Page 18 - ahnert_stations_20200101

French John’s Stage Station
GPS: 34.7790, -118.6239 (within a stone’s throw)

The station keeper was John Philburn, who was born in Ireland (listed on the 1860
census) – thus the earlier name of “Irish John’s” as noted in an article in the Los Angeles
Star of June 26, 1858. The article was about Kenyon laying out the trail and selecting the
station sites. Kenyon states, “from the Fort to French John’s, (late Irish John’s) 22 miles.”
Kenyon measured the distances with a viameter (odometer).

Figure 19. The 1860 Census shows the name of “John Philburn” and has his place of birth as Ireland.
The 1863 surveyed General Land Office map shows the location of “John Philburn’s House which
dovetails nicely with the “Irish John’s” in Kenyon’s report.

Figure 20. John Philburn’s (French John’s) House on General Land Office map in
Township 8N, Range 16W, Section 18, surveyed 1855.

18