Elijah Stephens, commonly spelled as Elisha Stevens ( – September 9, 1887) was an American blacksmith and trapper. He was an early settler in California.
Life and career He was born in either South Carolina or Georgia (state). In 1844, he left Council Bluffs, Iowa as the captain of the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains into Alta California. He then moved to Cupertino, California, in 1848. Stevens Creek (then called Cupertino Creek) is named after him.History of the Rengstorff House from
In 1862, Stephens left the area, heading to Kern County in central California. A state historic plaque in that city marks the approximate site of his homestead. Stephens died on September 9, 1887, at the Kern County Hospital in Bakersfield, California. He was buried in Union Cemetery in Bakersfield.
His gravesite was discovered in 2009 by members of the Kern County Genealogical Society.Bakersfield.com On May 1, 2010, the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) California/Nevada Chapter in cooperation with the Kern County Historical Society (KCHS) installed a historical plaque at the gravesite of Elijah Stephens.
Home of Elisha Stevens and California Historical Landmark
The Site of the Home of Elisha Stevens' is a California Historical Landmark number 732. The site is located at the corner of West Columbus and Isla Verde Street in Bakersfield, California. The site became a California State Historical Landmark No. 732 on April 8, 1960.
California State Historical Landmark reads:
See also California Historical Landmarks in Kern County California Historical Landmark
References