Helendale, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Helendale Silver Lakes
Unincorporated community & census-designated place
Aerial view of Helendale, California
Helendale Location in California Show map of California Helendale Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Bernardino
Elevation	2,430 ft (740 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,317
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	92342
Area code	760

Helendale or Silver Lakes is a small community in California's Mojave Desert. It's located in San Bernardino County, between the cities of Barstow and Victorville.

This area is known for being on historic Route 66. The United States Postal Service (USPS) calls the area Helendale. However, the U.S. Census Bureau refers to it as Silver Lakes. In 2010, the population of Silver Lakes was 5,623 people.

Exploring Helendale's Past

Helendale has a long and interesting history. Many years ago, Native American tribes like the Mojave and Serrano lived here.

Early Explorers and Trails

In 1776, a Franciscan priest named Francisco Garcés was likely the first European to travel through this area. He was looking for a route to the missions along the coast. He followed the Mojave River.

The area was first known as Point of Rocks. Many important trails passed through this part of the Mojave Desert. These included the Mojave Trail, the Spanish Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Mormon Trail.

Later, in 1826, Jedediah Smith traveled through Point of Rocks. He was on a fur trapping trip. In 1844, John C. Frémont and his guide, Kit Carson, also passed through.

Military and Mail Routes

During the Mexican–American War, in 1846 or 1847, the Mormon Battalion camped at Point of Rocks. They were on their way to Los Angeles. After their service, some of them returned to Salt Lake City through Point of Rocks.

The first Mormon wagon train came through around 1851. In 1857, Edward Fitzgerald Beale and his camel driver, Hi Jolly, led a famous caravan of camels through the area. This was for the Camel Corps.

In the early 1860s, the Pony Express started its mail service. A stone station was built by the river at Point of Rocks. This stagecoach station was later burned by Paiute Indians around 1863.

Railroads and Route 66

The Santa Fe Railroad arrived in the 1880s. They built a station at Point of Rocks. This station was a place where steam engines could get water for their trains.

On December 15, 1897, the name of the area was changed to Helen. This was to honor Helen A. Wells, whose father, Arthur G. Wells, was a railroad executive. On September 22, 1918, the name was changed again to Helendale.

Route 66, a famous American road, was paved and opened in the Helendale area in 1926. There is a historical marker in Helendale that remembers this old road. Nearby, you can also find the World War II Helendale Auxiliary Airfield.

Creating Silver Lakes

In 1969, construction began on two man-made lakes. These were called North Lake and South Lake. They cover about 277 acres (1.1 km²). A community called Silver Lakes was built around these lakes. It opened in the early 1970s.

The ZIP Code for the area is 92342. The phone area code is 760.

Understanding Helendale's Location

Helendale is located in a mostly flat part of the Mojave Desert. It's about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Los Angeles. It's also about 180 miles (290 km) southwest of Las Vegas. The elevation of the area is about 2,464 feet (751 m) above sea level.

The community mainly consists of the Silver Lakes resort. This resort is built around the two man-made lakes. Water for these lakes comes from the Mojave River. Even though the river looks dry on the surface, water flows underground.

Area and Water

According to the United States Census Bureau, Helendale covers an area of 5.6 square miles (14.4 km²). Most of this area, 5.2 square miles (13.4 km²), is land. The remaining 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) is water, which makes up about 7.15% of the total area.

Helendale's Weather

Helendale has a desert climate. This means it has cool winters and very hot summers. It also gets very little rainfall.

It's interesting that Helendale often stays dry even when nearby cities like Victorville and Barstow experience flash floods. Because of this, local people used to call the area "The hole in the sky."

Who Lives in Silver Lakes?

In 2010, the population of Silver Lakes was 5,623 people. All of these people lived in homes.

There were 2,238 households in the community. About 29% of these households had children under 18 living there. Many households were married couples living together. Some households had a single parent, and some people lived alone. The average household had about 2.5 people.

Age and Income

The population included people of all ages. About 22.5% of the people were under 18 years old. About 23% of the people were 65 years or older. The average age in Silver Lakes was 46.5 years.

Most homes in Silver Lakes were owned by the people living in them (about 75.9%). The rest were rented.

In 2010, the average household income in Silver Lakes was $67,214. About 12.1% of the population lived below the federal poverty line.

Fun Places to Visit

Helendale and Silver Lakes offer several interesting spots:

• Cottonwood Park
• Silver Lakes Country Club
• South Lake Park
• Desert Fox airsoft field
• Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch
• Caroli Lake Club

See also

In Spanish: Silver Lakes (California) para niños