Some Oildale updates
Congratulations to The Californian for all the coverage given to Oildale in the Eye Section of the Nov. 1 issue.
However, I must submit a correction to Gerald Haslam's article ("Grateful, unashamed and gritty -- that's us"), referring to the periodic upheavals of independence and a forming of a group called North of the River District Incorporation Committee.
The "group" was known as North of the River Self Government Committee and was very active in October 1963 and had a headquarters at 1910 N. Chester Ave. I was on the committee and still have a copy of an invoice I billed to the committee for distributing fact sheets to area residents.
Fears of being annexed to Bakersfield were prevalent and the plan was to incorporate as a general law city, using the county and various districts' facilities for police, fire, sanitation, recreation, lighting, etc. The committee was able to procure sufficient names on petitions, but failed to accumulate sufficient assessed valuation of the land area.
I also find it hard to believe that the forming of a company furnishing water to the Oildale area was omitted in the section of key dates. Oildale Mutual Water Co. received its California corporate license on Oct. 30, 1919, following the signing of its articles of incorporation on Oct. 26, 1919, going from fewer that 100 stockholders to over 8,000 currently and furnishing water to an estimated 25,000 users.
Lastly, we are Oildale, not North Bakersfield!
FRED HUPP
Oildale
