Built at the turn of the 20th century, Buttermilk Road led to the Bishop Creek Drainage and carried miners and supplies to the Wilshire Mine, known today as the Cardinal Mine. Seven miles up the road stood the Wells Diary Ranch, where miners traveling up and down stopped for a cool glass of buttermilk, giving the road its name. The original road remained in use until the mid-1920s, when Edison built a replacement road to supply its facilities up Bishop Creek Canyon.