Come - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

Above: This operative 1910
cable tool drilling rig is symbolic
of the oil industry for which
this area is noted. Wooden derricks
like this one are a thing of
the past in California. Left: A
"make believe" dance hall girl
poses on the staircaseof the
Bella Union Hotel. Accommodations
are upstairs and the barroom
and gambling layout are
on the main floor. Right: Rail
buffs drool over old 2914 which
in 1898 was rated the most
powerful locomotive in the
world. Originally a coal burner
it was converted to oil around
the turn of the century.
30 Desert/April 1979
was a former early-day residence in
McKittrick.
The village grounds have been further
improved by the Dentist Office in its
board and batt completed unit. Al
Kruger of Rosedale was the donor of this
building. The 1899 General Store from
Woody also opened its doors to village
visitors. A gift of the Joseph Weringer
family, this early-day mercantile establishment
was furnished and stocked
through the gifts of many friends and a
score of commercial firms. A pioneer
Barber Shop became a later annex to the
store building. The Weller Ranchhouse
and Tankhouse of the 1880s, given by
the Raymond Stockton family, ended the
list of structures completed during the
year. One other attraction worthy of
mention was the cast iron chain fence
erected across the front of the village.
Many will recall this fence which for
many years bordered the grounds of the
old Bakersfield City Hall.
The next year two further additions arrived
and were placed adjacent to the
ranch house. They were a small barn
made available by the City of Bakersfield
and a windmill from the J. J. Rails ranch
near Caliente.
Starting 1959 with 27 completed units,
the Pioneer Village had considerable