Cathy Perfect
Kern Valley Sun

The grounds of the Kern River Fish Hatchery in Kernville were filled to capacity Saturday afternoon as friends and family of the late Bob Powers, Kern Valley’s resident historian, gathered for the offical dedication of Powers Peak.

“It’s not every day we name a mountain,” said retired Kern River District Ranger Dave Freeland as he welcomed the overflow crowd to the celebration of Powers’ many accomplishments and contributions to the community. “I think it’s only the second time this has happened in the valley, at least, in my memory,” he said. “Not since Mount Jenkins was named in honor of Jim Jenkins (in 1984).” Freeland added, “And it’s not just the peak, it’s the whole mountain. I’m the one who did the legals and I made sure we got the whole mountain. Bob sure deserves it.”

Kern River District Ranger Rick Larson, right, presents Marge Powers with a stunning photograph of Powers Peak at Saturday’s dedication ceremony at the Kern River Fish Hatchery in Kernville. The Powers’ children, left to right, Susie Powers Williams, David Powers, Ken Powers, and Bob Powers look on.

Powers Peak is located just northeast of Kernville and is the site of the historic Harley Mine.

On Aug. 14 it was entered into the Geographic Names Information System and can be accessed through http://geonames.usgs.gov.

Bill Jenkins, who proposed seeking the recognition from the Board of Geographic Names (USBGN) five years ago, gave a brief overview of the ins-and-outs of the bureaucratic process involved. “First you have to have a candidate with unusual and lasting qualities,” he said. “We definitely had that.” Then you need a committee to organize the application, which along with the proposal consists of exhibits, books, influencial letters, and other evidence.

Jenkins thanked Sequoia National Forest Supervisor Tina Terrell and Kern River District Ranger Rick Larson, noting, “Their support was critical” in moving this through. Freeland gave a special nod to Powers’ longtime friend Larry Holohcwost. “In all my years with the Forest Service, I’ve never seen anything sail through the process as quickly as this did, thanks to Larry.”

Margaret Smith, past president of the Kern River Valley Historical Society, recalled first meeting Powers in 1999. “Bob was the Historical Society,” she said. “I considered him my personal living history. He knew a story about every rock in the valley and he was so willing to share his knowledge. And he did it with such humility.”

Marge Powers told the crowd how much her husband “absolutely loved being a cowboy” and recounted one example of how deeply-rooted his cowboying was. “He rode a horse for 50 miles on a pillow in front of his dad when he was one year old.” She added that he had his own horse by the time he was three.

“I want to give special thanks to Bill Jenkins; thank you for this idea. Thank you to Larry Holochwost, Dave Freeland, Rick Larson, Rod Middleworth, Liz Bardos, Margaret Smith, Margie Clack, and Gene Verbeet,” she said. “When I received the call telling me the application had been approved, the woman said, ‘If other applications were done so thoroughly, I’d be out of a job!’”

Holochwost and Rich Zimmerman, dubbed the “Rich and Larry Show,” sang one of Powers’ favorite songs, “The Strawberry Roan,” explaining that it captured the man’s essence and suggesed the audience imagine Powers as the main character of the song.

Powers was a fifth generation native of the Kern River Valley and best remebered for the nine books he wrote on the history of the valley and its surrounding communities. He was a cowboy, cattleman, ranger, father, grandfather, neighbor, friend, and historian. But, as noted in ceremony’s program, most of all, he was a man of honesty and integrity.

Powers died in September, 2002 at the age of 78.