Curiously Named Locales: Dunmovin, California

Photo credit: Elliot Koeppel/Cali49

 On the east side of Sequoia National Park opposite of where I grew up, there was a strangely named little grease spot on the map called Dunmovin. Unlike the ominous nearby location names like Badwater, Furnace Creek or Death Valley, the name Dunmovin seems to imply content, or at the very least finality and acceptance. It conjured up the idea of pioneers as they moved ever westward, having crossed the Great Plains, toiled up passes through the Rockies, struggled through the Great Basin, only to be confronted by another formidable mountain range: the Sierra Nevadas. "This is it, we're done moving," the thirsty and cranky leader might have declared in frustration. But for a lack of imagination, this could have been a contender for the name of what became Salt Lake City. 

The town was originally named Cowan Station, after James Cowan, the Newfoundland homesteader who established it in . It initially served as a freight station for silver ingots that were being transported from the Cerro Gordo Mines to Los Angeles. Later the site of the town was moved to rest alongside US Route 395 where a store, a restaurant and a service station were established. Business was poor and by 1932 they were all closed. In 1936, Charles and Hilda King bought Cowan Station and renamed it Dunmovin. A post office was established from 1938-1941. Around this time, tourist cabins were available for travelers to overnight. Gordon and Ruth Cooper bought Dunmovin in 1961 and operated it until the 1970s saw its permanent closure and eventually its dereliction.

Sources:
Cali49.com
Beyond Nevada Expeditions
Wikipedia: Dunmovin, CA