USA > California > Tulare County > History of Tulare County, California with biographical sketches > Part 44
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The oil spring is situated in the hills that form Antelope Valley. The oil is about the color of tar. It has been run- ning for ages, and the ground for thirty acres is covered at a depth of from two to thirty feet of asphaltum. The oil gath- ers together, and runs down in a little stream which appears like water at a distance, and birds alighting are held fast in the treacherous asphaltum. Hundreds of birds perish annually. Hares and rabbits are also stuck fast in the thick oil. The bones of one grizzly have been found imbedded.
In 1877 several oil companies were formed. One of these was the Visalia Oil and Petroleum Company, which filed articles of incorporation; capital stock, $500,000. Divided in 5,000 shares of $100 each. Directors, J. J. Mack, Spier Jack- son, D. B. James, R. H. Stevens, F. Bacon. President, F. Bacon; Treasurer, J. W. Crowley; Secretary, J. J. Mack. They commenced boring, and evidently meant business. An assessment of twenty cents per share was levied.
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DESCRIPTION OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
Towns and Villages of Kern.
HAVILAH, THE OLD COUNTY SEAT.
THIS old town is situated forty-five miles northeast of Bakersfield, and was once the most important town in the county and the county seat. It is situated on Clear Creek, a small stream tributary to Kern River, which it enters from the south. Its position is inaccessible, it lying in a eleft or defile of the mountains. Its resources are entirely of a min- eral character, and it is the center of a large and richly paying mining region. Havilah is namncd from a place mentioned in Genesis, where a land of gold is for the first time alluded to.
It was in the spring of the year 1864 that Havilah sprang into existence. A number of leads were discovered in the immediate vicinity, and an intense excitement immediately blazed out, of which the Havilah Mines were the focus. Many mills were ereeted, and numerous leads were worked with varying suceess. Times were good; money was abundant. An ephemeral prosperity lingered with Havilah, but the excitement soon subsided and a general decadence of the min- ing interests took place. It was difficult and expensive to get machinery on the ground, and as soon as the croppings were worked out and it became necessary to go deeper, the expenses of excavation and reduetion would no longer tally with the returns.
The town, at its height of prosperity, consisted of two stores, two hotels, two saloons, a butcher shop, blacksmith shop, shoemaker shop, brewery, livery stable, express, and post-office.
The Havilah weekly Courier was printed here in 1857. In January, 1872, the Havilah Miner was issued and edited by De Witt C. Lawrence. The material and staff of this journal moved to Bakersfield in June, 1874, and established itself over Mix' drug store.
KERNVILLE lies sixty miles northeast of Bakersfield. It is quite a thriving place. Near it are a dozen or more important quartz ledges, on many of which extensive mills have been in operation for several years, the yield being handsome. It is now, and has been for a number of years, one of the most flourishing mining towns in the State. The Sumner Mine is the principal, in faet, the only mine that sustained this popu- lous settlement. It is owned by Senator John P. Jones, the bonanza millionaire. The lead was discovered in 1860, but was never properly worked till it fell into the hands of the present
owner. Many other locations were made originally, but these were bought up from time to time till the Sumner Mining Company owned the entire lead for some four miles-as far as it can be traced-and has a U. S. patent for it. It will be seen then that the supply of ore is practically inexhanstible.
J. W. Sumner, of Kernville, was the diseoverer of the mine. He is a pioneer of Kern mines. The Sumner Mine is the most important mining interest ever operated in the county. The mines of this seetion are deseribed more accurately elsewhere. Eight years ago it was deseribed as follows: "About a mile from Kernville, on the river, stands the wonder of the mining world, and that is the new eighty-stamp mill, put up by E. Burke. It is a grand effort of mechanical skill. It is running to its full capacity, night and day. Some improvement on the primitive erusher. To think of eighty stamps and all the numerous pans. The mine is an immense fissure in the earth that yields rieh rock, and an everlasting supply, and will con- tinue to do so for generations to come. It is solely through the efforts of Mr. Burke that this monster mill, that is undoubtedly the best in the world, and this wonderful mine is being developed. It is worked by about 150 men in eight- hour shifts, so that the work goes on without eessation. The populous and thriving town of Kernville has grown up, and is almost entirely dependent upon the operation of this mine."
The town of Kernville is situated on a bench of the north fork of Kern River. There are some pretty neat little resi- dences on the outskirts, and the town has the eompaet, busi- ness-like appearance of a populous and thriving mining town. There are some five or six stores, several of them carrying large stoeks and doing an extensive general business, three hotels, four saloons, a fine brewery, two livery stables, a wagon-making shop, two blacksmith shops, a barber shop, two buteher shops, a shoemaker shop, express and post-offices.
ALVIN FAY is an attorney-at-law, prepared to attend to any business intrusted to his eare, in the mines or elsewhere. He is also Notary Publie.
Other branches of business. not here enumerated, are also represented. At the mines there are miner's boarding- houses and saloons that may properly be elassed as belonging to Kernville.
VIEWS OF KERNVILLE.
On another page will be found three views of Kernville's business places and residences.
THE KERNVILLE HOUSE, the leading hotel of the place, is kept by N. P. Peterson. Here travelers find ample accommoda- tions at reasonable rates. He is familiar with the surround- ing country and can give full particulars of the neighborhood, and of the location of mines to strangers.
THE KERNVILLE BREWERY forms another of the illustrations of this town. In front on the street is the saloon, and in the rear is a neat brewery building. This is the property of William Cook, who has resided in Kernville for a long time.
R. H. EVANS, one of the Supervisors of the county, resides here in a neat cottage residence, which makes one of our best views. Immediately in the rear of his residence will be seen the tops of mountains that surround the town.
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DESCRIPTION OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
R. H. Evans was born in the town of Berkley, Massachusetts. He attended the public schools until thirteen years of age, then went to the town of Taunton, to learn the trade of calico printing. After working about six months, he found it impos- sible to submit to the abuse of his English boss, who had a great contempt for all things American, and especially for American boys.
He left the print-works and returned home, and after going one year to a private school, taught by Rev. Thomas Andros, of Berkley, returned to Taunton, and learned the trade of machinist and engineer, and continued to follow the business until 1849, when the great gold excitement took so many from their homes to the Pacific Coast.
He sailed from Bristol, Rhode Island, February 19, 1849, in the hark Anne, Capt. William Cobb; came round Cape Horn, stopping at Pernambuco three days, and a week at Valparaiso, and arriving in San Francisco August 29, 1849.
After a few of those exciting days of early times, he started for the southern mines by way of Stockton, and did his first gold digging at Hawkins' Bar, on the Tuolumne River, Sep- tember 12th. Made about two ounces per day until the last of November. The rainy season had set in and the river had overflowed its banks, and he did not know at that date that there was any gold to be found only along the river-courses. So he sold out claims and provisions, of which he had a good supply on hand, at eighty cents a pound, and started for San Francisco to spend the winter.
On the 1st of March he started for the Yuba, with a small stock of merchandise; was ten days going to Marysville, and four or five days more found him located on Long Bar on the Yuba River, in company with H. W. Fales, in the merchandise business. A few months latter he bought out Mr. Fales, he going to Downeyville. Mr. Evans remained on Long and Parks Bar for a number of years, and made money store-keeping and river min- ing. Later he lost considerablein quartz mining at Brown's Val- ley. In 1860 he went to Nevada, and was engaged for two years milling silver ores on the Carson River, at the Merrimac Mill.
The next two years he spent in Aurora, Esmeralda County, as Superintendent of the Wide West and Real Delmonte Min- ing Companies.
While in Aurora, in 1864, he was employed by a mining company, Wm. R. Garrison, President, to go to Chihuahua, Mexico, as Superintendent of the Refugio Mining Company.
He returned to San Francisco in 1866; joined the society of California pioneers; in January, 1867, came to Kern County. The first three years was engaged in milling and mining at the Kern River and Big Blue Mines. The last ten years have been spent in the lumber business.
At the last general election he was elected Supervisor for Dis- trict No. 1, Kern County, on an independent ticket.
He married, June 27, 1881, Miss Sarah Jacques, native of Wisconsin.
GLENNVILLE was at one time a nice little village with two stores, a hotel, saloon, blacksmith shop and school house. Near this place are some good sulphur springs, and the climate is very good, as it never gets over ninety degrees here and the nights are cool. It is located in Linn's Valley.
MOJAVE, 370 miles south from San Francisco, is in the great Mojave Desert, on the eastern side of the mountains. Stages leave this point for Independence, Inyo County, 150 miles distant.
CALIENTE was a town of considerable importance during the time of constructing the railroad, but its glory has faded and its houses have mostly been removed elsewhere. Stages leave this point for Havilah, the former county seat, Kernville and other important towns in the mountains.
SUMNER, the railroad station, is situated about a mile east of Bakersfield. The railroad track runs through the northern part of Bakersfield, and to many it appears strange that the depot should not be located at that point instead of where it is.
An omnibus plies at all hours of the day and night between the two points, affording ample communication for passengers, while freight trucks convey freight. The interests of the two places are so thoroughly identical and so intimately connected that it is impossible to build one up at the expense of the other.
Sumner was laid out by the railroad company in November, 1874. The village lots are all 25x150 feet.
The business part of Sumner now consists of two hotels, two restaurants, six saloons, three stores, a barber shop, a livery and feed stable and blacksmith shop, post, express and telegraph offices. Several neat residences stand north of the track, and some more south and west. The Mexican popula- tion of the valley seem to have chosen the place as a rendezvous, and constitute a large element. It had a newspaper office about 1876, which remained there a short time only.
CHITTENDEN BROS. are the principal merchants. The firm consists of J. E. Chittenden, who was in business first in 1875, and was joined in 1879 by W. A. Chittenden. They are forwarding and commission merchants, hay and grain is bought and sold, shipments of stock and wool are solicited, stock in transit are fed, watered and reloaded with care.
TEHACHEPI is situated in the western part of Tehachepi Val- ley, and contains about three hundred inhabitants. It is known far and wide for the celebrated "loop" in the railroad and lately for the terrible accident on the railroad by which the passenger train escaped and ran down the grade toward Sumner. Part of the cars were overturned, wrecked, and burned, and some twenty persons killed.
ELLIOTT.LITH. 421MONT.ST.
HOME OF F.A. TRACY. 18TH. & M STS. BAKERSFIELD. CAL.
RESIDENCE OF E.H.DUMBLE. 3 MILES NORT OF BAKERSFIELD. CAL.
ELLIOTT. LITH. 421MONT. ST.
.
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DESCRIPTION OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
The "Loop" is a wonderful piece of engineering. The road runs into the ground under the Tehachepi Mountains and after groping along in the dark a little while makes a turn and runs over itself. This forms "The Loop" which is about a mile in circumference. The road after coming out of a tunnel runs around a mountain, and then after a few little eccentricities goes on toward Los Angeles without any further foolishness.
On the line from Caliente to Summit City there are seven- teen tunnels, with innumerable embankments. This has cer- tainly been a great work, and the only wonder to the beholder is that it was not abandoned before it was commenced.
"The Loop" is the only railroad engineering work of this nature in the world where the road is made to "cross itself." It is located midway between Keene and Girard, 340 miles from San Francisco. Length of "Loop" 3,795 feet. Eleva- tions: Lower-at Tunnel 9-2,956 feet; Upper-at grade over Tunnel 9-3,034 feet. Difference in elevation 78 feet.
From Antelope Mountain the observer has a fine view of Buena Vista and Kern Lakes, with the connecting waters, Kern River in the distance, with timber on either side; while beyond is the valley, and still beyond the Coast Range is plainly dis- cernible. Below lies the village of the valley, and at the east end Tehachepi Lake, a beautiful sheet of water when viewed from this place. In the distance is Mount Whitney and sur- rounding peaks.
Tehachepi has a flouring-mill which uses the grain raised in the adjoining valleys. The valleys of this section are Tehach- epi, Cummings, Bears and Brights, all of the land being owned, and most of it fenced. Farming is carried on quite extensively, but the country seems best adapted to grazing.
The marble produced from the ledges has been pronounced to be first-class.
Coal was found near the railroad line, and about ten miles from Tehachepi summit. Two leads were at one time in full operation, one being run by John Funk and another by Anson Cross. The parties claimed that they had found coal.
REMAINS OF AZTEC CIVILIZATION.
In the vicinity of Tehachepi there are numerous and varied remains and evidences of ancient Aztec civilization. There are, on the sides of the hills, running in different directions, well defined aqueducts and ditches. The soil is a firm cement, which does not wash away. Immediately in these ditches there are giant oak trees growing, as large and evidently as old as those of the surrounding forests, showing that the ditches must have been constructed hundreds and perhaps thousands of years ago.
One of these ditches leads to a silver-bearing ledge, on which shafts had been sunk, and from the bottom of which shafts drifts ran in different directions, showing that the aborigines had mined for the precious minerals in the days of old. This old mine was re-discovered by the Narbeau Brothers, known
in the vicinity, who worked for a considerable time in and from the self-same shafts first sunk by the ancient inhabitants of the continent. The lode did not prove as rich as it was hoped it would, and the Narbean Brothers finally abandoned it.
In running a water ditch through this region, Mr. P. D. Green once had occasion to remove a venerable oak tree. In taking away the roots, he observed that immediately under where the tree had stood, the soil was different from the hard cement surrounding-that it partook of the nature of vegetable mould and debris, being very soft and easily pene- trated. Following down, an ancient shaft was easily traced, and on removing the debris was most clearly defined, the walls remaining perpendicular, intact and solid. At the bottom of this shaft the skeleton of a man was found, immediately under- neath, and covered up by a pile of charcoal and ashes, remain- ing from some ancient fire. . The tree growing over this shaft was evidently hundreds of years old, showing that the excava- tion had been made long centuries before the advent of the Spaniards.
BAKERSFIELD, the chief town and county seat, is situated a short distance below where the Kern River emerges from the foot-hills. To the south and west for many miles the beautiful garden of the valley stretches. It is laid out in blocks, with streets intersecting at right angles. Ditches run along the streets, supplying water for irrigation and other purposes. Many use the river water from the ditches, after filtering, and it is considered more wholesome than the surface water found in the wells. A movement is now in progress to supply the village from water-works.
The streets are lined with shade-trees; cottonwood and wil- low, and many eucalypti and locust may be seen. Some neat residences and beautiful gardens may be observed in the west- ern suburbs, where roses and other flowers bloom perennially.
The Methodists have a neat church building in this portion of the town. A commodious town hall, with the upper story de- voted to lodge-rooms for the Masons and Odd Fellows, stands on Chester Avenue. One block south stands the county Court House, erected at a cost of about $35,000; a magnificent pile, commanding a superb view of the surrounding country from the stately observatory that surmounts it.
Opposite, and a block east, the school house is a not inappro- priate companion building, in point of appearance, to its scarcely more imposing neighbor, the Court House. The school house was built at a cost of $6,000, and is at once com- inodious and ornamental-a source of honest pride to the com- munity. It is a fine substantial building, and a credit to any town. The block on which it is situated is surrounded by a neat picket fence.
The business part of the town consists of eight general mer- chandise stores, one furniture store, one book and stationery
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DESCRIPTION OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
store, two jewelry and watchmaking establishments, two bar- ber shops and a bath-house, three hotels, four restaurants, two drug stores, one bank, one butcher shop, two saddler shops, three livery stables, two tinshops, one bakery, eleven saloons, one shoemaker shop, three blacksmith and wagon-making shops, one brewery, three newspapers, post and express offices. Law- yers, doctors, surveyors, and others are plentiful.
A large grist-mill, with latest improvements in machinery, is located in the eastern part of the town, on the banks of the Kern Island Canal, by the waters of which it is driven. It has a planing and grooving attachment connected and driven by the same power, with a lumber-yard attached.
In 1874, the Board of Trustees granted, for the term of ten years, to A. R. Jackson and C. D. Jackson, the exclusive right of way through the streets and alleys of Bakersfield, for street railroads, to connect with the Southern Pacific Railroad at such points as may be acceptable. This road was never con- structed, and a new charter was lately granted to a new com- pany, for that purpose; and, no doubt, before long such a road will be constructed, as it is much needed.
CONTEST OVER TOWN SITE.
Thomas Baker (since dead), from whom the town derived its name, made an application for the swamp land in section 30, township 29, south range 28 east, Mount Diablo base and meridian. In the following year a certificate of purchase was issued to him. Colonel Baker had occupied the section for so ne years before, claiming title to it under a grant from the State, which was finally decided not to include the lands. It was then he made application to the State to purchase it. A town was laid out in the same year, and in the year following a lithograph map of the town was made and filed with the County Recorder. A block of the town was obtained of the grantees of Colonel Baker by the county, and the new Court House was erected upon it.
On the 14th day of December, 1870, W. J. Yoakum made application for the whole of section 30, as swamp land. After some months, his application was sent to the Surveyor-Gener- al's office, and returned without his approval, as the whole of the section was not swamp land. Yoakum had lived much of his time in the town, bought property of Colonel Baker and improved it, and never apparently thought of his claim after- ward till late in the year 1875. About that time the Su- preme Court decided in the case of Edwards vs. Estell, that a County Surveyor could not make an application in his own name. As Baker was County Surveyor at the time his appli- cation was made, under that decision it was void. The County Judge of the county then learned, from the former County Surveyor, of the Yoakum application, and he immediately pro- ceeded to obtain it, and then dividing the interest with the District Attorney and one of the wealthy land-owners residing in San Francisco, inaugurated an attack upon the occupants.
The original survey could not be found, aml to take up and perfect a claim which had so little validity, after a series of years, was no small task. The former Surveyor was induced to draw some red lines around the black ones, in a supposed copy of the survey, which might pass for a correction. It was forwarded to the late Surveyor-General, and by him sent to the District Court of Kern County for a ljustment. One great difficulty in maintaining it was the fact that the law in existence at the time the Yoakum application was made, contained in effect these words: "No application for swamp and overflowed lands in this State shall be made within five miles of the cities of Oakland and San Francisco, and within two miles of any town or village."
As the town was in existence in 1868, and had a map filed prior to the application of Yoakum, the plain supposition was that it was reserved from sale by the State. All one day was spent by the prosecution trying to make out that it was not a town or village. The proof on the part of the defense was that it contained seventeen houses, including two stores, a black- smith shop, a hotel and boarding-house, a livery stable, a feed stable, a printing office, with a weekly paper, and a population of from 200 to 300 persons.
The plaintiffs brought one of the editors of the Gazette, at Sumner, to disprove the defendant's statements. He testified that it was no town at all-that it had about twenty-five peo- ple living in very small houses; that he was editor of the Courier in October, 1870, and the paper had been in existence since the year before, under the management of A. D. Jones; that the paper paid nothing-there was nobody to advertise, etc. He made it out a most contemptible and insignificant place.
On consideration, the editor was gradually compelled to ad- mit the existence of the several buildings which had been mentioned, the stores, etc., the post-office, the mail line, tele- graph and express offices, and finally was asked if, when he first commenced the publication of the Courier in 1870, he remembered giving a long description of the town, the num- ber of its inhabitants, its prominent buildings, and the fact of its being the center of trade for a large and prosperous coun- try, and he said he-be-lieved-he-did.
The decision of the lower court was adverse to the settlers of the town, and caused some commotion. A later decision of the Supreme Court gives them a clear title to their town property, and defeated the thieving scheme of a few land spec- ulators who had planned to deprive the people of their homes, as unfortunately too many of their class have been enabled to do on this coast in times past.
The first house erected in Bakersfield for dwelling purposes was a small building used by the employes of the first and only store in the place. It was afterwards rented to W. S. Adams who used it as a boarding-house. It was then used for
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DESCRIPTION OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
five years as a printing office, and in 1881 was demolished to make room for a commodious dwelling. C. Baker, one of the pioneers of Bakersfield, erected the first brick building in that town fronting Second Street, in 1875.
The village of Bakersfield was incorporated under the general act, and so continued for a while and until it was disincorporated. It is 231 miles from Stockton. It is located in a grove of large cottonwood, sycamore, and willow trees, on the sandy bottom adjacent to Kern River, one mile from railroad at Sumner.
The town does a very large business, and is one of the most active places in the valley. Droughts do not seriously affect its prosperity.
The Episcopal Church was organized in 1878. At a meet- ing held at the residence of S. A. Burnap, Esq., for the pur- pose of forming an Episcopal Church Society, George E. Otis was chosen Chairman, and J. T. Anderson, Secretary.
The Catholic church was erected by Mr. Montgomery, in 1881.
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