1000 B.C__ Tubatulabul
and Kawaiisu Indian tribes occupy the Kern Valley. Descendants still
live
in the area.
1769 _____ The future Kern County came under Spanish rule
1806 _____ "La Porciuncula" name given to present Kern River by Padre Jose
Zalvidea
1830 _____ Ewing Young trapping party, including Kit Carson,
passed through Kern
1834 _____ Joseph Reddeford Walker crossed Southern
Sierra. Walker's Pass later named for him.
1843 _____ Chiles emigrant party
led over Walker's Pass
1844 _____ Second John C. Fremont expedition through
valley, included Carson and Alexis Godey
1845 _____ Third Fremont
expedition. Named Kern River for Edward M. Kern, topographer for party
1848
_____ Kern area became U.S. territory with signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo (Feb. 2)
1849 _____ Passage of Death Valley '49er emigrant parties
through eastern Kern
1853 _____ Gold discovered in Greenhorn Gulch, on
Greenhorn Mountain Town of Keyesville founded.
First
called "Hogeye." Named for Richard Keyes,
discoverer.
Town
of Petersburg founded, named for Peter Gardett, later called "Greenhorn"
1854 _____ Kern's gold excitement began with discovery on Greenhorn Creek
and the Kern River
General
John C. Fremont's fifth expedition passed through Kern via Bird Spring Pass
1855 _____ Gold rush to upper Kern River
area
Thomas
Heston and Company express service began between Keyesville and
Stockton
First
quartz mill in county--at Keyesville, operated by Mr. Lightner
1856 _____
Bull road completed over Greenhorn by William P. Lynn
Keysville
established – Site of the Mammoth and Keys Mines
First
post office in Kern County established at Keyesville (Mar. 11)
1859 _____
First Settlers on South Fork. Town of Weldon named.
1860 _____ Big Blue
Mine discovered by Lovely Rogers
Town
of Whiskey Flat, also called "Williamsburg", established to accommodate
miners
of the Big Blue Mine. Name changed to Kernville in 1864
1861 _____ Onyx
store built by William Scodie
Gold
discovered on Kelso Creek and Piute Mountain
Sinai
[Kelso] Mining District established
Civil
War impacts the Southern Sierra 1861-1865
1862 _____ Kern River flood
destroyed many mining operations
1863 _____ 35 Tubatulabal Indians killed
for alleged cattle stealing in U.S. Army attack on
upper
Kern River near Keyesville (Apr.)
School
established at Kernville
Temporary
U.S. Army "Camp Leonard" established on South Fork of Kern River
for
controlling Indian population
1864 _____ Whiskey Flat renamed "Kernville"
Gold
discovered at Havilah
McFarlane
toll road completed over Greenhorn Mountain
1865 _____ Mead and Clark
Company began stage service between Havilah and Visalia
1866 _____ Rio
Bravo Mining District established
Washington
Mining District established
Piute
Mining District established
Agua
Caliente Mining District established
Dahlonega
Mining District established
Cottonwood
Mining District established
First
county hospital established at Havilah
First
homestead claim filed in county by John and T. O. Fowler, Havilah
Post
office established at Havilah (Jan. 9)
Joe
Walker Mine discovered (Mar.)
Kern
County established. First county seat at Havilah (Apr. 2)
First
election of county officials (July 12)
First
newspaper, "Havilah Courier," began publication (Aug. 18)
Town
of Sageland founded east of the Piute Mountains
First
election in Kern County--on Kelso Creek (Sageland Precinct)
Great
Kern River flood destroyed many homes (Dec.-early 1868)
1868 _____ Public
school established at Kernville (May 5)
Franchise
granted for Cross, Norton and Company Toll Road from Havilah to
Cross
(later Breckenridge) Mountain by county supervisors
1872 _____ Kern Lodge
#202, I.O.O.F. founded (Apr. 26)
1873 _____ County election held to decide
county seat question (Feb. 15)
Water
right granted for Farmers' Canal (Apr. 20)
Pioneer
Canal granted water right (Apr. 26)
Water
right granted to Kern River Water and Irrigating Company for their
Beardsley
Canal (Dec. 2)
1874 _____ County seat moved to Bakersfield from Havilah
(Feb.)
1875 _____ Town of "Caliente" founded. First called "Allen's Camp"
Caliente
school district formed (June 1)
1876 _____ Warren Frazier first man through
the Kern River gorge (Sep.)
1876-77___ Severe drought in area
1877
_____ California Desert Land Act passed by Congress--encouraged further
settlement
and
irrigation
1878 _____ Andrew Brown's flour mill at Kernville began
operation (Sep.)
1883 _____ Kernville fire
1888 _____ Community of
"Onyx" founded. Post office established (Dec. 2)
1892 _____ Post office of
"Bodfish" established, named for George H. Bodfish (June 30)
(renamed "Vaughn" in 1897)
1893 _____
Town of "Isabella" founded. Named for Queen Isabella of Spain. City plat filed
(Jan. 5)
Kern
River flooded Bakersfield (Feb. 10)
President
Benjamin Harrison signed proclamation creating Sierra Forest Reserve,
including
area of Kern County (renamed Sierra National Forest (Feb. 14)
1894 _____
Kern River power transmission line completed to Los Angeles
1897 _____
Early Kern River power plant in operation (Apr. 4)
1898 _____ First
electricity from Power Transit and Light plant in Kern River Canyon
"Dahlonega
Health Resort" established on Kern River
1900 _____ Democrat Hot Springs
resort established on Kern River
1901 _____ Plat filed for town of Caliente
(Mar.)
1905 _____ Start of Kern River canyon highway
1906 _____ Edison
Electric Company's first Kern River canyon power plant “KR-1”
completed (Sep.)
(put
into commission May 15, 1907)
Lindsay
B. Hicks buried alive in construction of Edison Power tunnel near Kern
River.
(Dec. 7) Rescued (Dec. 22)
1909 _____ Caliente destroyed by fire (June 15)
1910 _____ Kern National Forest established by President Taft
1911
_____ Rural electric power service became available
1913 _____ Caliente
flood
1914 _____ Kern River flood (Jan. 25-27)
1915 _____ Unpaved Ridge
Route highway opened (Oct.)
1916 _____ Kern River flood (Jan. 17-19)
1921 _____ Third power plant “KR-3”, near Riverkern completed
1922 _____ Severe winter storm (Jan. 29-30)
1923 _____ Kern County Fish
and Game Protective Association organized
1926 _____ Kern Canyon Highway
completed to Bakersfield
1932 _____ Post office established at "Hobo Hot
Springs" (Feb. 4)
1938 _____ Kernville "News" began publication (Feb. 11)
1941 _____ Kern Valley High School began
1947 _____ Hobo Hot Springs
post office renamed "Miracle Hot Springs" (Nov. 1)
1948 _____ "Wofford
Heights" community founded, named for I. L. Wofford
Groundbreaking
for Isabella Dam held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (May 29)
1948-53___ Structures removed from Kernville and Isabella to make way for
new lake
1951 _____ New Kernville community founded
1952 _____ Town of
"Kernvale" founded just south of the community of Lake Isabella
1953 _____
Isabella Dam completed (Mar.)
1954 _____ First carload of uranium ore from
California is shipped out of the Miracle mine
in
the Kern River Canyon (July 31)
1957 _____ First Whiskey Flat Days
celebration, Kernville
"Kern
Valley News" paper established at Kernville (Aug. 29) (became the "Sun" in Nov.
1959)
1959 _____ Driest year on record-- 1.87" rainfall
1964 _____
First annual Wofford Heights Fall Festival
1966 _____ Severe rainstorm over
Kern River basin (Dec. 2-7) Kernville flooded
1967 _____ Kern Valley
Historical Society established
1969 _____ Silver City Ghost Town started at
Bodfish
1974 _____ New 14-mile freeway section in Kern Canyon opened
1975 _____ Kern River Valley Museum dedicated at Kernville
Historic
Rankin Ranch in Walker Basin featured in bicentennial film
Miracle
Hot Springs burned (Dec. 23)
1977 _____ KVLI, Kern River Valley's first
radio station goes on the air
1982 _____ 1500-acre Kern River Preserve
dedicated near Weldon
1983 _____ Caliente "Fence Post Country Reader" began
publication
Caliente
Creek floods Lamont--$40 million in damage (Mar.)
1985 _____ KKRV,
Kernville, began broadcasts (Nov.)
1990 _____ Kern Valley Museum Opened
???? _____ Not Recorded
2004 _____ “Kern River Courier”
newspaper established at Kernville (Jan 8th) First publication
to
achieve adjudication in Kern County since 1969
2006 _____ Kernville
Resident, Tom Johnson, designer of first commercial kayak, inducted into
Whitewater
Hall of Fame (Nov ?) |
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