Oildale Tutors Come To You

Along the northern shore of the Kern River, Oildale, California is a suburb of Bakersfield. Simply named Northside at its inception, farmers began coming to the area because of the fertile soil left by frequent Kern River flooding. In the 1870’s the Beardsley Canal was built to irrigate crops and a bridge across the river allowed farmers to ship products south into Bakersfield and eventually to Los Angeles. What had been a quiet and productive agricultural enclave lost its mind with the discovery of oil in 1899. Land that had gone for $2 an acre was now going for $2,000 or more. Called “Oil City” at the time, the area shipped more than 100,000 train carloads of oil in one month, making it the most productive site in America at the time. Population exploded and Wells Fargo Bank sent $100,000 in newly minted gold coins each month from San Francisco to pay oil company employees. With the building of a new Southern Pacific Railroad station in 1912, the name of the town changed again, this time to Waits. Soon enough, a tavern, general store, blacksmith, butcher shop and bakery were established to service the booming oil field population

In 1916, however, a post office was established in the town’s general store with the name Oildale, and so it has remained ever since. Also in 1916, real estate developers opened the area’s first planned housing tract with streets named after presidents such as Lincoln, Washington and Wilson. After World War II a building on Norris Road went incognito as the site where Lockheed produced U2 (not the band) spy planes to fly over the Soviet Union during the Cold War. For one year, the secret plant, code named Unit 800, churned out dozens of the planes for military derring-do. Unfortunately, one of the aircraft fell into Soviet hands in 1960 when Gary Powers crashed and was captured. Luckily, by that time the U.S. was using satellites to peak into Soviet backyards. Today, the building which was once vital to national security is home to Custom Building Products.

It’s certain that an Oildale tutor will get you caught up on your most difficult academic subjects so you can take time to enjoy Oildale, Bakersfield and the surrounding areas. Ever since the coming of migrant farm workers escaping Dust Bowl conditions in the Midwest during the Great Depression, the Bakersfield area has been synonymous with folk and country music. In 1937 one of music’s legendary figures, Merle Haggard, was born to modest means in Oildale. After a tumultuous youth when he was in and out of jail, Haggard became a rising star in country and western music. The release of his anti-hippie anthem “Okie from Muskogee” made a Haggard a hero to many lower and working class Americans. With lyrics like “We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee” and “We still wave old glory down at the courthouse,” Haggard appealed to law abiding citizens who couldn’t understand the restlessness and protests of the Vietnam era. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977 and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1994.

Today, Oildale, is often referred to as “North of the River” with parks run by the NOR Park and Recreation District. North Meadows Park, just a few blocks south of Merle Haggard Drive, has the usual recreational amenities such as athletic fields, basketball courts and playgrounds. Other parks dotted throughout the Oildale area include McCray Park, North Park and Standard Park.