Devils Den Road is an approximately 6.2-mile dirt highway corridor which exists in the Kettleman Hills of rural Kings County. The Devils Den Road corridor begins as a continuation of Barker Road at the Kern County/Kings County line and extends northeast to 25th Avenue via Avenal Gap.
The Devils Den Road corridor is named after the Devils Den Oil Field which was discovered in 1910. Said oil field was once host to a company town known as "Devils Den" which stood near the junction of modern California State Route 33 and Barker Road. Devils Den Road was once the favored highway over the Kettleman Hills until Legislative Route Number 125 (now California State Route 41) was adopted as State Highway in 1933.
Part 1; the history of Devils Den Road
Devils Den is a formation which is located in northwest Kern County at the eastern flank of Avenal Ridge and the Pyramid Hills. The land which comprises Devils Den can be seen under the ownership of the Aferitz Oil Company on the 1898 Official map of Kern County in Township 25 South, Range 18 East.
During 1910 the Devils Den Oil Field was discovered amid the start of the Westside Oil Boom. A small company town known as "Devils Den" was established along what is now Barker Road to accommodate workers at the oil field. The site was connected to the Lemoore area via a then new roadway constructed through Avenal Gap in the Kettleman Hills to the southern shoreline of Tulare Lake in Kings County. This roadway through Avenal Gap would become what is now known as Devils Den Road.
The Devils Den townsite along Barker Road during the early 1910s after heavy rains (Michael J. Semas collection photo).
Devils Den Road can be seen spanning the Kettleman Hills via Avenal Gap on the 1914 United States Geological Survey map of Lost Hills. In this era there was no north/south roadway crossing the Kettleman Plains.
Devils Den Road and Devils Den both can be seen in detail on the 1917 California State Automobile Association map.
In 1933 the Coalinga-Bakersfield Road would be added to the State Highway System as part of Legislative Route Number 138 from Legislative Route Number 57 in Taft to Legislative Route Number 10 in Coalinga. In the August 1934 California Highways & Public Works this corridor would be announced as part of California State Route 33.
The town of Devils Den can be seen along California State Route 33 (solid red line which is now Barker Road) near the junction of Devils Den Road on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Kern County.
Devils Den Road can be seen as a minor rural highway on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Kings County. The Devils Den Road corridor can be seen contrasted to the winding initial alignment used by California State Route 41 (Legislative Route Number 125) through the Kettleman Hills south of Kettleman City.
The 1943 United States Geological Survey of La Rambla is the first edition to display the modern name of Devils Den Road. The corridor is shown to span from California State Route 33 near Devils Den across Avenal Gap to Lemoore Road. Lemoore Road has been since renamed to 25th Avenue.
During 1946 the Bureau of Land Management would assume control of the Devils Den Oil Field. The agency has since offered access to the oil field for lease via public auctions.
California State Route 33 was rerouted in 1960 onto a bypass of the Devils Den town site. The former alignment through the community would become Barker Road. The then new alignment of California State Route 33 bypassing Devils Den can be seen on the 1961 Division of Highways map. The town would continue to appear on United States Geological survey maps until the 1990s.
The Devils Den Oil Field presently comprises 400 acres. The land was last put up for lease auction by the Bureau of Land Management during May 2015. Currently the oil field has no lease holder.
Part 2; a drive on Devils Den Road
The Kings County variant of Devils Den Road can be reached by following Barker Road north of California State Route 33. The asphalt on Barker Road gives way to dirt as Devils Den Road begins at the Kings County line. A discontinuous segment of Devils Den Road is also signed within Kern County westward from Barker Road south of modern California State Route 33.
Northbound Devils Den Road crosses the Kettleman Hills via Avenal Gap and terminates at 25th Avenue. The entire corridor is a high-quality dirt grade which is regularly used by agricultural trucks transporting product from nearby farmlands.
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