Bakersfield: A History of the 1952 Earthquake
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- It has been 68 years since an earthquake shook Bakersfield on the afternoon of August 22, 1952. Measuring 5.8 it was an aftershock of the 7.5 quake that did major damage to Arvin, Tehachapi and the railroad around Bealeville (which I did a piece on and will link below) on July 21st. The July shaker weakened many structures in Bakersfield and before anything could be done the August quake finished things off.
In this video I will do a tour of some of the structures that were damaged or destroyed and some that survived, essentially intact, and share some of the photos from before and after the quake and what it looks like now.
So join me for some of Bakersfield's history.
July Quake • Railroad Damage From 1...
Truxtun & Chester GPS 35d 22' 24"N 119d 01' 07"W
Fun tour of my old hometown, born there in 1958 lived there until I was 15
Awesome job thanks for posting love the history of your town love Bakersfield 👍🏼🇺🇸👏🏼
Well done! Thank you for sharing the information.
I can remember the '52 Bakersfield quake very well. We were having an early dinner at Bill Lee's Bamboo Chop Sticks at 18th and M street at the time. A few buildings came down, but more had to later be demolished because of damage. My Grammer school, Williams School was one of them.
The new fairgrounds on P St was finished in 1952. And many city/County offices were temporarily moved there.
Thanks for the tour
We just moved to Bakersfield last yr. I loved knowing the history where we live now. Thanks for filming right in front of our home.
My pleasure! I hope you take the time to check out all the other local and regional history pieces I have done. Check out the "History" playlist! Thanks for checking it out!
I was two years old and in my crib in Oildale when the quake started. My parents said that they kept running back and forth trying to catch the crib as it was on wheels and kept scooting back and forth as the quake went on.
I really enjoyed this video, VERY interesting. Love 2 hear bout things like this😊
I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for checking out my channel!
You need to do a video about East Bakersfield, (AKA Old Town Kern), and how it came to be. Hint, look at a street map of Bakersfield, and note the angle of the streets east of Union from California north to Bernard.
I really appreciate your comments on the fine architecture !!!!
Great video and much enjoyed!! Kinda funny in the timing of me coming across this vid - it's only 4 days from the ^70^ year mark of the quake....(incidentally, I wasn't even aware of this event)...glad to have crossed paths with your informative vid!
I'm glad you liked it. Here are the links to my "History" and "Railroad History" playlists. Mostly local stuff. Thanks for checking it out, and I hope you subscribed!
ua-cam.com/play/PL6ge3Roxmyvoy7MZv6Z8Lks_QmeqTwh9J.html
ua-cam.com/play/PL6ge3Roxmyvr7l2xDILlQzG_golEHBkQt.html
Thanks for the video I owned a skateshop on 20th & chester for almost 20years some off the basements connected I remember walking from nile theater to a a building on 19th and chester I heard it was for the Chinese laborers
basements were built for storage as stores had no room inside. Aisles in stores were too narrow to move stock through so they built freight elevators in the sidewalks (many of the doors are still in the sidewalks downtown) and built the tunnels to connect the basements of businesses so they didn't have to go up and down at every business. Thanks for checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan true my store had the big metal doors with a hand crank elevator but believe me there's tunnels that connects all over downtown
First earthquake I remember experiencing, I was 13 living in brick apartment building (built in the ‘teens) and it shook the hell out of that building in Los Angeles. KTLA was on the scene within a couple of hours.
Stan chambers the ktla earthquake newsguy
I was there in the Green Frog Market when one hit in 1952. Not sure if it was the big one or the big aftershock. One of them was at night and I still remember the terror. I was 4 years old. Brother Skip was in an alley and jumped in a dumpster and pulled the lid closed as the bricks were falling. Another brother that was with him was grabbed by a man and thrown into a car. Terrifying time.
Thanks for the tour. It's nice to see some of the history.
Thank you for this video history on Bakersfield! Great job! My mom’s family goes back to the natives who once roamed the area. She was born in 1925 and had many memories of the quake and historic downtown. She would have LOVED your video! Thank you!
My parents were married here in Bakersfield in 1952 .Mom had always joked that when she got married the church would fall down. THEY left on their honeymoon ,a FEW days later the quake hit and the church collapsed.!!!
That’s crazy
That's eerie
Very cool video; thanks for posting. I used to ride the Santa Fe passenger train between Amarillo, TX and Bakersfield, CA a lot as a kid. I was looking up where one of the old car dealerships were once. It was a brand that isn't around anymore. Maybe Hudson, or Tucker, I think. The address is now part of the hospital buildings. I always liked looking at the Bakersfield buildings when I lived there.
My dad was born in chidress Texas than moved to Amarillo then moved to Bakersfield when he was 18 lived here untill he passed in 2014. He was 89 I still have family in Amarillo
Thanks Mark, my father & his parents were in the family car in Oildale when the quake hit. Just a tremor where they were. They drove toward downtown, saw the damage & were stunned. My dad was 15/16 at the time.
I so wish an effort would be made to save SP depot. My dad worked there.
Awesome video of the Bakersfield earthquake Mark! Love the history and historical pics too. Stay safe man, so sad about the fires out there and all the people affected by it.
Thank you. Yes, the fires, their destruction and their effects on the state's air are horrible. Praying for a summer rain!
@@MarkClayMcGowan
Hi Sir, i was wondering if you know where I can get pictures of my old neighborhood, Rexland Acres, on south Union area,
Thanks
Would love to see the history of Hart Park in its heyday. I understand it used to have a water park.
It used to have Waterslides, a small train and an amusement park. That's a good idea though. I'll have to do some research and try to find some pix of it all.
@@MarkClayMcGowan; and there were small boats, almost like a small Disney ride.
Good job Mark! I learned not just a few things of Kern County history.
Wow ran across them Looking for something else. Awesome.
I was in the Coalinga Ca. Where I was raised Leveled our dtowntown
Hi, Barbara!
This reminds me of some of the damage that was done during The Long Beach Earthquake of 1933 in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The main courthouse in Los Angeles was damaged the same way.
Mark you're killing it keep it up
Thanks! Stay tuned and thanks for checking it out!
Congrats to colonel Baker ! Had a great field!
The clock tower also has none of the original building material it is just a decent replica
Sam Lynn ballpark in the Kern County Museum was once part of the fairground if you going to museum there still a old exhibit building stands in the museum that was once the Kern County Fairground the Kern County Fairgrounds move to its new location in 1952 the same year as the earthquake the last fair that was held at the old location was 1951 I have a map that shows Chester Avenue and the old Fairground if you have visited the Kern County Fairground a display of vintage items in the exhibit building other Kern County Fair
Thank you for history. Years ago, I was in California during a couple of tremors. One I was in some Navy barracks (Mare Island Vallejo) on the third floor. Very scary. The other I was in a movie theater. Very scary. I really, really respect mother nature. When she gets pissed ... I run and I will not live in California ever again :) I liked your shots from your earlier video of the RR tunnel after a quake. I'm glad that they can save some of the old 1920's through 1950's architecture. Classic/art deco they call it? Train station architecture is very cool. To bad they cant just build new buildings with the newest earth quake codes and make them look 1920 -1950. To each their own. Hope surgery works for you. Health and safety to your family.
Thank you for the kind words. It's funny that I've lived here all my life and have never been in a major quake.
If you want to see brand new construction made to look like something 200 years old go to Beijing China. Just don't go when there's going to be an earthquake it's it's not well Constructed. If you want to see something absolutely terrifying look for tofu drags Bridge constructions in China you will be horrified . Bridges collapsed so often the people aren't even surprised .
There was a woman, last name Ledbetter, (which is my maiden name) killed I believe in a clothing store called Lerner's. My Grandmother that lived in Long Beach and heard on the news and freaked because she thought it was my Mom. I posted this before watching this video. I just googled and her name was Edna Ledbetter 26years old.
I knew that lady, she lived in McFarland. I was eleven at that time.
my parents knew some Ledbetters
The Kern County Fair was first held at its current location in 1952, same year as the earthquake.
Thank you for the info! Maybe I'll do a fair history down the road sometime!
Thanks for checking it out!
Nice history lesson.
I was born on the 50th Anniversary
Hope it won't be repeated. We have several apartments for rent in Bakersfield Californina. Those who are watching this and are looking, you know what to do.
After the quake local building ordinances were enacted that require masonry buildings to be reinforced when built and many other quake resistant codes. It's only a matter of time before one hits here but I'm 61 and have never been in a major quake.
All of California is criss crossed with faults, so it's not just Bakersfield that's at risk. Ever hear of the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake? Or the 1994 Northridge Earthquake? I could name dozen's more, but you get the point. Oh yea, and then there was that little shake in Frisco in 1906, I'm sure you've heard of that.
I'm sure the modernist architecture looked great in the 50's but damn if it ain't ugly now. Maybe it's time for another quake.
The first viewing from Belarus!
Greetings fellow international railroad fan! Bet you guys have some cool railroad action!
Awesome! I love to see folks from around the world enjoying my channel. Stay tuned, there's plenty more to come!
My mother was 12 when the 1952 earthquake hit. She hated them after that. Interesting video.
Melborp eht si ftw lrig yllaer
can this happen again?
Oh Yes. It's not a matter of if, but of when!
All of California is criss crossed with faults. The "Big One" could happen at any time, but not to worry. You have a MUCH larger being hurt or killed in a car crash than an Earth Quake. Large California Earth Quakes are few and far between, but car crashes happen every day.
Good job but the wish you would have mentioned the General Hospital. It had significant meaning to my wife. Her father was in it at the time.
Dixie Sanders, my mom and dear friend operated the little store across the street from Kern General. I was only 4 but I remember the big wrecking ball tearing the hospital down.