In 1863 Col. Thomas Baker settled on the site of the present City of Bakersfield and fenced a ten-acre plot of alfalfa. This became known as Baker's Field, where travelers through the area camped with their stock for protection from marauding outlaw bands. The city derived its name from this field, which lay between 14th and 17th Streets and was bounded on the west by K Street and on the east by P Street.