Cholame, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cholame, California
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Jack Ranch Cafe, Cholame, California
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 Cholame, California
Location in California
Cholame, California
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Luis Obispo |
| Elevation | 1,157 ft (353 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes |
93461
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| Area code(s) | 805 |
| GNIS feature ID | 252871 |
Cholame is a small, unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It is a place that does not have its own local government. Cholame is very close to the famous San Andreas Fault, which is a large crack in the Earth's crust.
The community sits about 1,157 feet (353 meters) above sea level. You can reach Cholame by taking California State Route 41, just southwest of where it meets California State Route 46. The area around Cholame does not get much rain. It usually receives only about eight to nine inches (200–230 mm) of rain each year.
History of Cholame
Cholame was first a rancheria for the Salinian Indians. A rancheria was a small Native American settlement.
Rancho Cholame was a large piece of land given by the Mexican government in 1844. In 1867, a man named William Welles Hollister bought this land. He later sold half of it to Robert Edgar Jack in 1869.
Robert Edgar Jack had studied at a school called Maine Wesleyan Seminary. He worked as an accountant for a shipping company in New York City. During the American Civil War, he served in the army. After the war, he moved to California. He became an accountant and secretary for William Hollister.
When Hollister's land was divided, Jack and Hollister bought the Cholame land together. In 1870, Robert Jack married Hollister's daughter, Lucy Ellen. He became a very successful wool grower in Central California. Later, he raised cattle and grew crops. He also helped start the County Bank of San Luis Obispo.
In 1966, the land was sold to the Hearst Corporation. It is still used today as a working cattle ranch.
James Dean's Memorial
On September 30, 1955, the famous actor James Dean was killed in a car accident near Cholame. He was driving his Porsche 550 Spyder. A student from Cal Poly named Donald Turnupseed made a left turn without seeing Dean's car. The accident happened at the crossing of State Highways 41 and 46.
Fifty years later, on the same date in 2005, the State of California honored James Dean. They named the intersection the James Dean Memorial Junction. Many people gathered there and in Cholame to remember the actor. State officials, a member of Dean's family, and many fans were there.
A special memorial for James Dean was built in 1977. It is located near the Jack Ranch Cafe. A retired Japanese businessman named Seita Ohnishi paid for it. He loved Dean's movie East of Eden. The monument is made of shiny stainless steel and surrounds a tree of heaven. It was designed to show both the beauty and the unfinished nature of James Dean's short life.
Gallery
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The James Dean Memorial in central California
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Cholame Hills
See also
In Spanish: Cholame (California) para niños
