The Kern River, Kernville, and the Kern Valley were named after artist and topographer Edward M. Kern, who was part of a group of settlers led by Captain Joseph Reddeford Walker in 1845-46. They camped at a fork of two rivers which is now in the middle of Lake Isabella. These two rivers are now the South Fork and North Fork of the Kern. The 1848 gold rush led to the formation of a town called Rogersville, later renamed Whiskey Flat after the introduction of saloons and renamed Kernville in 1861.
The Kern River, Kernville, and the Kern Valley were named after artist and topographer Edward M. Kern, who was part of a group of settlers led by Captain Joseph Reddeford Walker in 1845-46. They camped at a fork of two rivers which is now in the middle of Lake Isabella. These two rivers are now the South Fork and North Fork of the Kern. The 1848 gold rush led to the formation of a town called Rogersville, later renamed Whiskey Flat after the introduction of saloons and renamed Kernville in 1861.
