The herald., 1897-10-10
Bakersfield KERN COUNTY, AND IT'S SURROUNDING country
Destined Ere Long to Be One Of California's
Leading Cities

season In. this section Of the county will
probably be the largest ever known,
owing to the high prices Of those cereals.
Stock raising is also an important in
dustry, fine horses, mules, cattle. sheep,
Shetland pories and goats being spe-
cialty on the famous Stockdale ranch
of William s. Tevis, vice-president of the
Kern County Land company, and on
other large ranches owned by that COM
pany. Feeding and fattening Arizona
and Mexican cattle for the San Fran
cisco and Los Angeles markets is
comparatively recent but rapidly grow
ing industry. The mineral interests are
extensive and growing steadily, as will
be found more freely described else
where.
WATER SUPPLY
The limits of this article will not per-
NIT a detailed description of one of the
largest and most complete irrigation
systems in the world, which is a sur
prise to all who investigate it.
Kern river, a noble stream, which has
its source at Mount Whitney, the lofti-
est peak in the United States, distant
$50 miles northeast from Bakersfield,
furnishes sufficient water to irrigate ev-
cry acre Of land in the county. For 120
miles Kern river runs in the heart of the
Sierras, it's two forks splitting the great
mountain chain parallel with it's trend.
before 1t turns at right angle to break
through the mountains on it's course to
the valley. This gives Kern river ar
immense watershed, aggregating 3445
square miles, and the conf1guration,
moreover, is very favorable for water
storage In the high mountain meadows,
an advantage that will eventually be a
matter of the greatest Importance.
No other river in the state offers such
an excellent opportunity, nor Is there
anywhere else in the state, or the United
States, such a complete and extensive
irrigation system. The water OF the
Kern river is very rich in fertillzfiNg ma
terial and when used for irrigation, sup
plies plant life with those chemical con
the same time the grade Of the surface
stituerts that are the most needed. At
Of the valley is such that 1t is almost an
mpossibility that the water should ever
run so rapidly as to carry away the con-
stituents Of the soil.
Artesian water exists In abundance
In some parts of the valley, notably in
the Union Avenue colony and vicinity,
but 1t is used ony for domestic purposes.
It is about thirty miles from the riv-
er's channel from where it enters the
foothills to the head Of the irrigation
system Of Kern county. The flow for
twenty miles Of this distance is through
high, sandy and gravelly banks. For
the remainder of the distance the banks
are shallow, as they continue TO be from
this point to Buepa Vista Lake reser-
voir. twenty-five miles away.
The point in Kern river which has
been selected as the head Of the irriga-
ton system, and from which the first
canals are takerz, is high enough to COW
er or make lrrigable about 100000 acres
Of land in this delta. This has general
slope Of from five to eight feet to the
mile, to the south and west.
Up to date the total expenditure or
the Kern County Land company's irri-
CATION system amounts to over $4,000, 900.
There are twenty-seven main canals
i'm this system. These have an aggre-
gate length of about 300 miles. There
are more than HOO miles of bitches and
laterals fed from these main canals
This does not include the arms of bitches
used to convey the water to each twen-
ty-acre lot in the colonies.