By Natalie Willis, Reporter, Valley Ag Voice
A little-known piece of California agriculture history is positioned off Central Valley Highway in Shafter, California. The Shafter Depot Museum, an authentically restored early 20th-century Santa Fe Railroad depot, offers a glimpse into Shafter’s agricultural heritage.
Stan Wilson, the museum’s curator, carefully selects and maintains countless artifacts and farm equipment dating back to 1915. Wilson explained that Shafter’s history began in 1914 when the Kern County Land Company subdivided, and the museum has held onto that history for over 40 years.
“It was all steel horsepower, animal-powered equipment, and then we went through the transition to tractor-powered equipment. So, just about everything we have out here in the yard would represent that period — 1915 up until about 1940,” Wilson said. “So, it’s all pre-war farm equipment…You can’t find this stuff on the farm anymore. It’s all gone.”
The history of the museum dates to 1978 when the depot was decommissioned by the railroad. It was at that point that Ben Grundy, former mayor and head of the Shafter Chamber of Commerce, had a vision of creating a museum to preserve the local heritage.
After securing a donation of the depot building from the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Co. — with the condition that it be moved — the museum found its new home on land donated by the S.A. Camp Ginning Co. and Harlin Wilson family.
The depot was moved to its current location off Central Valley Highway in 1980, where it now houses various exhibits, including farm equipment and railroad artifacts. One particularly striking feature is a collection of early 20th-century farm machinery, most of which was once used by local farmers. As farming practices evolved, these relics became less common, and today, the museum stands as one of the few places where such equipment can still be found.
COOL YOUR POTATOES
The historic railroad depot thrived when potato and cotton were king in Shafter and Kern County. Wilson, a farmer himself, fondly remembers the hustle and bustle of the depot during potato harvest.
In its prime, the depot saw countless shipments of locally-grown potatoes which were sent out across the country, thanks to refrigerated railcars — the key to the success of California’s agriculture industry.
“I mean, there’s three things that made agriculture what it was. First of all, soil and climate, secondly was water, and third was transportation. And transportation was provided by the railroads, and they started providing ice cars as early as the 1890s,” Wilson said. “And so, you couldn’t grow fruit here unless you could get it somewhere because there weren’t enough people to eat all the fruit. And so, the railroad facilitated that or made it possible to build California into what it is today agriculturally. I think a lot of people forget that because railroads are no longer part of the scene.”
These ice-cooled cars were crucial to expanding California’s agricultural reach. Pre-icers were filled at the Fresno ice plant and dry cars were iced in Bakersfield after they were loaded with produce. Wilson explained that dry cars were typically stored in Shafter.
“So, every night that pre-ice train would arrive about four or five o’clock in the afternoon for placement for the next day,” Wilson said. “But they did an amazing job because every single ice car had different pacing instructions about where it was going and what the shipper or the receiver was willing to pay for. And so, they got everything done overnight and all the cars were moving east by the next morning.”
With teams of clerks and switching crews, trains operated around the clock to ensure the timely movement of goods, with each car meticulously marked for its destination.
While ice cars are now few and far between, one found its way back to Shafter. Originally built to transport produce from Kern County, this car was donated to the Shafter Depot Museum by the railroad.
The car was found in Texas, and after being loaded onto two flat cars, it was shipped back to the depot as a gift, where it remains on display as a testament to the region’s agricultural history.
SHAFTER STAPLES
Shafter’s soil and climate made it an ideal location for growing potatoes. The long white potato variety — known for its smooth texture and versatility — became synonymous with the city. This variety was imported from New York as the White Rose potato.
“The first recorded potatoes in Shafter were in 1915, and that was White Rose potatoes,” Wilson said.
These potatoes quickly adapted to the sandy soil of Kern County, and by the 1930s, Shafter’s long white potatoes were recognized as a premium product, dominating the region’s potato industry.
While the potato market in Shafter was unpredictable due to fluctuating prices and market demands, they – along with cotton — became the staple crops in the area.
Adjacent to the depot is the Harlin P. Wilson Agricultural Museum, filled with invaluable artifacts and memories from a bygone era of farming, from early hand-packing methods to the high-tech machinery that transformed Kern County agriculture.
One of the most fascinating exhibits is a display dedicated to the potato sheds that were once a central feature of local farming. These sheds were spread across the region from 7th Standard Road to Highway 46 and housed the numerous potato sorting and packing operations that contributed to the area’s prominence in potato cultivation.
At the height of production, there were 50 active sheds in the area, each operated by different growers.
“There was a switch crew available 24 hours a day, and of course, as soon as the potato sheds finished for the day, you would call up the depot and say that they were done so that the crews would put you on the list and start heading your way to start switching the cars in and out,” Wilson said. “And of course, some of the sheds went a lot later than others. So, our shed, where I worked, was small compared to some of the others so we usually had shorter days.”
The Shafer Depot Museum and Harlin P. Wilson Agricultural Museum offer a glimpse into the innovative history of Shafter’s agriculture industry. Filled with various displays — including a 1955 zero-emission engine — and antique farm machinery, the museum is worth a visit.
The museum is open every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 150 Central Valley Highway.
