More Images Banta, California
Banta is a small unincorporated community in San Joaquin County, California. Originally known as the village of San Joaquin Valley in the 1840s, the town was served by the McCloud Stage Company as the last stop for passengers before heading over the Altamont Pass on the road between Stockton and the Bay Area. The stage stop spawned the Elk Horn Inn, which served thirsty travelers and local farmers. Expanded by owner Ransom Chamberlain in 1853 to include a two-story hotel, restaurant and bar, the inn was renamed "The White House." In 1863, Henry Banta bought the inn from Chamberlain and changed the sign on the awning to read "Banta's White House." Soon, local residents, travelers and teamsters began calling the settlement "Bantas," and the town began appearing on maps and stagecoach schedules under that name. In 1869, Bantas became a whistle stop for freight and passengers on the newly completed Western Pacific Railroad, which later became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Wikipedia