Established in 1858 by a handful of families who migrated northward through the El Tejon Pass to find a new settlement. Named after an early settler “Colonel Thomas Baker,” who invited a group of travelers to rest in the valley overnight. These weary travelers later met with Baker and rest in Bakersfield.

The town was laid out in 1869 and progressed into a city within only two years having its own telegraph office, two stores, a newspaper, two boarding houses, one doctor, a wagon shop, a harness shop, one attorney, a saloon, and fifty school pupils.

Today, the Bakersfield Centennial Garden and Convention Center is located on the original Colonel Baker's field.