This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 18 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Shafter Press
Location
Shafter, California, United States of America
Date
Nov 28, 1940
Page
1
influenza spreads across Kern county with hundreds of students absent at Richland and Shafter high schools. Dr. Joe Smith warns against crowded places and urges rest and physician consultation at first fever while detailing disease variants and cautions on fever reducing drugs.
General Petroleum spudded its Wallace No.2 well in the Shafter area between the Shafter and Greeley fields on property owned by Shafter residents. Oil sand is expected around 11,300 feet, following the completion of Oughton No.2 in Section 12, 29-25 with a 900 barrel day rate and 900,000 cubic feet of gas from 13 64 inch casing. A third well, Sullivan No.3 in north Greeley, reached 3,700 feet after a spud last week. Caldwell No.5 in the Shafter south east area was redrilled to 10,347 feet after a fishing problem.
Superior Oil announces Little No 1 remains cemented at 11339 feet with completion likely next week. Sand hit at 11304 feet on eastern field slope. Fink No 4 at 10964 feet and Mandell No 2 foundations poured. Moore A in Greeley field sand at 1410 feet and casing 11432 feet. Griffith No 1 foundations underway between Shafter and Greeley fields.
City taxes delinquent December 5 as announced by City Clerk Frank Shaw. County taxes also delinquent then. Shafter Public Utility District taxes due January 5 and Shafter-Wasco Irrigation District by December 30. City sidewalk assessment first payment delinquent after January 2.
Workers uncovered an eight foot mastodon tusk teeth and jaw fragments 15 feet underground in a Kern County desert sand pit four miles west of Shafter and two miles south. Local residents identified pieces for examination and researchers note the find may date back millions of years to the Miocene era with possible transport by ancient floods.
University of California field plots tested how ring rot spreads in stored seed potatoes. Trials at Shafter Davis and Tule Lake showed the cutting knife and contact spread disease. 69 percent of cuts produced infection and overall crop infection averaged 39 percent.
The city of Shafter placed a silver Christmas tree with blue lights at the Central avenue James street intersection and stretched streamers over Lerdo road. Local stores stock holiday goods as shop traffic rises and groups plan pre Christmas social events. Civic groups schedule a Christmas party at the Shafter Theatre with favors and apples for children pending date.
At Crawford cafe in Shafter county committee members heard plans to form a permanent Kern County Republican organization. A three member panel—William B. Buerkle Harold A. Witham and Lawrence E. Chenoweth Jr.—was named to draft the program aligning with a national GOP group led by Oren Root Jr. An announced county plan is expected later while an analysis praised local workers and precincts for supporting the Republican candidate.
Rev. Al Chandler reports the Shafter Red Cross drive has $80 turned in with more needed before the drive closes Saturday. Contributions come from Leslie L. Robinson Post 213 American Legion, the Wednesday Afternoon Club, Richland Teachers Welfare Club, plus individuals and businesses. The target is $300.
Union Oil in the Shafter field reports a successful hit at 72 28 with sand encountered at 11 243 feet and a rapid bring in expected within days. In contrast 76 27 was abandoned after three weeks of whipstocking attempts and drilling outside field limits, with equipment moved to Pacific States.
Rosedale was selected as the site for the 1940-41 Pacific District Mennonite Brethren conference. The Dallas Oregon gathering concluded with a mission festival at Dallas High School. Rev J D Hofer of Rosedale was elected conference chairman for 1941.
The Shafter city council discussed legal points tied to a petition calling for a disincorporation election. Bakersfield attorney R W Henderson spoke for proponents while City Attorney A P Channeson defended the city. The main issue was whether 20 percent of registered voters signed the petition, which was ruled insufficient due to uncertain voter counts from precinct changes. Several petition supporters attended and left after Henderson spoke.
Kern County Farm Bureau kicks off its annual membership drive from November 25 to December 5. The Shafter campaign features Frank Pearce of Berkeley and local workers, with a group including Al Eckmann and W. H. Hitchcock. An evening dinner December 5 at Magundan hall will summarize results and set final totals.
The Shafter experiment farm reported an official low of 29 degrees on three consecutive mornings this week and 30 degrees on Tuesday and yesterday. Maximums ranged from 52 to 60 degrees. Several areas in the San Joaquin valley saw below freezing conditions during the past week.
Shafter Kiwanians at Lebec on Monday evening included W. E. Johnson Ed Friesen and Les Hobson with their wives and Herb Schirmer.
City officials announce a WPA financed Shafter fire station to be built on Santa Fe Way with adobe brick design. The project includes an engine stall, assembly room, showers and lockers, and space for future expansion. About $3000 in county funds is available, with city and private contributions expected for a fire engine.
E. J. Thiesen and Bill Handel led Shafter growers in planting onions this week. Fewer than 300 acres will be set out, mostly Crystal White variety, as some plans to plant were abandoned due to broken onion history on their land. Prices rose last year after a low year. acreage dropped from about 700 to 300 acres.
A. W. Noon of Taft elected supervisor for the fourth district visited Shafter Tuesday with Supervisor Woollames. Noon had recently defeated Stanley Abel, who had held the post for 24 years.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.