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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Bakersfield in Kern County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal) |
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Southern Pacific Railroad Jail
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By Syd Whittle, November 27, 2009 | |
| | | 1. Southern Pacific Railroad Jail Marker | | |
Inscription.
Approximately 3,000 men labored on railroad construction up and over the Tehachapi Mountains in the 1870s.
It took over three years for the line to be completed through Kern County. As the railroad slowly progressed through the county, settlements sprang up along the track to supply the hungry and thirsty railroad workers. In the fall of 1875, Caliente, a rowdy temporary railhead, was described as “infested with a numerous horde of thieves and robbers, comprising the worst class of hoodlums in the country.”
The railroad sought to alleviate the crime problem with a jail, which could be put on a train car and moved where needed.
This Southern Pacific jail was one of the first buildings donated to the museum in the late 1940s.
Marker is located next to the Bena Depot at Pioneer Village at the Kern County Museum.
Erected by Kern County Museum.
Location. 35° 23.536′ N, 119° 1.26′ W. Marker is in Bakersfield, California, in Kern County. Marker can be reached from Chester Avenue. Click for map. Marker is located near the Bena Depot at Pioneer Village at the Kern County Museum. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3801 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield CA 93301, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. | | | | 
By Syd Whittle, November 27, 2009 | |
| | | 2. Southern Pacific Railroad Jail and Marker | | |
At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Southern Pacific Engine #2914 (a few steps from this marker); Santa Fe Caboose #1323 (within shouting distance of this marker); Railroad Scale House and Telephone Booth (within shouting distance of this marker); Bena Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); Weller House (within shouting distance of this marker); Photographer’s Studio (within shouting distance of this marker); The Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Drug Store (within shouting distance of this marker). Click for a list of all markers in Bakersfield.
Also see . . . Kern County Museum - Railroad Jail. The Kern County Museum website quotes the text on the marker and displays a photo. (Submitted on December 18, 2009, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.)
Additional keywords. Jails |
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By Syd Whittle, November 27, 2009 | |
| | | 3. Railroad Jail and Marker | | |
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By Syd Whittle, November 27, 2009 | |
| | | 4. Interior of the Jail | | |
| | | | | | | 5. Photos Displayed on Marker | Upper Photo:
San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad (later the Santa Fe Railroad) workers build a bridge over the Kern River, circa 1898.
Lower Photo:
Workers repair Tunnel 5 on the Bakersfield to Tehachapi route after a collapse in 1920. | | |
| | | | | | | 6. Photos Displayed on Marker | Upper Photo:
Bakersfield residents celebrate the arrival of the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad in 1898.
Lower Photo:
The railroad depot located in Caliente, circa 1910 | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on December 18, 2009, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. This page has been viewed 862 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 18, 2009, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.
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