Tecopa, CA

Tecopa is a census-designated place in the Mojave Desert in southeast Inyo County, California, United States. The 2020 census counted 120 residents. Originally occupied by the Koso and Chemehuevi Indians, pioneers began populating what would become the CDP in the late 19th century to support nearby mines. Tecopa is now better known for the natural hot springs in the northern part of the CDP. Tecopa holds an annual firehouse fling in November. Tecopa is hosted by the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District as a way to raise funds for the rural fire department. Historically, Tecopa's economy was based on silver and lead mining. Those mines closed in 1957, by which time retirees were moving to the area to enjoy the hot springs.

ATTRMike Baird from Morro Bay, USA / CC BY 2.0

Tecopa makes sense once you see how its past, landscape, and current gathering spots overlap. The useful thing to know about Tecopa is that its older landmarks and current settings belong to one connected place. In 1976, the U.S. Congress designated the federal lands within the CDP part of the "California Desert Conservation Area" in Title VI, Section 601 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Tecopa is on the east side of the Amargosa Range which lies between the CDP and Death Valley, which was designated a National Park in the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 CDPA.