Besides being designated a wilderness area by the U.S. Congress in 1978, there has been a lot of use in the area. From Native American to early settlers to trying to install a highway, people have used the area for hundreds of years. Below are two sections. One section contains historical records. These are more like excerpts from a history book. The other section contains personal accounts that were documented shortly after the trip. Think of these as potentially read from the first person and documented shortly after the event(s) occurred. Unless otherwise stated, all links below lead to free articles.
Historical Records
Dennison, Hockett, and Jordan Trails – Brief with primitive Hockett Trail map
Golden Trout of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains – 1905
Golden Trout Wilderness Management Plan – Signed in 1982
History of the Jordan Hot Springs
Jordan Toll Trail – 1860 to 1864
Rediscovering the Hockett Trail
Trails Across the Mountains: 1834 to 1864
Personal Stories
Trouting Over the Old Hockett Trail – 1898
Trouting Over the Old Hockett Trail Additional Photos from 1897
World Class Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada – 1969
Kern River – Song and Lyrics – Sung by Emmylou Harris
Historical Material for Purchase
The Log of a Snow Survey: Skiing and Working in the Winter World of the Sierra Nevada
Magic of My Mountains – 1919 to 1926
Floods and Droughts in the Tulare Lake Basin
Golden Trout Wilderness 
I wanted to do some research on the dormant volcanoes that exist up there …can you please provide me with the names of them I heard a few months ago one is showing signs of becoming active again… that’s the one I’m really interested in and I cannot remember the name of it, I’m wondering if this is the reason why a lot of the animals are coming down off the mountains.
Thank you
The volcanoes I am aware of our Groundhog, Templeton Mountain, Red Mountain, and Monache Mountain. Does that help you?
I am wondering if anyone has used the trail from Forks of the Kern to Kern flat? And if so what is the condition? My husband just cleared the Forks of the Kern trail.