Kern County CA Archives History - Books .....Kern County Comes Into Existence 1934
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Book Title: Where Rolls The Kern

CHAPTER VII. 
Kern County Comes Into Existence.

   THE outbreak of the Civil War found things booming in the
Quartzburg-Kernville district; and if the names of some of the mines are to be
taken as a criterion, there was more than a small sprinkling of Southern
sympathizers in the locality. For instance, there was the Jeff Davis, the
Beauregard, the Bull Run, the Urbana (the latter named after a town in
Virginia), and the Lady Belle. The latter was among the richest mines in the
district, being the source of great quantities of exceedingly rich ore.

   As a matter of fact, it is a matter of record that the region had its full
quota of those in sympathy with the cause of the Southern States, and this
latter fact is quite likely responsible in a measure at least for attracting to
the district one who was to become a figure of some prominence in the affairs of
the locality for a brief time at least.

   Reference is made to Asbury Harpending, a California pioneer, miner and
adventurer, who in 1913 was the author of a book entitled “The Great Diamond
Hoax and Other Stories”. This work was published in 1915, and in it Harpending
devotes a chapter to the founding of Kern County and its first county seat—
Havilah, In this chapter he lays claim to being the father of both Kern County
and the town of Havilah. His claims should no doubt be discounted to some
extent, but he unquestionably played a role of some prominence in both instances.

   According to Harpending's own story, he was found guilty of plotting against
the Federal Government, at a trial in San Francisco, and was given a ten-year
sentence. Soon, however he was released. He had met with success in his mining
ventures, and had been quite well to do financially; but his defense had wiped
out his fortune, and his release found him penniless.

   Soon after he gained his liberty a group of friends advised him that plans
were being made to rearrest him, presented him with a purse of $300, and advised
him to hie himself to parts unknown. Coming Southward as far as Gilroy, with no
particular destination in mind, he met a friend who was bound for Kernville to
inspect the Big Blue Mine. The friend invited Harpending to join him on the trip.

   Upon his arrival in Kernville, Harpending was pleased to find others
possessing his political views, and concluded to remain until his Northern
troubles "blew over" a little. Being mining-minded he concluded to do a little
prospecting, and drifted down into what was to become the Clear Creek Mining
District, and where there was soon to rise a town that was destined to rob
Kernville of the title of the metropolis of the Kern district, and that was to
become the seat of government of a new county, soon to be formed.

   The first discovery of which there is any record was made in the Clear Creek
district in 1864. In his book, Harpending leaves the impression that he made the
original discovery, and states that he was the founder of the town of Havilah
that arose immediately in the wake of the discovery.

   Wallace M. Morgan, in his history of Kern County, published in 1914, says
that "It is a recorded fact that Benjamin T. Mitchell, Alexander Reid, George
McKay and Dr. C. De La Borda, 'the French Doctor,' composed the discovery
party—but Harpending had the honor of naming the new camp."

   He selected the name Havilah. obtaining his inspiration from the Old
Testament—Genesis ii: 11: "Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of
Havilah, where there is gold."

   Truly, Havilah was in a land of gold, and plenty of it. The last of June or
the first of July, 1864, is the date of the town's birth.

   In his book, Harpending takes full credit for laying out the townsite and
says that lots found a ready sale, lots on the main street bringing twenty
dollars a front foot. An "eye witness" told the writer some years ago that he
saw main street lots bring as high as fifty dollars a front foot, with a ready
demand. However, that could have been after Harpending's departure, for he tells
us that he promptly sold all his town lots and mining claims and landed in San
Francisco before the close of 1865 with $800,000 in cash as a sole result of his
visit to the Kern country.

   He further states that in the Spring of the following year he went to
Sacramento and worked for legislation to create the county of Kern, and in so
many words proclaims himself "the father of Kern County."

   Although he had no further financial interests in the region, it is quite
likely that he worked faithfully and effectively toward the creation of the
county, but it would appear that if the honor of being the "Father of Kern
County" is to be bestowed on any one man, that man would be Colonel Thomas
Baker, for it was he who made the first official move for such a county away
back in 1855. Whether this point is of great importance or not, the fact remains
that by legislative enactment Kern County was officially created April 2, 1866.

   In the meantime, Havilah grew with the mushroom-like characteristics of a
mining camp, and was not long in obtaining a commercial dominance over its older
rivals, Keysville, Quartzburg and Kernville. For nearly eight years it held sway
as the metropolis of the new county of Kern.

   Not only was Havilah an important town; the Clear Creek Mining District, of
which it was the center, justly gained and maintained prominence as a rich
mining area.

   In October of the discovery year—1864— LaBorde & Gouglat are reported to have
sold their claims for $50,000. Many similar sales were reported; but there was
more to Havilah and Clear Creek than claim selling. The mines produced rich
rewards. In 1867 there were twenty-five stamp mills operating in the
district—most of them in Havilah and Clear Creek. The shallow workings produced
liberally of free milling ores, but in the deeper diggings rebellious ores were
encountered, which made profitable mining difficult with the recovery methods
employed in that day and age.

   The Clear Creek District continued as one of the State's important gold
producing localities for some time to come, and the town profited as the
commercial center of such a district, and from its position as county seat of
the newly formed county. When the county was finally created, Havilah held such
dominance that it had no rival for the honor of being the seat of county
government.

   Over a period of ten or twelve years, extending back before, and beyond the
time of the creation of the county, other gold mining districts of more than
passing importance came into existence. Most of them faded from the picture, to
be revived at irregular intervals through the following years, and even at this
late day some of them are showing new signs of life as a result of the recent
government increase in the price of virgin gold.

   Among these early day districts were Long Tom, Greenhorn, Sageland, Piute,
Claraville, Tehachapi, White River and others. They all played their part in
their day, and many are the tales that could be told about the generous manner
in which they gave up their riches to the hardy pioneers who prospected and
later mined them.

   The legislative act creating Kern County was officially approved April
2,1866, with the following sections:

   SECTION 1.—There shall be formed out of portions of Tulare and Los Angeles
Counties, a new county to be called Kern.

   SECTION 2.—The boundaries of Kern County shall be as follows:

   Commencing at point on the western boundary line of Tulare County, two miles
due south of the Sixth Standard south of the Mount Diablo Base Line, thence due
east to the western boundary of Inyo County; thence southerly and easterly
following the western boundary to Inyo County and northern boundary to Los
Angeles County; thence south along the eastern boundary of said coutny to the
line between Townships Eight and Nine, north of the San Bernardino Base Line;
thence due west to the Tulare County line; thence southerly along said Tulare
County, thence northerly following along the western boundary of the said county
to the point of beginning.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Where Rolls the Kern

A History of Kern County, California
By Herbert G. Comfort

MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA:
The ENTERPRISE Press
1934

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/kern/history/1934/whererol/kerncoun273nms.txt

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