The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1922-03-11
John B.SIater Tells
About California
The Overland Trip South
From San Francisco Has
Much Interest

San Diego, Cal, March 6.-Dear
Examiner: Finishing up the trip
through San Joaquin valley we float
ed Henry along the concrete road
from Fresno to Bakersfield through a
monotony of arid wastes prevailing
for the 106 miles between the two
cities. The elevation above sea
level at Fresno is POI feet and at
Bakersfield Ala, showing an approx
mate rise of a foot to the mile. The
rise from Stockton to Fresno is upon
a steady gradient of a foot and a
half to the mile. How they raise
the water from the river for irri-
cation and get it anywhere below
Fresno | do not know, but above in
the Bakersfield basin, the finest clear
water known is impounded in the
mountains in reservoirs fed by per-
petual SHOWS of the Sierras, OF taken
from perpetually flowing mountain
streams. The parched deserts of %
years ago here have been quickened
by this artificial flow carried in
conduits and distributed to wide
areas. Despite the forbidding ma
ture of the sands, the Bakersfield
basin is land of charm and at
tractive interest to the traveller.
1t is a big country, too. We were
ooox,;xaoI nf thic uhap xua XUnra fold
that the public school superintendent
of Kern county had to travel 10000
miles in his round of visitation to
all the public schools in his juris-
diction. So, we drove into Bakers
field and registered at hotel, the
proprietor of which advertised along
billboards along the highway that his
hostelry provided free garage for
guests; but we found the acre of
garage space all occupied They
need no roof over the garage in this
place for it never rains to hurt. The
area is enclosed with a high wire
fence and a gate marks the entrance.
When we arrived no more auto
standing room was available in this
hotel mans garage, but he rented
us a "stop thief" contraption for 25
cents and we berthed our craft in
the street.
We concluded that the best index
to the country was the city of
Bakersfield. Twenty-Five years ago
it was a small railway station from
which stages operated by Mexican
drivers radiated to the far settle
ments along the foothills where
stockraising and agriculture played
a small and insignificant part. The
town was named for the first set
tier Col. Thomas H. Baker, who
came to the site which was where
the through stage from northern to
southern California crossed the Kern
river at which point he established a
store as early as 1860 and performed
the office of agent for the stages.
Baker was supervisor of the Ere
mont expedition. He died some 25
years ago before he knew positively
that the town would be a perpetual
monument to his name; but his
widow, who has remarked to a man
named Tracy, still lives in the city
in the building of which she perform
ed large part.
Our first impressions of Bakersfield
were obtained by night excursions
along the streets. The city has a
population of $4,000 people, the
streets are broad and we'll lighted,
and imposing public and business
buildings fashioned in stately Cor
inthian patterns of architecture, pre-
senting a striking contrast to the
gopher prairie bungalow effect so
noticeable in the many interior towns
we had seen on the way down. Every
structure seemed new and in its form
reflected lavish expenditure of wealth
in construction. The window effect
in the business district was a de-
light to look upon and one sees
nothing finer anywhere than the dis
plays thus made to the passing
throng by the merchants. The Ii
braries, schools, churches and public
offices find retreat in palaces of
grandeur that grace the city in every
quarter All streets were paved, the
street car system was up to the
time and the people exhibited a snap
and bang in their appearance and
activity that seemed to count for
something. In the many hours we
walked these streets at night we saw
no idlers, and were told that they
had none of the so-called unemployed.
We were told that the reason for
Bakersfield was that of the proven
oil producing territory of the state
two years ago amounting to over
100000 acres, over 60 per cent was