Kernville (also, Whiskey Flat, Rogersville and Williamsburg) is a former settlement in the

Kern River Valley The Kern River Valley is a valley and region of the Southern Sierra Nevada, in Kern County, California. History The valley was inhabited for millennia by the indigenous Tübatulabal and Kawaiisu people, and various bedrock mortar and pictograph ...

of the Sierra Nevada, in

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Established in 1858 as a gold camp, the town was renamed Kernville in 1864. It lay at an elevation of 2,575 feet (785 m) near the present-day town of Wofford Heights. Most of the town was dismantled or relocated to higher ground by the time it was fully submerged under the

Lake Isabella Lake Isabella also called Isabella Lake, is a reservoir in Kern County, California, United States created by the earthen Isabella Dam. It was formed in 1953 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Kern River at the junction of its two f ...

reservoir in 1954. Some building foundations are visible when lake levels are low.

History

An 1858 gold rush, caused by the discovery of the Big Blue Mine nearby, led to the formation of a town on the flats along the

Kern River The Kern River, previously Rio de San Felipe, later La Porciuncula, is an Endangered, Wild and Scenic river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield ...

. Briefly called Rogersville (after the man who first found gold in the area while chasing his mule) and Williamsburg, it was renamed Whiskey Flat in 1863 after a saloon opened in the previously "dry" town. The post office formerly at Keysville was moved to Kernville and operated there from 1868 to 1951, when service was moved to the new Kernville. Hollywood producers shot many films, mostly

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

s in the town. The original townsite is now registered as

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#132.

References

Destroyed towns Former settlements in Kern County, California Kern River Valley History of Kern County, California California Historical Landmarks Submerged settlements in the United States Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States) Populated places established in 1858 Populated places disestablished in 1954 1858 establishments in California 1954 disestablishments in California {{KernCountyCA-geo-stub

History

See also

References