Kernville (previously 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 (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in Kern County, California, Kern County, California. History The valley was inhabited for millennia by the indigenous Tübatulabal and Kawaiisu peo ...

of the Sierra Nevada, in

Kern County Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County compris ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It lay at an elevation of 2,575 feet (785 m) near the present-day town of Wofford Heights; the site was 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. At , it is one of the larger reservoirs in California. Lake Isabella is located about northeast of Bakersfi ...

reservoir in 1954. The original townsite, parts of which are revealed when the lake is low, is registered as

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

#132.

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 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 The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between ...

. 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.Durham, David L. (1998). ''California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State''. Quill Driver Books. pp. 1055–56. . In 1864 it was renamed again to Kernville. 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.Dowd, Katie (July 16, 2023)
"Ghost town disappears as California lake fills for first time in years"
''SFGate''. The damming of the

to create the Lake Isabella reservoir submerged the town in 1954. Most buildings were dismantled or relocated to higher ground in advance of the lake filling. Some building foundations are visible when lake levels are low. In 2023, the lake refilled completely due to melted snow in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

mountains, once again fully submerging the ghost town.

References

Destroyed populated places Former settlements in Kern County, California Kern River Valley History of Kern County, California California Historical Landmarks Submerged places 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