 A
former Iowa militia member and former California state
senator, Colonel Thomas Baker, moved into the Kern
Island area to champion the cause of land reclamation.
He settled into a tule-reed thatched log cabin near
present-day Truxtun Avenue and R Street. Baker, who
had experience as a surveyor and was reputed to be
one of the few government officials not corrupted
by big business, was recommended to survey and lay
out the town of Visalia in the late 1850s. He was
also known for his hospitality.
Baker grew
a field of alfalfa, near the modern Amtrak station,
for travelers to feed their horses. Newspapers as
far away as San Francisco advised travelers to visit
Baker's field and use his field of alfalfa to feed
their stock.
 As
more families moved to the area, Baker subsidized
development out of his own pocket. He constructed
public sawmills, helped other pioneers drain their
land, and surveyed the land. Baker was asked to plot
out a new town after a flood of the Kern River rerouted
the river channel to the north. At the founding ceremony
in 1869, residents surprised Baker by naming the town
Bakersfield, in his honor.
Downtown
Bakersfield California is bounded by 24th Street to
the North, F Street to the West, California Avenue
to the South, and Union Avenue to the East. The two
main streets of downtown Bakersfield are Truxtun Avenue
and Chester Avenue. Unlike most downtown areas in
major cities, downtown Bakersfield does not have a
towering skyline, although it has a couple tall buildings
such as the Bank of America Building (10 stories tall),
the Holiday Inn Select Hotel (9 stories tall), and
the Padre Hotel (9 stories tall). Notable attractions
in downtown Bakersfield include Rabobank Arena, the
McMurtrey Aquatic Center, the Padre Hotel, Bakersfield
Museum of Art, the historic Fox Theatre and a nightlife
district centered around 19th Street.
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