The Discovery Well of Kern River Oilfield is a little known tourist attraction that you can try to find on your next visit to Bakersfield. Most people that live in Bakersfield are unaware of this historic landmark (California State Landmark No. 290). Alas, Chevron has fenced off access to this landmark.

Oil was discovered at 70 feet in 1899 in this first commercial oil well in the region. It's located in the brush on the right side of Round Mountain Road (0.7 miles east of China Grade Loop) as you head east toward that other special attraction, Sharks Tooth Hill.

Kern County has long been known as one of the best places to observe wildflowers. In addition to the old wildflower areas of Kern Canyon, Arvin hills and the Ridge Route is a great, relatively unknown treasure for the Bakersfield tourist known as the Wind Wolves Preserve. This preserve did not exist during our Bakersfield High School days, but it should not be missed in the Spring when wildflowers cover the desert in blue and the hills in gold and yellow. One can view a carpet of blue dick and owl's clover in the plains and poppys, goldfields and fiddlenecks on the hills.

California Historical Landmarks in Kern County