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CALIFORNIA FTSTI AND GAME 



THE KERN COUNTY ELK REFUGE 



By Lewis A. Burtcii, Agricultural Commissioner, Kern County 

 With three photographs courtesy of Wharton Huber 



Tile tule. or valley, elk {Cervus nannodes) is a s})ecic'S jxa-uliai' lo 

 California which made its last stand in the southern end of the San 

 Joaquin Vallej^ They originally roamed in vast abundance through- 

 out the great iiiterior valley and large herds inhabited the marshes 

 and sloughs of Tulare, Buena Vista and Kern lakes and those border- 

 ing the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers. The survivors of these 

 bands inhabited the foothills above Buena Vista Lake and Button- 



FiG. 42. Bull tule elk along slough in Kern County Elk Refuge. .Tune, 1933. 



Avillow and for many years raided the cultivated fields of the Kern 

 County Land Company and of IMiller and Lux, who were farming in 

 that area. 



Many of these animals were killed by residents for their teeth. 

 This was a common practice at the time the Elks Lodge was first 

 organized in Kern County. 



Henry Miller, founder of Miller and Lux, feared that the species 

 would be exterminated and was instrumental in securing legislation, 



