at Lake Hughes School. The school was a large one-room house “up the school road” (a dirt road) from the trading post, which consisted of the Post Office and a Filling Station.
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
and the Santa Clarita Valley
Santa Clarita Valley
The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant...
in the Angeles National Forest
Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest of the U.S. National Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, southern California. It was established on July 1, 1908, incorporating the first San Bernardino National Forest and parts of the former Santa Barbara and San Gabriel...
on the sag pond waters
Sag pond
A sag pond is a body of water, which forms as water collects in the lowest parts of the depression that forms between two strands of an active strike-slip fault. The relative motion of the two fault strands results in a stretching of the land between them, causing the land between them to...
of Hughes Lake
Hughes Lake (California)
Hughes Lake, referred to before 1924 as West Elizabeth Lake, is a lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault in the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California...
and Elizabeth Lake (Los Angeles County, California). The community is agricultural in character, with a population of 649 at the 2010 census, but also has a strong recreational element centered on its four lakes. The town of Lake Elizabeth actually resides within Lake Hughes, sharing the same zip code. They together make the entire town of Lake Hughes.
History
Lake Hughes was named for Judge Griffith (Patrick) Hughes, who homesteaded the area around the turn of the 20th century. Settlers were drawn to the area because water was more plentiful than in the drier Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys below.In 1907 William Mulholland
William Mulholland
William Mulholland was the head of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, in Los Angeles. He was responsible for building the water aqueducts and dams that allowed the city to grow into one of the largest in the world. His methods of obtaining water for the city led to disputes collectively...
, superintendent of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over four million residents. It was founded in 1902 to supply water and electricity to residents and businesses in Los Angeles and surrounding communities...
, started work on the Elizabeth Lake Tunnel for transporting water in the Los Angeles Aqueduct
Los Angeles Aqueduct
The Los Angeles Aqueduct system comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power...
from Owens Valley
Owens Valley
Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains on the west edge of the Great Basin section...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Less than a half a mile east of Lake Hughes, the five-mile (8 km)-long tunnel is 285 feet (86.9 m) under the valley floor. The tunnel was driven from both ends. The north portal is at Fairmont Reservoir and the south in Bear Canyon (now Portal Canyon) just off of Green Valley. This 11 feet (3.4 m)-wide tunnel was driven 27000 ft (8,229.6 m). through solid rock and met in the center within 1½ inches in line and 5/8 inches in depth. Work was around the clock and averaged about 11 feet (3.4 m) per day. The Elizabeth Lake tunnel was the largest single construction project on the Los Angeles Aqueduct and set speed records in its day.
C.A. Austin promoted Lake Hughes as a summer resort in 1924.
Geography
Lake Hughes is centered on the intersection of Pine Canyon Road and Lake Hughes Road, both of which are county highways, and ends at the Andrade Corner. The community includes four bodies of water — Elizabeth, Munz, Hughes, and Quail lakes. Lakes Hughes and Elizabeth — which in the early days dried up periodically — are in the canyons along the San Andreas FaultSan Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
. Lake Hughes was previously known as West Elizabeth Lake.
Government, Associations and Infrastructure
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's DepartmentLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
(LASD) operates the Palmdale Station in Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
, serving Lake Hughes.
Lake Hughes has its own community Town Council, The Lakes Town Council, which meets twice every month at the Lakes Community Center. The council helps plan community events (such as the yearly 49ers day festival and parade), hosts socials and mixers, and works with Los Angeles County officials on community planning and community standards.
The Ranch Club is a country club and golf course located in Lake Hughes. It has been open for over 60 years. The 8400 square feet (780.4 m²) clubhouse incorporates the historic Frakes homestead which was once a way station along the old stagecoach route.
There are many clubs and associations within the Lake Hughes/Elizabeth Lake Area. The most prominent is the Ranch Club, the town's Country Club and Golf Course. These include the Lakes Women's Club, The Go for Fun Club, Lakes And Valleys Conservancy Group, Lakes & Valleys Art Guild, Fire Safe Council and the Lakes Baseball & Softball Teams.
Local Businesses and Churches
Papas Country Store is the Local Market.The Mountain Yodeler is the local newspaper.
Lake Hughes has its own post office, dedicated by President George Herbert Walker Bush in 1989.
Churches include The Lakes Presbyterian Church, The Oaks Christian Retreat and The Saint Elizabeth Mission.
The Rock Inn, Crossroads Tavern and The Greenside Grill are the local restaurants. The Rock Inn was built by Joel Hurd, Sr., in 1927 to 1929, first as a wood structure and then of steel, concrete, and stone after fire destroyed the first attempt. It served as an inn, store, and post office, and it still has gas pumps as evidence of its long history of serving passers-by. The Inn is built of diverse chunks of metamorphic rock, mostly granitic gneiss but with a variety of the other gneisses and perhaps granites. Several of the chunks contain cross-cutting veins reflecting a complex geologic history.
The Painted Turtle
The Painted Turtle
The Painted Turtle is a camp located near Lake Elizabeth in Lake Hughes, California. The camp is for children who are faced with life threatening and chronic illnesses, Many of these children would not have the opportunity to have a camping experience due to their illness.-History:The Painted...
Camp is located in Lake Hughes. It is a camp for chronically and terminally ill children, founded by the actor Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
in 1999.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Lake Hughes had a population of 649. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 60.7 people per square mile (23.4/km²). The racial makeup of Lake Hughes was 544 (83.8%) White, 19 (2.9%) African American, 7 (1.1%) Native American, 5 (0.8%) Asian, 1 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 54 (8.3%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 19 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 104 persons (16.0%).
The Census reported that 626 people (96.5% of the population) lived in households, 23 (3.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 300 households, out of which 55 (18.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 114 (38.0%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 26 (8.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 16 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 23 (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 4 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 111 households (37.0%) were made up of individuals and 26 (8.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09. There were 156 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(52.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.76.
The population was spread out with 105 people (16.2%) under the age of 18, 53 people (8.2%) aged 18 to 24, 143 people (22.0%) aged 25 to 44, 273 people (42.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 75 people (11.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.9 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
There were 400 housing units at an average density of 37.4 per square mile (14.5/km²), of which 175 (58.3%) were owner-occupied, and 125 (41.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%. 381 people (58.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 245 people (37.8%) lived in rental housing units.
Education
In 1869 the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors designated Elizabeth Lake School District to serve the area. The district school was the only one between Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Bakersfield. A wooden structure was built that lasted until it was replaced in the early 1930s by the adobe structure on the east side of Elizabeth Lake Road, a quarter mile north of Andrada Corner (intersection of San Francisquito and Elizabeth Lake Roads). The district's name was changed to Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District
Union school district
In some U.S. states, a union school district or union high school district is a school district that has been formed by the consolidation of "two or more school districts situated in the same county". A Joint union school district is similar, but the component districts are "situated wholly or in...
.
The Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union Elementary School District is a California Distinguished School and serves Kindergarten through 8th grade students. Children from the communities of Lake Hughes, Elizabeth Lake and Green Valley, as well as parts of Leona Valley and Pine Canyon, make up the student population, which is 81% White, 11% Hispanic and 8% other ethnic groups. The district has an approximate enrollment of 330 students.
Notable residents
In the spring of 1947 Roy RogersRoy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
purchased a new retreat at Lake Hughes. He named his home the “Sky Haven Ranch” and it is still referred to this today. The home of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Dale Evans
Dale Evans, was an American writer, movie star, and singer-songwriter. She was the third wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers.-Early life:...
in Lake Hughes, served as an ideal location for their wedding party, where they hosted 600 guests, including Roy’s sisters and parents, who all lived in California at the time.
Cheryl Rogers, the first Rogers child of school age, began 1st grade at Lake Hughes School. The school was a large one-room house “up the school road” (a dirt road) from the trading post, which consisted of the Post Office and a Filling Station.