Kern History

The history of American public education is fascinating and it can be seen in the chronicles of our own area’s rich history.

Tales of ghoulish apparitions, creaky houses, and floating spirits are about as prevalent during the month of October as chocolate is on Valentine’s Day. After all, people like to be spooked—that rush of adrenaline is addictive...

In the early days of our fair city, the fire department was comprised of three different companies...

The Roaring ‘20s changed the face of the bustling little oil and farming city known as Bakersfield...

The Bushwhackers, Confederate sympathizers also known as the Mason and Henry Gang, had one stated goal: kill every Union man from Kern County to San Francisco, thereby eliminating any opposition to making California an independent republic...

Gone but not forgotten, this mission-style beauty was once the focal point of Bakersfield...

When I was a grad student, a colleague of mine told me about an interesting theory he had. He believed that as the population of jack rabbits declined during the late 1800s, the incidence of malaria cases in humans increased...

Next year marks 150 years since the beginning of the Civil War, a confrontation that pitted brother against brother, tore families apart, and shook this nation to its very core. The New York newspaper Banner of Liberty prophesied as early as April 1861 that “the Tragedy is about to Begin!”

Kern County has a rich agricultural heritage. Grapes, cotton, and citrus are just some of the popular crops that are shipped out worldwide. Kern County also has a rich heritage in the dairy industry. In 1908, J.G. Stahl wrote about the fruitfulness of the dairy industry in Kern County...