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Alex G. Silicz
1877-1936
Block 94, Lot D14
Alex Silicz was born in the Kern River Valley in the 1st house built on the Kern River, the home of founding pioneer Joseph Caldwell. Alex‟s father was shot in a bar in Kernville and his family moved to Bakersfield where Alex spent his time working the prominent pioneer ranches of the county.
In 1908, he married Dora Neill and they went into business with Dora's father, John Neill. The Neill-Silicz cattle ranch covered an area from what is now Lake Isabella to just this side of Bakersfield. There were no fences so the cattle wandered the open range.
Dora was an accomplished horsewoman and she assisted in the range work with the men. Dora and Alex had 3 boys and 3 girls and all were expected to pull their weight with the ranch. Alex loved his horses and dogs as well as his family. When on the trail his dogs shared his bed and his grub. Alex was known to butcher his own beef and deliver beef to isolated cabins in the mountain communities. Upon hearing of his terminal illness, Alex had but one last request – that the hearse bearing his body to the Methodist Church in Old Kernville should pause opposite his ranch where his favorite horse grazed.
In 1989, Alex & Dora's 1890 Victorian home on the Neill-Silicz ranch was moved to the corner of Scodie Road and Tobias Street in Kernville where it went through an award-winning restoration, operated as a bed and breakfast for 11 years, and is now a private residence.
The Old Kernville Historic Cemetery Tour was researched and created by Kern River Valley Historical Society members Jenny Hanley, and Richard Rowe as part of the 2010 Kern River Valley Historical Society Annual History Days, celebrating the history of the Kern River Valley.
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