Kern Island Canal facts for kids

The Kern Island Canal is an important waterway in Kern County, California. It's a special kind of channel called an irrigation canal, which means its main job is to carry water to farms. This water helps grow crops on the land that used to be the Kern Lakebed, an area south of a city called Bakersfield.

The canal gets its water from the Kern River. About one mile south of a place called Gordon's Ferry, the river's water is split at a spot called a "common diversion." This is like a giant fork in the river where the water goes into different paths. The Kern Island Canal shares this water with two other canals, the Carrier Canal and the Eastside Canal.

Where Does the Canal Go?

The Kern Island Canal starts in Bakersfield, near Manor Street. From there, it flows south, generally running alongside Union Avenue. When it reaches 30th Street, just north of a highway called SR 178, the canal shifts a bit to the west, moving closer to R Street.

Through Parks and Beyond

As it continues its journey, the canal flows through some nice green spaces. You can see it winding through the Mill Creek Linear Park and Central Park. After passing these parks, the canal keeps moving south. Just before it reaches Brundage Lane, the canal splits into three smaller parts. These are called the West, Central, and East Branches. All three branches eventually end up in the Kern Lakebed, delivering their water to the farmland there.

How Was the Canal Built?

Building a canal as long as the Kern Island Canal was a huge job, especially a long time ago! Part of this canal was dug using a very special tool called the Souther Ditch Plow. This wasn't your average garden tool; it was a massive plow designed to dig big channels.

The Souther Ditch Plow

The Souther Ditch Plow was incredibly powerful for its time. It could cut a furrow (which is like a long, deep trench) that was five feet wide and three feet deep in one go! Imagine how much dirt that moved. This giant plow weighed about 1,400 pounds, which is as heavy as a small car! To pull such a heavy and powerful tool, it needed a lot of strength. It took 40 oxen working together to pull the plow and dig the canal.

Today, this amazing piece of history has been carefully restored. You can see the Souther Ditch Plow at the Kern County Museum, where it reminds us of the clever ways people used to build important things like canals.