LATEST HISTORIC HAPPENINGS

A BIG BANG COMES TO MOONEY GROVE PARK

On October 11, 2008, the Tulare County Historical Society hosted a 38 vehicle caravan retracing the 1858 Butterfield Overland Stage route through Tulare County. The tour finished at the Tulare County Museum at Mooney Grove Park and ended with a bang! An anvil salute was demonstrated to our tour participants and it was the same type of salute that greeted the first stage that came through Visalia in 1858. It was a way for the old timers to celebrate something exciting and it was re-created for us thanks to Bill Bennett. The salute consisted of two 100 pound plus anvils stacked one on top of the other, with black powder in between them. The black power was ignited and the explosion that resulted was thundering as it launched the anvil on the top into the air. Thanks to the photography of Dallas Pattee who captured the moment, we see the results of the explosion. All who witnessed the anvil salute at historic Mooney Grove came away with a great appreciation for the power of black powder. Folks don’t try this at home!



WHO SAID HISTORY IS NOT EXCITING?

A couple of weeks ago I received a call from Visalia native Art Browning. He was very excited and told me he had been reading Jay O’Connell’s latest book Train Robber’s Daughter. As he read the part about the shootout in the 1890s at the Evans place near Houston Ave., he remembered as a young boy he found an old rusted 45-caliber pistol near his home also by Houston Ave. He wondered, “Could that old gun have been connected to Chris Evans or the lawmen hunting them down?” Hum, I wonder!




MORE ON FORT VISALIA

Susan and Rick Mangini were invited recently to attend a Visalia Heritage meeting and word has it there was lots of excitement in group about doing something in support of the re-creation of the fort. I haven’t heard anything recently about the Fort Visalia block . Anyone hear anything? What’s the status of the sale?




VISALIA FAIR MALL – GOTTSCHALKS' ESCALATOR

After reading in Historic Happenings some time back about the history of the Visalia Fair Mall, I received an email from Russ Dahler who shared that Visalia’s Gottschalks had the first and only escalator in Tulare County in 1964. He said a visit to it “was a must-do fieldtrip for Visalia Unified Schools.” at the time. Russ worked for Gottschalks at the time and remembers the excitement created around the escalator.


COURTHOUSE TOUR

Thanks to Supervisor Phil Cox, County Director of Tourism Eric Coyne, and TulareWorks Supervisor Marlene Cardoza, many of us had a nice guided tour of the old 1935 art deco courthouse building. It contained nice wood trim and features plus beautiful old art deco light fixtures. We all got to see the “secret” old tunnel access door, too. It was a great tour of this neat old solid building and all the tourists are appreciative of all who made it happen. Recently I received an email from David Weinstein who is a member of the Art Deco Society and he encouraged preservation of the old courthouse as he indicated Ernest Kump, the courthouse architect, was well known and that he was regarded as one of California’s most important architects.




MEARLE’S PARKING LOT IS PACKED

Recently I drove past the old Mearle’s Drive-In and it looked like the glory days at the old eatery. The parking lot was jammed with cars and it looked like they were open for business. But, unfortunately it was not open and was not serving great food. The cars parked in the parking lot were just occupying space, while the drivers were in class at COS. Other than the packed parking lot , not much else seems to be happening there. But the building seems to be aging rather quickly. How long can/should this go on??





MOONEY BOOK UPDATE

I received a couple of emails regarding the precise date that Bill Allen’s book on Michael Mooney will be re-printed and available for purchase. I contacted him recently and he indicated it looks like it will be available for purchase about November 15, 2008, just in time for Christmas. The Tulare County Historical Society will be offering it for sale and when it is available you will be notified in Historic Happenings.



GRUBSTAKE DRIVE-IN COMING DOWN


Recently, I drove by the old hamburger stand that was the Grubestake for many years. It looks like the old building is getting ready to be demolished. As you recall it was the hamburger stand on Walnut Ave, just east of Mooney Blvd. The building has been vacant for years, and according to reliable sources, it will be leveled and will be a bare lot until a master plan is developed for the sight. A lot of nostalgia there. Anyone know who last ran this fast food business there? I do.



Dakota Sioux tribal wisdom says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, dismount.

Historic Happenings Newsletter Under Construction

Great News! Rare Michael Mooney book is going to be reprinted!

With all the attention being focused on Mooney Grove Park, now and in the near future, it is great to hear local historian and author, Bill Allen will be reprinting the Michel Mooney history book. The first edition in 2002 is sold out (only 200 copies were printed) and the very good news is that Bill is going to reprint it and provide all the copies to the Tulare County Historical Society for sale. Thanks for your generosity Bill. History in more hands is good!


Famous Visalian Remembered

Michael Smith of Tulare has initiated the replacement of a headstone on the grave of African American pioneer Edmund Wysinger at the Visalia Cemetery. He is buried there in an unmarked grave, so with funds from Michael and other contributors a new headstone will be placed on the grave. Ironically, while checking the cemetery grounds around the Wysinger grave, cemetery personnel found a piece of the previous Wysinger headstone. That piece had the Wysinger name on it and has been incorporated into the new headstone. The placing of the headstone will happen Thursday, September 11th at 10:00am. Arthur, Wysinger’s son, was refused entrance into Visalia High School because of his race. His father protested and carried the case all the way to the California Supreme Court and won. Thanks Michael for preserving this important part of Visalia history.


Another Visalia First?

Deputy City Manager Leslie Caviglia was recently told that the Visalia Fair Mall, may well have been the first enclosed shopping mall in California. The Visalia Fair Mall officially opened February 25, 1964. Other enclosed malls in the state opened about that same time. Anyone know if this is another Visalia first?


Join the Caravan! Join the Fun!

In 1858 the Butterfield Overland Stage rumbled through Tulare County and made history. All the way from St. Louis, Missouri, it passed through our county on its 2,700-mile journey to San Francisco. On Saturday, October 11, 2008, the Tulare County Historical Society as part of the Butterfield sesquicentennial celebration is retracing the Tulare County route. It is going to be historic, informative and fun. Surprises await those who join in this free event. The caravanning and event ends in Visalia in the afternoon.

Stranger Slips In and Out of Visalia

A few days ago a stranger from Prescott, Arizona named Parker Anderson slipped into town. He was looking for information on a Visalia bad man named Fleming Parker. Fleming was born and reared in Visalia in the 1800s and later went to Arizona where he was hanged in 1898 for crimes committed there. Parker Anderson is writing a book on the bad man which will include his early crimes in Visalia. Visalia has its share of old west characters.


More on Fort Visalia

Recently I received an email from Eleanor Moore Bergthold regarding Fort Visalia. She gave me permission to distribute this to everyone:

“My dad, 101 year old Visalia resident Ralph Moore, shared your recent article on Fort Visalia with me yesterday when we were in Visalia. The Ed Reynolds you mentioned in your article was a first cousin to our early grandfather James Reynolds, who led a 15 wagon party to Visalia in 1853. Unfortunately, James died one day two years later at age 23 while returning to Fort Visalia. A couple of years later his widow, Nancy, married another early resident, Dr. John Cutler. From that union came the entire Cutler clan, Cutler Park, etc. John cutler also helped raise Nancy and James’ two young daughters. My dad’s grandfather, Henry Moore, who arrived in Visalia in 1863, later married one of those daughters, Amelia Reynolds.

I would strongly urge the City of Visalia, the Tulare County Historical Society and others to jump on the golden opportunity to purchase the historic Fort Visalia block that is now up for sale. What a great chance to preserve such an important piece of Visalia’s history! The location is also well-suited since it is within walking distance of downtown, the convention center, the Chamber of Commerce, and Visalia’s transportation hub.

I will be watching this unique situation with interest.”