First European to Enter the Area of Kern County
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 35° 23.593 W 119° 01.230
11S E 316499 N 3918525
Pedro Fages was the first European to enter the area of Kern County.
Waymark Code: WMJE4W
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/06/2013
Views: 2
Kern County Begins
When European explorers first came to what is now Kern County, it was inhabited predominantly by indigenous peoples known as Chumash, Kawaiisu, Kitanemuk, Serrano, Tubatulabal, and Yokuts.
The Kern County area was first claimed by the Spanish in 1769. Three years later, Pedro Fages became the first European to enter the area. The end of European rule in California occurred when Mexico won their independence from Spain in 1821. Mexico gave California to the United States under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.
Kern County was formed from parts of Los Angeles and Tulare Counties in 1866. At first, only miners were drawn to Kern County's mountains and desert. The many swamps, lakes, and tule reeds in the San Joaquin Valley caused people to consider the area inhospitable and impassable.
This changed when settlers began draining swamp lands and controlling water distribution through canals. Within 10 years, the economic influence of the valley floor surpassed the mining areas, and the county seat was moved from Havilah to Bakersfield in 1874.
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