Isabella, California

For the existing community formerly with this name, see Lake Isabella, California.

Isabella
Former settlement
Isabella Location in California
Coordinates: 35°39′20″N 118°27′40″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Kern County
Elevation [1]	2,516 ft (767 m)

Isabella was a town in Kern County, California.^[1] It was located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-northeast of Bodfish,^[2] at an elevation of 2516 feet (767 m).^[1] The site was inundated by Lake Isabella.^[1] In 1953, the U. S. Corps of Engineers built earthen dams across two forks of the Kern River to create the Isabella reservoir, Kern County's largest body of water year round with a surface area of 11,200 acres.

A post office operated at the original site of Isabella from 1896 to 1953, then at the relocated site from 1953 until the name was changed to Lake Isabella in 1957.^[2] The town was founded by Steven Barton in 1893 and named in honor of Queen Isabella of Spain while her name was popular during the 1893 Columbian Exposition.^[2]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Isabella, California
2. Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1050. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.