…ning town about 50 miles northeast of the present site of Bakersfield, was the center of the 1864 gold rush, which brought the first major population influx to Kern County. The newspaper's name was later changed to The Havilah Weekly Courier.

As the mineral wealth of the area became depleted, and the population moved southward toward Bakersfield, so did the newspaper. In 1872, the newspaper moved to Bakersfield and set up shop as The Kern County Weekly Courier. In 1876, the Courier merged with another Bakersfield newspaper, The Southern Californian, to form The Kern County Californian. The newspaper's name was changed to The Daily Californian in 1891 with the advent of daily publication. In 1897, the Kern County superintendent of schools, Alfred Harrell, purchased the newspaper.

Harrell gave The Bakersfield Californian its present name in 1907. In 1926, he moved the newspaper into its present location in downtown Bakersfield at 1707 Eye Street. In 1983, that structure was placed on The National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation's cultural resources worthy of preservation. He served as editor and publisher of the newspaper until his death in 1946. During his almost 50 years in the newspaper business, he came to be respected as one of the best newspapermen in the country. In 1969, Harrell became the 24th person to be named to the Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Under Harrell's leadership, The Bakersfield Californian was recognized as one of California's finest newspapers, winning over 40 state and national awards for journalistic excellence while he served as editor and publisher.

After Mr. Harrell's death, his wife, Virginia, became president of The Californian. She held that position until her death in 1954 when the Harrells' daughter, Bernice Harrell Chipman, assumed the position of president. Mrs. Chipman died in 1967.