18th century Gorman is "one of the oldest continuously used trail and roadside rest stops in California," as the
Native Americans of California "would have stopped there when it was the Tataviam village of '''Kulshra'jek'''" explains
Mountain Communities historian Bonnie Ketterl Kane. The Spanish and Mexican colonial
El Camino Viejo passed through the area en route to
Old Tejon Pass. The route of the
Stockton–Los Angeles Road went through
Tejon Pass after 1852.
19th century The Gorman area was part of
Rancho Los Álamos y Agua Caliente, an 1846 Mexican land grant. The first American settler in the area was a man named Charles Johnson, after 1853. After Johnson's death, his widow, Soledad Girado ran the place, which by 1855 had become known as
Rancho la Viuda (Widow's Station).
Reed's Station A man named Reed took up residence next, calling it '''Reed's Ranch'''. In 1857 a woman was killed on his ranch when the great
Fort Tejon earthquake struck the area and collapsed the roof of his adobe house. Reed then built a substantial log house, which became '''Reed's Station''', on the
Butterfield Overland Mail 1st Division Stations in 1858. A stop for the postal stagecoach, it was located 8 miles southeast of Fort Tejon and 14 miles west of
French John's Station. The
Butterfield Overland Mail ceased in 1861, but was replaced later by the Telegraph Stage Line, which stopped at most of the former stations, including at renamed Gorman's, where the horses were changed. Six of them were used for the pull up
Tejon Pass from Bakersfield to Gorman's. The log "
public house", which furnished food, lodgings, and liquor, soon became known as '''Gorman's Station''' a.k.a. Gorman Station. The 1950 movie "Hi-Jacked" featured location footage shot in Gorman. The 1960 movie
Psycho also briefly featured footage filmed in the township. ;Ridge Route The
Ridge Route road through Gorman was paved in 1919. In 1923, the first
gasoline station in California to be located away from a railroad track was established by
Standard Oil.
21st century In January 2006, the Los Angeles County
Board of Supervisors unanimously rejected a bid by 32 of the area's 75 property owners to give up Gorman so it could be annexed to
Kern County. Reasons cited for the proposal included
red tape and zoning regulations restricting development in Los Angeles County. However, Los Angeles County and opponents of the proposal did not want to lose sales- and occupancy-tax revenue the county collected annually from Gorman businesses. More than a thousand firefighters were assigned to battle the blaze, particularly near the
Pyramid Lake recreation area. The fire was 100% contained on Wednesday, June 26, after burning for 11 days. The cause is under investigation. == Government and infrastructure ==