Martensdale
Vanished settlement · United States
- Abandoned
- unknown
- Founded
- —
- Population
- —
- Coordinates
- 35.500, -119.164
Why it was abandoned
❔ Cause unknown
Open sources don't name a cause. If you know it, add it to Wikidata or Wikipedia.
History
Martensdale was a town settled in Kern County, California, primarily by Mennonites from the Great Plains. The settlement was located near Lerdo, 6 mi (10 km) east of Shafter. In 1909, Henry J. Martens, claiming to own large quantities of land in California, convinced Mennonites to travel to California, where they settled, forming the town of Martensdale in June. Over the next several months, amenities such as a post office, a furniture dealer, and a grocer opened at the site, and houses were built. However, it was discovered in December that Martens did not own most of the land the town was located on, and had failed to make payments on the portion he owned. A number of lawsuits were filed against Martens in early 1910, and he was arrested in Kansas in March but not extradited.