An "unusual name for an unusual place," Tehachapi is actually a Southern Paiute description for the convergence of the Mojave Desert and the wetlands of California's southern Central Valley. In 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad used the Tehachapi Valley to link Northern and Southern California rail lines near the thriving dual communities of Williamsburg and Greenwich. These hamlets were known by the area's ranchers, farmers, loggers, miners, merchants,...