Smith's Corner California

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Named for Smith's Corner Bar on the corner of South Shafter Avenue and Orange Street, Smith's Corner was the location of several farm labor camps. The neighborhood is surrounded by family farms now but formerly was owned by the Kern County Land Company.

The area is cited in Loran Nightingale's autobiography, "Nightingale: When Broken Wings Heal." According to Nightingale, in the 1950's there was always an open bar at Smith's Corner.

Smith's Corner was the site of a recent court battle aided by The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment to bring city water from Shafter to the residents. CRPE refers to Smith's Corner as a "barrio."

Smith's Corner is also the site of a surviving Santa Fe depot at, "30360 Orange Ave (sic), 0.2 mi. W of Shafter Ave."