Kerman Memorial
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The
independent spirit of Kerman was formed early
in its history. Kerman was originally a
watering station for trains on the Southern
Pacific line. In about 1891 the spot was named
Collis, after the president of the railroad,
Collis P. Huntington. The only person to live
there at that time was the caretaker of the
railroad water pump and tank, but after a few
months he moved on, citing loneliness in the
then desert wasteland.
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The
land was later purchased by the Bank of
California, in a plot to buy land in every
California County. However, due to the death of
the bank's promoter, this business venture failed
and led to the bank's liquidation of the property.
The property that is now Kerman was sold to two
wealthy Los Angeles capitalists hoping to profit
off the highly demanded water supply in the newly
constructed Enterprise Canal. These men, William
G. Kerckoff and Jacob Mansar combined the first
syllables of their last names to create
"Kerman."
Like
most cities along the I-5 Business Corridor,
Kerman's economy is based on agriculture. Large
farms and vineyards surround the city. Fruit and
Vegetable Packing are the main industry. Specialty
packers like Sun Empire Foods can be found here as
well, shipping dried fruit and chocolate covered
nuts and raisins nationwide.
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