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Harold "Bill" M. Calkins
1870-1945
Block 15, Lot D12
Harold "Bill" M. Calkins was born on October 1, 1870. His mother's maiden name was Mead. Per Robert Powers' 1974 book North Fork Country, Harold resembled an actor of the times by the name of Bill Neigh. Because of this he was nicked named "Bill". Harold was also a stand in stuntman for some of movies made in the valley.
Bill and his wife had been running the Mountain Inn in Kernville but he felt the area was getting to civilized for them. They moved 15 miles upriver and started Camp Durrwood.
Historian Bob Powers notes that Durrwood is a misspelled place name. It should have beene Durwood, recording the fleeting presence of Billy Durwood, foreman of the A. Brown Ranch in 1879. But Durrwood is on all the official maps and lists of place names now.
Bill Calkins had an unusual pet, a mountain lion named Tim. Bill of course had several tales to tell about Tim. Bill was another of the very colorful characters of the Kern River Valley. In 1944, Bill sold Camp Durrwood. Bill died on January 4, 1945.
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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