In 1862 , disastrous floods swept away the original settlement founded in 1860 by the German-born Christian Bohna . Among those attracted to the area by the California gold rush was Thomas Baker , a lawyer and former colonel in the militia of Ohio , his home state . Baker moved to the banks of the Kern River in 1863 , at what became known as Baker 's Field , which became a stopover for travelers . By 1870 , with a population of 600 , what is now known as Bakersfield was becoming the principal town in Kern County
disastrous floods
Great Flood of 1862
Bakersfield, California