local history

The first non-native settlers in the Bakersfield area were from Mexico, in the area known as Rio Bravo, or Old Panama.

Archibald Brabazon Sparrow Acheson, the 4th Earl of Gosford, was a member of the British House of Lords and played an important role in the coronation of Edward the VII in 1901. He also owned a large farm near Bakersfield.

Yamato Colony near Livingston was founded by and for Japanese American farmers.

Located near the Grapevine in Kern County, this pueblo became a rancho in the Mexican-era and is the oldest Western settlement in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

County islands are unincorporated areas surrounded by land that is part of an incorporated city. These "islands" often lack city-level infrastructure and services.

James Ben Ali Haggin made a fortune in the Gold Rush, before acquiring a huge swath of Kern County.

Fresno's Azteca Theater was the focal point of Fresno's Latino community in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, hosting Mexico's biggest film stars and a stop on Cesar Chavez's march to Sacramento in 1966.

Moore was born into slavery in Alabama in 1812 and became one of the earliest successful farmers in Fresno County, arriving here in 1853.

Several Central Valley Carnegie library buildings still remain, in cities like Clovis, Hanford, Exeter and Orosi.

Back when Railroad Avenue was U.S. Route 99, downtown merchants funded the archway to help draw motorists to their businesses.