Delano Area

Delano's roots began when the first white man came into contact with the Yokuts of the San Joaquin Valley. Further development came as the Southern Pacific Railroad attempted to connect San Francisco with Bakersfield and the rails east. At the end of the track, Delano became a boom town overnight, a shipping center for sheep, cattle, and gold. This collection illustrates the Delano area's history from 1776 to 1930, touching on an 1891 train robbery by the famous outlaws, the Dalton brothers, introducing the reader to the Jack Rabbit King of Kern County, and exploring the kindling pioneer spirit of men and women struggling against the elements to build a life out of the wilderness surrounding Delano. Small neighboring settlements that were influential in Delano's growth and development are also featured here, including Famosa, McFarland, Pond, Alpaugh, Pixley, Terra Bella, Columbine, Richgrove, Ducor, Earlimart, Jasmine, Allensworth, Rag Gulch, California Hot Springs, and Woody.

A resident of Pixley, Dorothy Kasiner works at the Delano Historical Society and Bakersfield College. Using over two hundred photographs from the Historical Society, she has compiled a book that gives readers a picture of Delano's history in vivid detail.