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Local history
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My dad worked in the oil fields north of Bakersfield at the Italo lease. At certain times of the year he was given time off to rest up, usually a week or so. He liked to go up to Hobo Hot Springs to enjoy the sulfur...
Posted by kaarll
- Tue Jul 8, 2008 16:02:56 PDT
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The drought predicted this year is caused by three years of below average snowfall in the Sierras and scant rainfall the last couple of years. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought emergency.
The most disastrous...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:29:24 PDT
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These photos of the Collings Foundation's historic WWII aircraft were taken by Ron Close. at the Santa Rosa airport recently. The aircraft are on their annual tour of the U.S. The four engined Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" is...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:26:26 PDT
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The Day the Locks were changed at the Buck Owens Studio - Bakersfield, Ca.
Trout's spokesperson, T. Rockwell, spent several hours with Board of Trade Director, Rick Davis, as a small group followed them through the Buck Owens Studios...
Posted by lynender
- Tue May 27, 2008 13:44:25 PDT
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By GEORGE GILBERT LYNCH
Contributing writer
In these times of our booming economy it’s difficult for today’s generation to envision so many destitute families living on the outskirts of Bakersfield, but more than 5000...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue May 20, 2008 11:22:06 PDT
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My book, "Horny Toads and Waspers," is about the adventures of my brother, Sonny and me back in the day's before modern conveniences. I have written about the fun we had and memories we share from another time. Some of...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Fri May 16, 2008 14:59:39 PDT
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On a recent trip down Highway 99, I was quite dismayed to see that the last "Giant Orange" juice and refreshment stand is history. This Orange, north of Madera, was the last of a breed which dotted the highway in the 1950s and...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue May 6, 2008 08:17:36 PDT
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The Native Americans thought of him as an Oracle and although he was only 30 years old they called him "El Viejo", (Old Man), which was an expression of affection.
Francisco Hermenegildo Tomas Garces was a great missionary...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue Apr 29, 2008 15:06:57 PDT
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I TOOK THIS PHOTO ONE DAY AFTER WORK AS THE SUN WAS GETTING LOW IN THE SKY AND USED THE COUNTY OF KERN BUILDING AS A BACKDROP. THE SHADOW FROM THE BUILDING MADE THE FOUNTAIN STAND OUT AS THE SUN'S RAYS REFLECTED IN THE WATER...
Posted by RRINK
- Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:02:54 PDT
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Though forgotten with the passage of time, in the annals of Kern County history, a very tragic accident occurred between a train and truck on the Rosedale Highway.
In March of 1960, at 5:08 p.m, Santa Fe's elegant "San...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Fri Apr 25, 2008 09:02:58 PDT
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Back in early 1964, Sen. Strom Thurmond from South Carolina arrived at Meadows Field. He was campaigning for Sen. Barry Goldwater who was running for president as the Republican nominee at the time.
A very large crowd was...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:36:38 PDT
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I am really enjoying your "Lost Treasures of Bakersfield" postings and blogs. I was raised in Oildale & Bakersfield, late ' 50s & early ' 60s.
Watching the elegant red & silver Santa Fe "San...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Wed Apr 9, 2008 13:55:37 PDT
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I REMEMBER TONY WATERS.
I HAVE A PICTURE OF ME SITTING IN HIS ROASTER I THINK WHEN HE RACED IN HENDERSON, NEV.
IN BAKERSFIELD WHERE I WAS BORN I WOULD SIT ON THE STRIP UNDER THE OLD TOWER.
MY DAD HAROLD HAWTHORNE WOULD GO BEHIND...
Posted by arizboy6
- Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:30:45 PDT
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On April 2, 2008, the Beale Memorial Clock Tower will celebrate it's 104th anniversary.
As the Statue of Liberty is to New York, As the Golden Gate Bridge is to San Francisco, and as the Mission is to...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Mar 24, 2008 17:01:01 PDT
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Home refrigeration, swamp coolers and automatic ice cube makers were a luxury to come in the distant future for Bakersfield's pioneers and the blistering heat of summer was just as it is today. How could they have coped with such extreme...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Mar 24, 2008 17:00:51 PDT
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I am haunted by the gentle countenance of the young Army Air Corps Lieutenant in the old snapshot discovered among my mother’s personal papers after her death. The old photo stirred many memories, but in particular reminded...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Mar 24, 2008 16:32:50 PDT
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In 1874, the city of Bakersfield and the Southern Pacific Railroad had a dispute over how much land the city would be required to donate to the Railroad Company in order to have it's tracks run through town. Bakersfield would not give...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue Mar 11, 2008 16:31:01 PDT
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"Lets have a 'Coney Island', George", dad yelled as he pulled our old Model A Ford off 99 Highway at the little business corner called Famoso. "Whats a Coney Island?", I questioned. Then I saw the big sign at the...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue Mar 4, 2008 17:40:55 PST
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Oh Valentine, my Valentine!
Be my sweetie Valentine!
Always a day of romance and promise, sincere or otherwise, but never more so than in the fourth grade at Horace Mann in Bakersfield. The day when you would know if she really...
Posted by pbowhay
- Thu Feb 7, 2008 17:27:17 PST
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The June, 1949 issue of " Western Construction News Magazine" crowned the US 99 Highway Between Los Angeles and Oakland as "The Worlds Greatest Highway". They based their claim on the fact that the daily...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Fri Feb 1, 2008 17:35:47 PST
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The only thing wrong with Kernville in the 1930s was the road to and from Bakersfield. Spectacular and one of the most beautiful drives in California, it was difficult to appreciate when you were car sick and near death. My...
Posted by pbowhay
- Wed Jan 30, 2008 15:20:03 PST
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One hundred and fourteen years ago, March 22, 1894, a determinded group of Kern County pioneers assembled at the residence of the promanent town doctor, L.S. Rogers and wife, for the purpose of organizing a society of pioneers. The...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Fri Jan 25, 2008 11:14:03 PST
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Early now, in the political season, but even so, there doesn't seem to be much fervor, except of course on CNN. A fair amount of inter party insults, but we can only hope that when we get down -- or up -- to Red vs Blue this...
Posted by pbowhay
- Wed Jan 23, 2008 15:52:24 PST
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Thirty years ago I was a young woman living in north Oildale with my husband and five year old daughter. We rented a small, solid house that was built at the close of WWII. Our front door was made of wood but it was so short that...
Posted by AudreyB
- Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:51:07 PST
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After the fire of July 1889, Bakersfield was in ruins. This image shows the devastation south from the intersection of 19th Street and Chester Avenue.
Images like this are available for purchase from the Kern County Museum. Check...
Posted by sawoodman
- Tue Jan 15, 2008 17:16:13 PST
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Ferguson's Wallpaper and Paint Store at 2021 Chester Avenue, circa 1920
Images like this are available for purchase from the Kern County Museum. Check out the Historic Photos section of the museum's website - www.kcmuseum.org
Posted by sawoodman
- Wed Jan 9, 2008 15:05:11 PST
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Few residents of Kern County remember "The Great 300 Foot Dante Cascading Waterfall" or the "Great Amphitheater", patterned after the Hollywood Bowl only larger. These were designed, planned and site located on the...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Fri Jan 4, 2008 11:38:33 PST
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First Bank of Kern and Quincy Hotel at the northeast corner of Baker and East 21st Streets, circa 1920.
Photos like these are available for purchase from the Kern County Museum. Check out the Historic Photos section of the museum's...
Posted by sawoodman
- Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:32:34 PST
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This photo was donated to the Kern County Museum. It is identified on the back of the photo as being taken by Ray Geere Photography of Bakersfield. If anyone can identify it, please e-mail Jeff Nickell at jenickell@kern.org.
Posted by jeffnickell
- Fri Dec 21, 2007 15:18:42 PST
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On Dec. 20, 1977 I worked for the US Army Center on Chester Ave. We loaned our 6 wheel drive 2 1/2 ton trucks to the National Guard. They used them to patrol south HWY 99. They rescued people, who were stranded, and brought them to...
Posted by SuperChiefK
- Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:12:58 PST
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For those of you old enough, you may remember that the Californian was an afternoon paper back when the dust storm happened. I was an eighth grader in Shafter, and had a paper route in my neighborhood. With a dark orange sky...
Posted by Moonaticman
- Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:07:12 PST
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I remember the day of the dust storm. We lived on Pryor Street off of Olive Drive so we were not as at risk as people in the more open spaces.
Two or three days before the storm, my five-year-old grandson Ryan Walter and I had driven...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Dec 17, 2007 16:17:10 PST
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At the time, I was the weathercaster for KERO-TV Channel 23, which was then the NBC affiliate. I was just hired about ten weeks before for my first television weathercasting job by then General Manager Ray Watson, and News Director...
Posted by wxokie
- Fri Dec 14, 2007 12:51:15 PST
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Christmas is always the most wonderful time of the year and because it is so special, everyone can remember the really great and the not so great Christmases of their lives. I still remember when the Christmas season was made brighter...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Thu Dec 13, 2007 14:20:14 PST
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My bus route followed Highway 58 from Buttonwillow to Enos Lane and north on Enos Lane to Beech Street into Shafter.
Frito Lay had leveled the area where their plant sits now.
It must have been at least a mile or more long on the...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:53:02 PST
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The Dust Storm of 1977 always brings back special memories for me and I can remember it like it was yesterday. You see I was 9 months pregnant and due at any time. At approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon (the day before the dust...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:52:58 PST
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December 20, 1977, I was working in Wasco, California for an attorney, awaiting to be sworn in to the California Bar the following day in Los Angeles.
When the dust store hit and did not subside I knew I would have problems making it...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:52:15 PST
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Our Christmas tradition is this old weather beaten Santa Clause tree top ornament. It has adorned our tree top since Etta and I were married 55 years ago. Our children and grand children have handled it year after year. Each year...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Dec 10, 2007 14:22:56 PST
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The dust storm of December 20 1977 started very early. That morning on my way from Tehachapi to Foothill High School where I taught, the dust clouds and winds were already treacherous. School didn’t last long that day. We sent the...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Dec 10, 2007 14:09:26 PST
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During the dust storm of 1977, a huge pine tree that was uprooted and fell across our steel beams of our carport and we were left with a branch hanging into our ktichen. Since we had invited 40 family and friends for dinner, I just...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Wed Dec 5, 2007 11:53:30 PST
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The Windstorm of 12-20-77. “Oh, I remember it well!” I was a young, twenty-four year old, married mother of two small children. My husband, who worked for PG&E, as a meter reader, had already left for work. I was...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Wed Dec 5, 2007 10:18:56 PST
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I was 10 years old attending Seibert Elementary School on that dusty, dry day in December 1977. My class was scheduled to put on a Christmas show. I remember my parents discussing if I should stay home, but I couldn’t miss the...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Thu Nov 29, 2007 17:35:30 PST
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Henry Harold Wagner was born in Bakersfield in 1930. He happens to be the father of an adopted child - this was recently discovered. He passed away a few months ago and now attempts are being made to find any surviving family...
Posted by DAYTONITE
- Thu Nov 29, 2007 17:34:56 PST
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Bakersfield's Wind Storm
I was a freshman at South High School in 1977. My Mother on seeing the dark sky, all the dust and hearing the wind decided to keep my brother Bob and me home from school that day. Power was out at our...
Posted by markspencer
- Thu Nov 29, 2007 17:33:43 PST
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THE KERN COUNTY DUST STORM OF DECEMBER 20, 1977
BY LORETTA PATTERSON OF BAKERSFIELD, CA
I woke up that morning with a loud roaring of wind blowing around the house. Two of my sons were students at South High and when I saw all the...
Posted by LorettaPatterson
- Thu Nov 29, 2007 17:27:12 PST
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We well remember the Dec. 20, 1977, dust storm. It was my daughter’s 16th birthday so we had special plans to celebrate — then the 100 mph winds “blew” in. No power, of course, but fortunately in my...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Wed Nov 28, 2007 09:21:47 PST
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The article by Leonel Martinez about the great wind and dust storm of 1977, with its 100+ MPH winds and 5-foot visibility brought back memories. Early that same morning, my friend Jim Hartman and I met at Kern City for our weekly round...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Nov 26, 2007 16:35:16 PST
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I was teaching a class at Lakeside School. I had battled my way from Bakersfield that morning, only to find that Lakeside classes were canceled and the Kern County special ed classes probably would be. I couldn’t find out because...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Nov 26, 2007 16:35:05 PST
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The day began like any other day. The alarm went off, I got up and started my daily routine: make breakfast, wake up the boys and get ready for school and work. I dropped my boys off at South High School and went on to my job as a...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Nov 26, 2007 16:34:48 PST
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This photo is of the huge pine tree that was uprooted and fell across our steel beams of our carport and we were left with a branch hanging into our ktichen. Since we had invited 40 family and friends for dinner, I just decorated the...
Posted by citizenjournalist
- Mon Nov 26, 2007 16:33:50 PST
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