Sunday, December 9, 2012


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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the list, and would like to be notified via email when a new posting of this newsletter is made, please email Terry Ommen at
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Congratulations go out to Jan Morrison for getting the last Mystery Spot correctly identified. She was the first. Many of you got it right, and of course it was the old Wilson Cyclery building at 115 No West Street. Nice work Jan.

Okay, are you ready for the next one? Identify this building. Here are your clues:
         1)  This window is the only one on the entire wall.
           2)  The building has a well-known name affixed to it.
      3)  Ground was broken for this building the same year the Great Depression began.
      4)  Many big name entertainers were seen here.
Good luck!



Visalia Police Chief Jim Fluty
Donna Capron Wilson, granddaughter of former Visalia Police Chief James M. Fluty, recently visited and shared her family photos and history. Born in Missouri, Jim Fluty came to California in 1915, moved to Tulare County in 1920 and started with VPD in 1931. A master with firearms, he won many shooting matches and exhibitions. In 1939 he was named Visalia’s Chief of Police and served in that position until 1945 when he resigned to work with his brother in a family gun shop. In 1951, Tulare County Sheriff Sandy Robinson hired him and he served until 1961 leaving the sheriff’s office as a captain of the Criminal Division. TCSO Emergency Unit is shown with an unidentified man standing nearby in front of the SP Depot now SP Depot Restaurant. Jim Fluty died in 1963. These photographs are part of Donna’s collection and more will be shared in future postings of HH. Thanks so much Donna for your visit and for preserving our history.




Sweet Block – How Sweet It Was!

Chriss Courtney Laursen recently showed me this nice old panorama photograph and wanted me to share it with all of you. It is an amazing photograph, very large and pretty much covers the entire Sweet Store block (south side of Main between Church and Court streets.) To copy it, I had to photograph it in segments. It shows employees of S. Sweet company lined up on Main St with a banner that says, “S. Sweet Co. Annual Picnic Mooney Grove.” No date on it, but it appears to have been taken about 1923. No one was identified on the photo either. Glad you were willing to share Chriss.


Pedro Fages – Spanish Connection to the San Joaquin Valley
Judi Cowper recently returned from a visit to Spain. While there she visited the birth place of Pedro Fages, a Spanish soldier and early California leader. He is credited with being the first identifiable white man to see what is now called the San Joaquin Valley. In 1772 while looking over the valley, probably from Grapevine Canyon in the Ridge Route area, he noted the beautiful valley view. Fages was born in Guissona, Catalonia and Judi was kind enough to share her photographs of his birthplace. Thanks for thinking of us, Judi.


Virginia Flammang – She Shared History With Us
I had the pleasure of knowing and visiting with Virginia Flammang some time back. She was a very classy lady and a wonderful Visalia historian. She was born in 1921 and died in Visalia on October 25, 2012. She grew up in Visalia and not only did she live our history, she took notes. At her funeral some of her Visalia memories were read as part of the memorial service. Rob, Virginia’s son and Karen, Rob’s wife, shared copies of her written memories with me. Virginia’s recollections are so vivid and here are a couple of them:
First: “At Morgan’s Meat Market [probably at 121 W. Main], the butcher always gave me a frankfurter. That was where I saw my very first ceiling fan; I wished I could hang on it and spin around. Also, here was where I attempted to bite some frost off a pipe next to the cold counter; after much pain and yelling and crying, Dr. McSwain came down and melted my tongue loose.”

Here’s another: “In the 200 block of [south] Bridge St. just a block off Main, was a wonderful and special place called the Visalia Plunge. The pool was quite large with a small cement island off to one side, with a live oak tree in the center. Standing on the island, you could grab a large ring and swing across the pool on a wire from the tree to the other side, or drop off in the water midway. Of course the slide was great fun, as were the diving boards which I was never brave enough to try. On two sides there were sand areas to sun bathe and pretend to be at the beach and plenty of showers and dressing rooms, also a place to buy candy and cold drinks. The Red Cross gave swim lessons so I learned to swim very early. Mother could just leave us there for hours knowing we were safe and having fun.”

Thanks Rob and Karen for allowing us to share her memories. By the way, Virginia lived in the house shown here at 1845 So. Court Street for a very short time. It was built by Frank and Josephine Flammang in about 1924 and still stands.


Fire Chief Roy Vogt Helped Recover Valuables

On Friday evening, May 3, 1968, the 5-story Hotel Johnson, built in 1917, caught fire and was severely damaged to the point it eventually had to be demolished. Lloyd Trout shared this personal story about that fire: “My mother (Estelle Trout) lived in the hotel and was the night clerk on duty when the fire started. She called the fire department then made a quick exit as smoke bellowed down the stairway. We asked mother what valuables she might have lost and she said, ‘Oh, I didn’t really have much except my cash savings in a dresser drawer!’ The following day after the flames were extinguished my wife Vanabeth and I were talking to Fire Chief Roy Vogt and asked if any of mother’s personal effects on an upper floor might be salvageable. ‘Well, let’s go up there and see,’ Roy said. So the three of us climbed into the department’s “cherry picker” and were lifted up to her apartment’s corner south window. With Chief Roy leading the way we gingerly made our way inside to a ledge while looking all the way down to the ground floor. With smoke still drifting up, it was quite a site! Not to mentioned a little scary. We saw the dresser perched on what was left of the floor. Inching along and hanging on to Roy for dear life, we made it to the dresser. Opening drawers we found her cash carefully wrapped in a handkerchief. Thanks Roy?” Thank you Lloyd for sharing this interesting story.


***The new 2013 Visalia Community Bank calendar is available to the public and it contains another collection of nice historical photographs. Stop in and ask for one, it is free! What a great community gift from Visalia Community Bank to all of us.

***Gary Holder mentioned that a good source of local photographs is school yearbooks. Business sponsors of the yearbooks oftentimes included photographs of their location as part of their yearbook ad. Good tip Gary!

***On Monday evening, December 10, 2012 from 7:00-8:30, I will be talking about the book Wild Tulare County, Outlaws, Rogues and Rebels. It is part of the Visalia Times Delta and the 210 CafĂ©’s 210 Connect series. Attendance is free and books will be for sale with $5.00 from the sale of each book going to the 210. Photographs will be part of the presentation. Hope to see you there.


A young gentleman of our town was politely invited by a number of the citizens to absent himself from the village, with the request that he would not return. For fear that he would not take their kindly advice, he was accompanied some distance and left with the injunction that his face was not to be seen again in town. The community is well rid of this kind, and he will do well to obey the good advice so kindly given. Visalia Weekly Delta, November 26, 1859

Monday, November 26, 2012

Wild Tulare County
is now available!

Can be purchased from the following:

Tulare County Historical Society
www.tularecountyhistoricalsociety.org
P.O. Box 295
Visalia, CA 93279
(559) 635-4896

Tulare Historical Museum
444 W. Tulare Ave
Tulare, CA 93274
(559) 686-2074

Book Garden
189 E. Pine
Exeter, CA 93221
(559) 592-2538

Linda's Used Books
1107 E. Houston Ave
Visalia, CA 93292
(559) 734-1043

Can be purchased online at:
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com

Friday, November 2, 2012


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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list yet, and would like to be notified via email when a new posting of this newsletter is made, please email Terry Ommen at
histerry@comcast.net. I will add you to the list. I will not share your email address with anyone without your permission.


Well, the last mystery spot turned out to be a tough one. Very few got it, but Art Browning did and he was the first. He correctly identified this big insulated door as being part of the ice vault in the Glick’s building at Goshen and Willis. When Glick’s built their building they built it around this vault which I believe was part of the original Visalia Ice Company on that site previously. Nice work on this one Art.

Here are the clues for the next mystery spot:
1.  For many years this building was known for providing good transportation.
2.  The man whose name is connected it has the same last name as the 28th President of the United States.
3.  For many years the company also sold and serviced Harley Davidson motorcycles.
4. This building is close to lots of money.
Good luck!


So Dear To My Heart
Some time back, Charles Loffland reminded me of the Disney movie “So Dear To My Heart” starring Burl Ives. The movie is also dear to the heart of Visalia and Tulare County folks because much of it was filmed near Porterville, Springville, California Hot Springs and Mooney Grove Park. Quite a few Tulare County residents appeared in this movie as extras including JoAnn Ledbetter (George) who by the way was one of the few extras that actually got paid. Walt Disney himself stayed at the Hotel Johnson during some of the filming. The movie was released in 1949 and it played at the Fox Theatre in Visalia. It’s a cute movie that still can be found and enjoyed. It’s worth seeing and who knows, you might get a glimpse of a familiar Tulare County landmark or face.


She’s Probably the Oldest Gal in Town


Some time ago HH follower Carole Mathewson mentioned the statue of goddess Minerva that sat on top of the dome of the old Tulare County Courthouse here in Visalia. It stood at the top for at least 75 years. She was put there (see yellow arrow) at the time of construction (1876-77.) After the big 1952 Tehachapi earthquake, the courthouse was damaged beyond repair and was razed, but Minerva was saved. She is on display at the Tulare County Museum at Mooney Grove Park. Kinetha Cochran’s museum photograph shows it in all its glory on display. But mystery surrounds this old carving. Who carved her? Did a local artist do it, or was it ordered from a catalog? Why was she picked to adorn the courthouse building? Minerva is the Greek goddess of wisdom. Why wasn’t the Roman goddess of justice “Justitia” picked instead? What is Minerva made of? Some say redwood, but have we verified that for sure? We may find some of the answers to these questions some day, but in the meantime, we can all be thankful that the 7 ½’ Minerva survived. Go by the museum and say hi to her. She doesn’t look half bad for a 135-year old who has been exposed to the harsh valley weather for so long. Don’t be intimidated by her spear or shield.



Classic Visalia Flood Photo Found
Matt Weger, the son of Mike Weger, found this classic Visalia flood photograph at a yard sale and bought it for $2.00. Can you imagine picking up a great old photograph of Visalia for $2.00. Great find, Matt! The view in this photo is looking north on Church Street from Main Street and it was taken during one of the devastating floods in 1906. None of the buildings that you see in this photo exist today. If you didn’t know it already, Visalia has flooded on a regular basis and when it did, man did it bring out the cameras. Thanks again, Matt, for sharing this 106-year old beauty with us.


Roller Skating Has Deep Roots
Roller skating in Visalia has been a popular discussion topic in HH for quite awhile , but unfortunately, I do not have any vintage pictures to include. Does anyone have a nice old one they are willing to share? The image displayed here is a generic one with no local connection. A number of you have passed on stories including this one from Rita Loffland Cooley. She describes her earliest remembrance of roller skating in Visalia (skating that wasn’t just around the block.) She said, “In the very early 1940s in the summer time there were portable roller skating rinks that appeared in town and were set up in the vacant fields of the block surrounded by Main, Willis, Acequia and West streets. My sister Janet and I were very young and our parents would take us down there very early in the evening, and the workers would let us skate on their portable rink with our own skates (they didn’t have rental skates small enough for us.) By the time the young adults appeared for their skating of the evening, we had returned home and gone to bed. A fun memory.” Surely there must be a photograph of these portable skating rinks. Believe it or not, skating in Visalia dates back to at least 1871. This advertisement is from the Visalia Weekly Delta  August 17, 1871. By the way, the St. Charles building was on the southwest corner of Court and Main streets.


***Peter McDonald, Dean of Library Services at Fresno State and Jill Moffat, Exhibit Curator at the Henry Madden Library at Fresno State, have been doing some very creative thinking. By collaborating they have created a valley-wide project that they call “Valley Firsts.”  This project involves collecting different historical firsts from around the southern/central San Joaquin Valley counties. Part of their project will be a display of historical items at the Madden Library in 2013. However, Peter has his sights on a bigger valley-wide project. He would like to see a history roundtable made up of valley-wide history types with website to go along with it. Collaboration efforts crossing county lines could be made using this website. It has a lot of potential and I believe it would be worthwhile. Let me know if you’d like to be involved.

***I was contacted recently by an individual from an academic institution asking about historic photographs of Latino baseball teams or players. I didn’t have any, but did have an article from 1939 that talked about what was called the Visalia Mexican Athletic Club. They played other teams from different cities. Anyone have any photographs of early Latino baseball?

***Nancy Loliva wants to share the news of the Visalia Electric model train display that is going to be unveiled at the Visalia Transit Center. Louis Whitendale, Ron Humason and Ron Wyatt spent many hours putting this display together. A brief unveiling ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 15th at 10:30am at the Transit Center at 425 E. Oak Street and light refreshments will be served. If you like more information on this event, click here: www.historicvisalia.blogspot.com for the press release or you can call the Transit Center at 713-4100.

***Okay, this might be the answer we were looking for about the J. C. Penney’s overhead contraption here in Visalia. This came from Bobbye Banks: She wrote,  “I hope I can shed some light on the above blog you posted. I worked at the Penney’s store at the NW corner of Main and Court during the holidays and summers from 1952 or 1953 until 1955. In the 1940s there was a 2-3” tube that came down from the 2nd floor. It stopped about 24” above each checkout table in the store. Each purchase was put in an envelope with the invoice and the customer’s money. The clerk would then pull the cord attached to the tube and the envelope went up the tube to the 2nd floor where the bookkeeper had her office; the change came back down for the employee to give to the customer. By the time I went to work at Penney’s, the cord had been replaced with a suction system. We would remove the bottom cap from the tube, place the invoice and money inside, replace the cap and the contents would go ‘SCHLUUP!!!’ up to the bookkeeper.”


The Visalians know how to enjoy themselves in the mountains. Eighteen gallons of whisky went with a camping party (male of course) to the arctic regions of Kern river a few weeks back. The return journey was made last week, but minus their friend Alco Hol. Visalia Daily Times, August 6, 1892

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Monday, October 1, 2012


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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list yet, and would like to be notified via email when a new posting of this newsletter is made, please email Terry Ommen at
histerry@comcast.net. I will add you to the list. I will not share your email address with anyone without your permission.


Congratulations go out to Duane Copley for being the first to correctly identify the last mystery spot as the Masonic Temple at Locust and Mineral King. Over 30 of you recognized the building correctly, but Duane had the fastest trigger finger. By the way, his father John Copley was a Master Mason at the lodge. Good job Duane.

Here are the clues for the next mystery spot:
1. This door went to a business that no longer exists.
2. The business was a partnership between O. H. Madden and J. I. King.
3. This door is easily seen from the street
4. The business operated in the late 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s.



Wild Tulare County – It’s Now Available
Wild Tulare County – Outlaws, Rogues & Rebels is now available. It was just released from the publisher History Press and the book includes some of Tulare County’s most ruthless men. It highlights a baker’s dozen or so of individuals and gangs that helped give Tulare County a bad reputation. Over 50 photographs are included and the book is well-referenced. Visalia plays a major role in most of the stories. As the author, I can give you information about how to get a copy. Please email me at histerry@comcast.net or call me at (559) 901-3227 for details or questions.


Carroll Barnes & the COS Giant
Recently I received notification from HHers Larry McLaughlin and Susan Mangini that there was a video/movie of the famous local artist Carroll Barnes sculptor of the COS giant on COS YouTube. This is an amazing video produced in 1954 and a great find and I want to make sure it is shared with everyone. It shows the cutting of the Sequoia tree, the transporting of the tree and the carving of the giant out of the tree, and then of course the placement at COS. You can view the video which runs about 15 minutes at    Carving the Giant   and it is well worth the time. I found it to be historically and artistically  very important and I’m glad it exists. Maybe this video has been out for a while, and I just hadn’t seen it, I don’t know. Wouldn’t it be nice if you were able to recognize some COS students caught on film

Huge Fire Draws a Big Crowd
On Sunday, March 30, 1975, a fire of unknown origin started in the 70-year old building located on the southwest corner of Willis and Murray across from Franks Liquor ( little shopping Center is on site now ). According to the newspaper, the old building housed Lloyd’s Plumbing and American Air. The building was a total loss. The firefighter in the bucket spraying the water on the building is Visalia firefighter “Andy” Anderson, the father of Jim Anderson who supplied this photo. 40 Visalia firefighters fought this blaze to keep it from spreading. It was extremely hot fire and it attracted a huge crowd, and as a result, crowd control became a major undertaking. Thanks Jim, for sharing this great photo.

Confederate General Comes to Visalia
Bill Allen reminded me recently of a very interesting man in Visalia’s history. His name is Tyree Harris Bell. Born in Kentucky in 1815, he eventually entered the Civil War on the Confederate side and distinguished himself in battle. Eventually he served under General Nathan Bedford Forrest and under his command, Bell rose to the rank of general himself. After the war, he came to San Joaquin Valley and was active in confederate veteran affairs. Eventually he was appointed by President Grover Cleveland to Agent of the U. S. Land Office in Visalia. His son, Isaac “I.T.” Bell became a prominent Visalia businessman and attorney and is more well-known than his father. Tyree eventually moved to Fresno County and is buried in the town of Sanger. Here is a rather grainy poor picture of General Bell in about 1885 while he was in Visalia.

Mysterious Photo is Identified
Forgive me for publishing the same photograph in two HH postings in a row, but the mystery regarding this great photograph has been solved. Laura Spalding, a long time follower of HH and the soon to be author of an Ivanhoe history book, identified the photo as being an early picture of Mills Grove. In fact it is believed to be the earliest known photograph of little community. Mills Grove was an active area for a number of years, and now it has disappeared. The site is at Mill Drive and Road 160 (Highway 216 near Cutler Park). Thanks Nancy for bringing the photograph to our attention, and Laura for a good identification. Thanks also to Gary Holder for his information on Mills Grove.

Lone Oak Park - Another Photo Surfaces
Early on, Visalians recognized the historical value of the beautiful Valley Oak trees that once dominated our area. By 1900 the vast majority of the giant trees were gone. The few that remained were prized by the residents. By 1913, one such Valley Oak was identified in the intersection of Giddings and Main Street. The community rallied in support of the awkwardly situated tree, and decided that they would make a very small park out of it. The tree became the centerpiece for what became known as Lone Oak Park. At one time, Lone Oak Park was considered to be the smallest park in the world. In 1936 the big tree in the park was removed and the tiny park disappeared. Located in a busy intersection, it became a public safety hazard.  Here is a great old photo that shows some interesting things in and around Lone Oak Park. Notice the light mounted on the tree and you can see the sign at the base of the tree, nice street light, etc. Again this view is looking east thru the intersection of Giddings and Main Street, with Visalia High School on the right. Photo is dated 1930.

“Good For” Token is Found
Greg Porter would like some help from us. He found this token in Visalia while metal detecting, and as you can see it is marked C & B Visalia, Calif. Good for 12 ½ cents in trade. Anyone know what C & B means? It had to be a business. Was it a saloon? I’ve got my fingers crossed that we can solve this one for you Greg. Let’s give it our best, followers.


***I need to apologize. In the last issue of HH I indicated that Lynne Brumit mentioned a vacuum system at the Penney’s store in Visalia. I misquoted her and rather than a vacuum system it was actually a wire that sent paperwork to the office. Sorry about that Lynne. Thanks Peter and others for bringing my error to my attention.

***No pictures have surfaced about Navy Gas, but for those of you interested it was located at 910 E. Main Street near the PPAV Hall in the 1950s. Still looking for a picture.

***An HH visitor asked if anyone knew of a business called the “Lemon” which allegedly was on or near Main Street at the edge of town. It was apparently across the street from a Richfield gas station in the early 1930s. It was described as a “stand” and it was either owned or operated by William Wadsworth and his wife Mabel. Any help would be appreciated.



Whiskey held high carnival last Saturday night and Sunday morning. Knock down and drag out was the order of the day, or rather night, and some of our officials were the leaders in it.
Visalia Delta, April 2, 1863

Sunday, September 2, 2012


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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list yet, and would like to be notified via email when a new posting of this newsletter is made, please email Terry Ommen at
histerry@comcast.net. I will add you to the list. I will not share your email address with anyone without your permission.

Back in June when the last mystery spot location was featured, very few of you got it right. It was a tough one. Art Browning was the first to identify the north end cap of the building at 115 So. Locust Street. It used to be McMahan’s Furniture in the days of old. Nice work, Art!

Okay, here is one that will separate the rookie detectives from the seasoned veterans. Most of you go by it every day or almost every day. Where is this building. Here are your  clues:

It serves as a meeting hall.
The building had a cornerstone put in place in 1934.
Many prominent local leaders frequented this building.
The dedication ceremony for this building was led building by Frank W. Mixter.
 Good luck!




The Cost of Living Down Stream
Visalia has been a flood target for many years, but the 1945 flood was a big one. In fact, it had been the worst one for Visalia since the 1906 flood. Torrential rain in the Sierra in late January and early February of 1945 caused the St. Johns River to overflow its banks. Over 7” of rain fell in the Giant Forest area in one evening with the total storm dropping more than 12” of rain over the mountain region. Chuck Loffland remembered his father and other family members worked at the Edison yard on Ben Maddox (near what is now the Sonic Drive-In) at the time of the flood. He shared this photograph which appeared in the Edison News, March 1945. The flood was so news worthy the Visalia Times Delta prepared a souvenir photograph folder (sold for 10 cents) that showed different flood scenes within the city and area. It was designed to be mailed.  Some of these early souvenir folders can still be found. Thanks Chuck, for sharing your flood story and photograph.



Naughty Marietta
Bill Allen shared this photograph that he received from Don Clark, now deceased. It shows the 1939 Washington School cast of the famous operetta “Naughty Marietta.” Good looking group. This photo was taken at the Montgomery Auditorium (now the L. J. Williams.) Mrs. McClosky was the teacher and is shown in the top row center. Thanks, Bill for sharing this with us.



Short Life of the Visalia Parking Meter
According to some experts, the first parking meters as we know them were first installed in Oklahoma City in about 1935. The City of Visalia approved parking meters for the downtown district in 1947. By July of that year 529 meter posts were in place and by the first week in August, the meters were installed and in use. A quick evaluation of the success of these new parking control gadgets showed lots of available parking spaces in the downtown—perhaps too much. In 1963, the community including business owners were pushing for their removal. By May 1963, the city began to remove the meters and time limits signs for free parking soon took over on city streets. Richard Drath acquired one of these removed meters and shared that his brother Jim, while in high school, worked part time for the city, emptying the belly of these coin eating monsters. Later, Jim Drath became a peace officer with Visalia PD. By the way, when rookie Visalia police officer, Dale Treece, now deceased, had parking meter enforcement duty, he was given city provided coins for the meters. When he found an expired meter, he was instructed to put a coin in the meter and leave a card thanking the motorist for shopping in Visalia.  Thanks Richard for sharing this relic from bygone days. This 1955 flood picture shows meters lined up on court Street between Center and Oak streets.


We Need Some Help On This One
Nancy Wann was kind enough to share this great old picture. On the back it says “Cousin’s Service Station and Overnight Cabins (motel?) about 1926 near Visalia.” As you can see the picture is packed with interesting objects like the old car, gas pumps, lots of signs, trees and buildings. Can anyone identify this building or know where it was located? Nancy is part of the Moore family, so could it be a business owned by one of the Moores? Could it be Mills Grove? Help on identifying this nice old picture would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Nancy, for providing this beautiful mystery photo.


Aurora Borealis – Northern Lights in the Southern San Joaquin
Dana Lubich, an artist, amateur historian, and astronomer brought this interesting historical tidbit to my addition and wanted me to share it. Dana said, “This year (2012) marks the 153rd anniversary of the largest solar storm to have hit the earth (Sept 1-2). It was so powerful that even Visalia saw an aurora in the sky. In some places, but not in Visalia, telegraph keys sparked and when batteries were disconnected, telegraph systems still worked from the power the sun imposed on the cables.” Here is the article that Dana found in the September 3, 1859 edition of the Tulare County Record and Fresno Examiner newspaper. As you might expect there were no photos of this phenomenon, but if you go to this website   http://www.wpclipart.com/space/photos/Aurora_Borealis_large.jpg.html you can get an idea of how it might have looked in the Visalia sky. Nice piece of history, Dana, thanks.


***Fresno State University is working on a project to identify a list of valley “firsts” which will eventually work into a display at the Madden Library in early 2013. They are looking for things like first automobile in the valley, first planted crop, etc. Know of any Visalia firsts? Know of any Tulare County firsts? Let me know and we’ll compare them with other valley counties to see if we were the first in the valley. The area covered is from the southern end of Kern County to San Joaquin County on the north.

***Still hunting for a photograph of old Nathaniel Vise. As you recall the picture of him was misidentified, so we need a photo of the illusive Nat. A number of you, including Marian Shippey Cote and Dana Lubich are working hard on this hunt for a photo. We know the “bear hunter” was a nomadic man, but he is proving to be very hard to find.

***Lynne Brumit shared her recollection of the Visalia J.C. Penney store’s  overhead pneumatic tube system. Small items like currency or paperwork were placed in the “little capsule” at the checkout stand the capsule was then sucked up thru the tube into the balcony office. I’m with you, Lynne, these systems sure fascinated me. I think the tube was another casualty of the electronic age.

***Phil Kneeland mentioned the Navy Gas facility on E. Main Street. Anyone remember it? Anyone have a picture of it?

***Roller skating has been a long tradition in Visalia appearing as early as 1906. Gary Holder remembers the skating rink near where the convention center is now in the 1950s. I remember it was still there in the early 70s. Any stories or pictures of roller skating in Visalia?

***Bill Allen is at it again. He reports that he has undertaken another history writing project. This one has three parts. In the first, he will be reviewing the details of early Visalia Public Cemetery history up to where Annie Mitchell left off. A second part will cover the fascinating information about early plans for a second Visalia Cemetery outside of town. The third part deals with Dallas Pattee’s Tales From the Tomb, her unique contribution to how history may be learned through drama with lives actors. Good luck, Bill, on your history project. By the way “Tales” will be performed at the Visalia Cemetery on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Let me know if you want more details.




At Recreation Park:

Advertisement in the Visalia Times Delta July 22, 1936