Kernville is a former settlement in Kern County

Kern County, California

Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. It lay at an elevation of 2,575 feet (785 m). Kernville was established in 1851 as a gold camp, and was inundated by Lake Isabella

Lake Isabella

Lake Isabella is a reservoir in Kern County, California created by the earthen Isabella Dam. It was formed in 1953 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Kern River at the junction of its two forks at Whiskey Flat. At 11,000 acres , it is one of the larger reservoirs in California...

 in 1954.

The place was originally named Williamsburg, but was named Whiskey Flat after a saloon. A post office operated at Kernville from 1868 to 1951, when service was moved to the new Kernville

Kernville, California

Kernville is a census-designated place in the southern Sierra Nevadas, in Kern County, California, United States. Kernville is located northeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 2667 feet...

.