Basque Americans in California
The presence of
Basques in California dates back four centuries. Basque explorers arrived in what is now California in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.[1] There is a significant presence of Basque-Americans in the Bakersfield area. Many of Bakersfield's oldest and most historic restaurants are Basque,[2] including Woolgrowers, Noriega's, Pyrenees, Benji's, and Narducci's. Memorial Day weekend features the Kern County Basque Festival, sponsored by the Kern County Basque Club.[3] This three-day festival features food, music, dance, and handball (pelota) games. Explorer Juan Bautista de Anza
was of Basque heritage.
References
- ^ "BASQUES IN EARLY CALIFORNIA AND KERN COUNTY" (PDF). Kern County Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2013-10-06.
- ^ "Bakersfield Basque Symposium". John M. Ysursa. May 31, 2006. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- ^ "Kern County Basque Club". KCBasqueClub.com. March 20, 1944. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2013.