Step right up to Garcés Memorial Circle-though, if you tried to step too far, well...you’d end up dodging a lot of traffic. Yeah, locals just call this “The Circle,” but there’s more going on here than cars playing musical chairs. Towering in the middle is Father Francisco Garcés himself, or at least his 1939 bronze likeness, keeping a calm eye on Bakersfield’s not-so-calm intersections.
Now, imagine it’s 1776-not the fireworks-and-founding-fathers part, but out here, where Father Garcés strolled into a local Indian rancheria. Picture dust, heat, and cottonwoods, and Garcés probably wondering if he should’ve packed more water. He named this spot “San Miguel de los Noches por el Santa Príncipe”-a mouthful, but he was serious about his paperwork.
Fun fact: this traffic circle first opened in the early 1930s, part of old US Route 99. It cost a pretty penny back then, but if you adjusted it to today’s dollars, you’d probably need the city’s annual donut budget. Alright-watch your step, and maybe give Father Garcés a nod for his road trip spirits.
