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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. It’s fun and it’s free! I will add you to the list. I will not share your email address with anyone without your permission.



Congratulations go out to Mark Kucala for being the first to correctly identify the beautiful architectural feature on the old Security Title building located on the northwest corner of Acequia and Locust. It’s a beautiful old building and several of you got it right.

Here’s the New One!
Find the billboard:
1) This billboard is in downtown Visalia—yes, I said downtown. It is located between Conyer and Santa Fe and Murray and Mineral King Ave. I’m sure you drive by it quite often. But have you noticed it?
2) It is about 27’ wide and 12’ height, so it’s not a small billboard; it’s pretty big.
3) It is mounted relatively low to the ground and can only be seen from one direction; it’s a one-sided billboard.
4) It casts a shadow over the site of a building that once stood nearby from 1952 to 1984.
Where is this billboard? And no this is not a paid commercial ad or endorsement for Bud Light.



Mearle’s: The Momentum is Building!
Art Brumley, a former Visalian, contacted me after the last HH and offered to help do what he could to see that Mearle’s opens again. Art is not just another fan of this famous drive-in, and by the way, there are many of them, but he actually had created a Mearle’s Facebook page a year or so ago. He has hundreds of followers who value what Mearle’s has meant to them and to Visalia. On his Mearle’s Facebook site, many Mearle’s fans share their memories. Only an drive-in icon could have that kind of following—imagine a Facebook page and hundreds of followers, now that’s a following. Check it out and join in the Mearle’s conversation.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/group.php?gid=91072277297 Thank you Art for keeping the Mearle’s good times alive. We welcome HH subscribers to join us in our effort to make sure that Mearle’s opens again. Contact me and I will add you to the growing list of Mearle’s Drive-In supporters. By the way before it was Mearle’s, it was Nielsen and you can see the sign in this 1955 flood photograph.


Dinuba Blvd.
For almost 40 years I have been hearing people call one of the main northbound roadways out of Visalia “the old Dinuba Highway.” I really couldn’t figure out why for a long time. It doesn’t ever pass through the town of Dinuba, so why would it be called “the old Dinuba Highway.” The official street name of course is Dinuba Blvd. and is actually State Route 63 as it travels north to Cutler and Orosi. So how did Visalia get a road named Dinuba? The answer is, that prior to the Visalia Airport/Dinuba Highway (Road 80), which was constructed in the 1930s, Dinuba Blvd. was the most direct and popular route between Dinuba and Visalia.

Amazing Grand Opening Audio Recording - Mobil GAS Station - 1949
In the last HH, I indicated that we were still working on the grand opening audio tape for the Mobile Service Station at Mineral King and Mooney, where Marie Callender’s is now. Well we did it! Dana Lubich had provided the recording. The original 1949 recording that you will be able to listen to part of, actually lasts about 30 minutes. It was an on-scene live production. I was not able to include all 30 minutes, but was able to use the first 4 minutes or so. Listen closely to this recording and you will hear the broadcaster, Lyman Treaster of KKIN radio, talk to the owner of the new Mobile Service Station, Robert “Bob” Morris, Dana’s grandfather. Throughout the entire 30-minute tape, Lyman interviews well-known Visalia citizens, however again this only includes the first 4 minutes or so. If by chance you’d like to hear the entire recording, let me know and I would be happy to make it available to you. So sit back, close your eyes and listen to this amazing piece of history. It is sometimes garbled and a little scratchy , but keep in mind that this was on location at the Grand Opening of the Mobil Station at Mineral King and Mooney in October, 1949. (To hear the audio and view the photo, click on the arrow in the box below, lower left. You may have to adjust your volume.)

Lyman Treaster (left) Robert "Bob" Morris (right)

Patricia “Tricia” Morris at the Fox and Beyond
Speaking of Dana Lubich, he is obviously very proud of his mother, Patricia “Tricia” Morris, as he reminds us that she worked at Visalia’s Fox Theatre concession stand in 1950-1951. This photograph appeared in the Visalia’s Fabulous Fox book on page 102 but the reproduction there was of poor quality. Here is a much better picture of Tricia working the candy counter at the Fox. By the way, her involvement in the entertainment business didn’t end when she was left the Fox. Interestingly, Tricia took her love of movies and entertainment to San Jose State University and Stanford, where she became the first woman to graduate from SJSU with a degree in Radio and Television (now “and Film”). She went on to work at television station KPIX and KNTV in the Bay Area, and worked in Summer Stock Theater in Southern California. Tricia was also the daughter of Bob and Mary Louise Morris of Mobil Gas Station fame. The Morris family really knew how to make history!

The Visalia Clock Manufacturing Co. – It is about Time!
Jan Morrison contacted me about a clock she inherited. It is an unusual one as it is marked “Visalia Clock Manufacturing Co., Visalia, California.” She asked if I knew any information about the company that made it. I don’t know anything about the company, but about 10 years Harvey Hosman told me that he thought the Lipson family had something to do with the business. Anyone know anything about this clock company?

Rare Interior Photo of Mahoney Ford Dealership – Byron Rector
Darl Cecil Rector shared recently a photograph of Byron Rector, the father of her husband, Gene. Here you will see Byron on the left in the R. A. Mahoney Ford dealership in Visalia. This appears to be a parts department photo and if you look closely, you can see various items on display. Byron worked at the dealership from the mid 1920s to the late 1930s. Photographs of the interior of the Ford dealership are a rare find, so thanks Daryl for sharing this with us.


***Jan Brackett Andrews passed along a number of historical tidbits. One is that her parents moved to Visalia in 1949 when her father, John Brackett, was named Managing Editor of the Visalia Times Delta. Later he became publisher and he retired in 1974.


***Norman Atkins shared an old 1930’s era photo negative of the Southern California Gas Co. building at 401 W. Main Street. It’s a beautiful image with old cars, street light, window display showing appliances, etc. When I figure out how to get it developed or made into a print, I will share it with you in a future HH newsletter.


***This has nothing to do with Visalia, but William Martin shared a 1905 movie that he found on the internet of San Francisco before the big earthquake fire. It’s really an impressive and interesting old motion picture and it’s worth watching. By the way Sophie Britten, as I recall brought this to my attention as well, and I’m appreciative to both. Talk about a trip through time! Take a look at http://www.flixxy.com/san-francisco-1905-historical-footage.htm


“Hitting Hard Times in San Francisco – Parties have just returned from San Francisco inform us that we in Tulare County have no reason to complain of hard times. San Francisco at present leads in this respect. Whole rows of buildings in different blocks and streets are unoccupied and never before in the history of that city was the sign “to let” displayed so conspicuously and extensively as at present. Quite a number of wholesale merchants and retailers by the score are going out of business and there is no mistake that San Francisco is declining.” Visalia Morning Delta, June 3, 1893

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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.netomcast.net. I will add you to the list. I will not share your email address with anyone without your permission.

The last Mystery Spot location was correctly identified by Kathryn Miller and she did it within 14 minutes of the posting. The bronze plaque Mystery Spot is mounted on the tile water fountain at Mayor’s Park on the south side of Main Street near Park Avenue. Congratulations Kathryn and to all of you who got it right. Thanks for participating.

Ready for Another?
Here are your clues!
1) This building was built in 1923 for about $60,000.
2) It was built to house an “abstract” or title and escrow business. And the Visalia Daily Times reported when it opened, that it “is undoubtedly the finest building in California devoted entirely to the abstract business.”
3) The numbers in the address will added together total eleven (11). 4) Directly across the street in 1923 was the Martha Washington Grocery Store.
Where is this building? Good luck.

Turner Street
In 1909 Charles A. Turner, owner of the Blue Ribbon Real Estate Co. filed a plat with the Visalia City Council for a new subdivision called Parkside Tract. He filed it on his behalf and on behalf of Messrs. Dudley and Martin. The housing tract was on the west end of Main Street near Giddings. In the tract homes built on lots on Main Street were required to have values of at least $1,250. Center Street homes needed to have a value of at least $800. As a result of this subdivision, we now have Turner, Dudley, and Martin streets.

The 1935 courthouse annex building stands next to the east sidewalk on Court Street between Center and Oak. People oftentimes wonder why it was placed so close to the sidewalk and street, and why it is so offset on the lot. This should help answer that question.

James “Cal” Shepherd: Airplane Crash About 1951?
Recently, someone asked about James “Cal” Shepherd. They produced an article about his fatal car crash, but they were looking for more information on a plane crash involving him in about 1951, which was somehow related to the Piepgrass Airport (small airfield north of Visalia). Cal was apparently seriously injured in that crash but survived, only to be killed in an automobile accident near Nogales, Arizona in 1953. I have not been able to find any information about that airplane crash. If anyone knows anything about this plane crash, please let me know. By the way, his father was Visalian Pete Shepherd, I think the Chevy dealer.

Mearle’s Group is Being Formed. You Are Invited.
Mearle’s College Drive-In has a long history as being a gathering place. Whether it was a place to meet for a date or whether it was a car rendezvous point for a car club, or whether it was just a family dining destination, Mearles has been bringing people together for about 70 years. Well, it’s doing it again. A group is being formed to explore ways to get this Visalia icon back in operation again. So just think, it is becoming a gathering point again. Please call me at (559) 901-3227 or email me if you would like to be part of this “forming group.” And yes, Mearle and his wife Marilyn are part of the group as well.

Nancy Barnes Has Many Memories To Share
As I mentioned in the last HH, new subscriber Nancy Barnes has deep and wide Visalia/Tulare County roots and boy is she willing to share. Her knowledge is broad and her interests are varied. Here is a small sampling of some future HH topics that she will share with us.
***The Sims Cling Peach—and her family connection; also the Dawson Peach
***The Clotfelters
***The Spaldings
***Palace Hotel—Her father jumped from the 2nd story during a fire
***Taylor’s Hot Dog Stand
***Lots of Visalia Schools
And the list goes on and on. So, stand by. Oh, did I mention she danced on stage at the Fox? Nancy is in this photo. Can anyone pick her out? By the way, several HH subscribers are in this Claudia Allred Ward photograph.

Judge W. B. Wallace Comes to California by Covered Wagon
Kathy McGowan, Tulare County Museum Curator, and I have been working with Sue Hudgins-Hodes. Sue was hunting for a photograph of one her early relatives named William Brown Wallace who later became a judge here in Visalia. We were able to help her with a photo and she offered us a copy of a diary in which Wallace (who became Superior Court Judge here) was mentioned. Judge Wallace, as a baby, crossed the plains in a covered wagon traveling from Missouri to California during the 1849 Gold Rush. These are photos of Tulare County Superior Court Judge Wallace that we were able to provide to her. Sue tells us the diary is very interesting.

***Still working to get the 1949 grand opening Mobil Gas Station interview on HH. Adding an audio file is proving difficult to do, but we’re going to give it another try. Stay tuned. It will be worth the wait.
***The miniature dollhouse called The Visalian is getting closer to being back to Visalia. As soon as I hear it’s in route or here HH will let you know.

“Immigrants are coming into the country faster than ideas into Congress.” Visalia Delta, January 16, 1880

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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.

James Hitchcock was the first to correctly identify the Mystery Spot tile pattern as being on the old 1928 Biswell and Mahoney Building on the southeast corner of Garden and Center streets. This was the brick building the Ford dealership built after they sold the W. Main Street property to the William Fox organization for the Fox Theatre. It is now occupied by Provost & Pritchard. Good job James on quickly identifying the location and congratulations to all of you who were able to get it right.

Another Mystery Spot—Are You Ready?
This bronze plaque is mounted on an old tile water feature in Visalia. Where is the water feature? Here are your clues:
1) The water feature is visible from Main Street
2) The water feature has an Italian neighbor
3) The water feature resides in a grassy area between a creek and military veterans
4) The wooded area is named after Visalia’s highest ranking elected official.
OK so where is the plaque? Good Luck!

Smokey Yunick—Not Just Another Sequoia Field Cadet
As you may recall, I mentioned in the last HH that I was given a challenge by David Beatie who asked if I knew of a man named Smokey Yunick in Visalia’s history. I didn’t, so I put the question out to HH readers. Several of you indicated you knew the name and knew of his connection to auto racing, but did not know any connection to Visalia. But one of the responses I received was quite a surprise. The email came from Daytona Beach, Florida, and it was from Trish Yunick, Smokey’s daughter. She told me that Henry “Smokey” Yunick, her father, had trained at Sequoia Field as a pilot during World War II. I called her by telephone to ask more about him and she explained her dad had discribed his Visalia experiences in his autobiography called Best Damn Garage in Town. She indicated she had a website, so if you’d like to check out the book, you can see it at http://www.smokeyyunick.com/ Thanks Trish, for your help in solving the Smokey Yunick mystery. Sounds like he was a very special guy and he really was part of our history! David, how’s that for solving the challenge? Do you have any more information to add to the story of Smokey? Both of these photographs are of Smokey. One of them shows him standing at the Visalia Gateway sign ( anyone know where this sign was? ) and the other is his class photo which appeared in the 1944 Sequoia Field Propwash 44B Class Book. Trish, if you do not have a Propwash photo of your dad let me know and I will make you one.

Apple Orchards in Visalia? You Betcha!
Marian Shippey Cote was one of the winners of the ROVER (Rootin’ Out Visalia’s Exciting Record) challenge and she won the old Visalia apple crate label. The label was somewhat mysterious to me and I believed it to be rare. Who would have ever connected Visalia with apple orchards? The nice old label advertised “Fancy White Astrachan Apples, Grown by James L. Parks of Visalia.” Once Marian received the label, she did her normal amazing investigative work, and come to find out, she even knew Virginia, the daughter of James L. Parks. Here is part of what Marian found out:
“I talked to Virginia Parks at length yesterday and got all the information. Her father, James Luther Parks, did have some apples here that were really big which he had planted and then grafted. He decided to sell them down south sometime in the 40’s so that is when the labels were produced. Virginia said that it turned out that the apples bruised and did not ship well and he had to abandon that. He ended up selling them on the street and they had many happy customers as they were great for cooking.

As always, Marian, I appreciate your skills at ferreting out our history.

A Piece of Visalia’s Horse & Buggy Days is Back
Well, the restoration of the buggy step is complete. David Arreola, who works for the Dennis Goebel Concrete Co., finished the restoration work on January 22, 2010. The plaque and dedication ceremony remain to be done and will probably take place some time in the spring 2010. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks to the following organizations and individuals who have made this restoration possible: Kaweah Kollectors, City of Visalia, Lynne Brumit, Sandy Newman, Steve Salomon, and James and Shirie Drath. This relic of Visalia’s horse and buggy days will now be around for many years as a reminder of Visalia’s interesting history.

The video shows David preparing the buggy step for concrete.

Mearle’s College Drive-In – For 70 Years An Icon
Mearle’s continues to be on the minds of people, with the graffiti being the latest event attracting attention to the old landmark. Brian Stone, an HH subscriber, commented that he was not happy about the vandalism there. He said “The picture of the Mearle’s building all graffitied up … was truly upsetting.” Others are expressing the same frustration. Many are asking when the owners of the building are going to be held accountable. The graffiti by the way has been painted over.

Speaking of Mearle’s, the building turns 70 years old in September of this year. Over the years, the old drive-in building has become an icon and there has never been a doubt as to the old drive-in’s status as a local and national landmark. In the last few days while watching national news on television, I saw a commercial that attracted my attention. It was a Cargill commercial explaining their new healthier cooking oil designed especially for cooking french fries, The theme of the commercial was old drive-ins and nostalgia and throughout the 30 second commercial, drive-in restaurants were pictured. And guess what? Mearle’s Drive-In was one shown! You have to look quickly, but clearly the famous Visalia restaurant is one of the featured photographs. Take a look at the 30 second commercial at http://www.cargill.com/company/advertising/french-fries/index.jsp . On the right side you will see a box titled “Television Commercial”. Click on the words “Fitter French Fries” and once the video screen appears, click on the arrow button on the bottom, to play. Watch closely and within a few seconds you will see a picture of Mearle’s Drive-In on the left side of the commercial. Another example of Mearle’s status as a landmark! Something needs to be done to see that this famous Visalia icon is brought back to its glory years. We need at big 70th birthday bash for the old timer! Thanks to Lucinda Lewis for her gorgeous photo of Mearle's at its best!

Mobil Station ------ What a Grand Opening in 1949
Dana Lubich, grandson of R. L. “Bob” Morris, shared with me the very interesting story of his grandfather’s Mobil Gas Station on the Northeast corner of Mineral King and Mooney Blvd. On the site now is Marie Callender’s restaurant. The Mobil Gas Station opened on October 27, 1949. The opening was big news and radio station KKIN 1400 on the dial was there with local radio personality Lyman Treaster. Lyman was “on the air” at the grand opening and interviewed a number of customers as they arrived at the service station. The on-scene radio broadcast lasted about 29 minutes and a recording of that radio event was preserved by Dana. It is scratchy, but understandable and I hope to have a portion of the recording in the next HH for you to enjoy. The recording includes interviews with various local people like Bob Morris, Reg Durham, Harold Barnhardt, Dick Ball, Lawrence Romanazzi, Ed Sullivan and Chuck Erhorn. Dana would be interested in hearing from you and if you have any stories about the Mobil Station or the General Petroleum Plant that was located on Highway 198. Email me at histerry@comcast.net and I’ll pass any information on to Dana. Thanks Dana for preserving the old recording

**Duane Copley said that the morning of the Elks building fire, he was gong to work with his dad, John. They stopped to watch the fire for a time and the next day realized that a wall to the building had collapsed onto the area that they had been standing. Quite a close call!

**A number of you responded with comments about Harold Fox, the brother of murder victim Bonnie Clutter in the book “In Cold Blood.” Harold Fox, I find out has touched so many people’s lives over the years. What an amazing man with a huge following!

**Nancy Barnes is a new HH member and I can tell based on contact so far lots of interesting local history will be coming our way from her.

“Stockton has a preacher who describes hell so realistically that his hearers can hardly be restrained from turning in a fire alarm.” Visalia Daily Morning Delta, September 29, 1893

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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.

Tiles, Tiles & More Tiles
This beautiful set of tiles adorns a nice old building in Visalia. Where is it? Here are the clues:
1) The building opened for the first time in 1929.
2) “Quality Is Job 1” was a slogan connected to the business that operated in this building.
3) A man named William Fox had something to do with its construction
4) When built it had more “floor space” than any other building of its type in the county.
Where is this building? Good luck.


There are at least three of these iron couplers or curb clamps in Visalia. These 3 are near each other on the east curb line of Court Street between Main and Center streets. Have you seen them? Have you seen any more in Visalia? They are very interesting. It appears as if when the separate blocks of granite curbs were placed on the street, these iron couplers or clamps were used to keep the adjacent granite curb blocks in alignment. The clamps were probably forged in a Visalia blacksmith shop in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Mearles Gets Tagged ! – Talk About Getting Hit When You’re Down!
Today I was told that Mearle’s got tagged. In the last day or two taggers got on the roof of the classic old drive-in and spray painted much of the upper portion. How much more can this old building take? The no trespassing cable surrounding the property is gone, glass panels on the front door have been smashed and now graffiti. This old Visalia landmark is crying out for attention. Is anyone listening?

“In Cold Blood” – A Visalia Connection
Recently, Kathy Miller, an HH subscriber asked a question that I found very interesting. Here is her email: “A friend of mine was reading a book by Truman Capote, “In Cold Blood”…it’s about a Kansas family brutally killed in cold blood and the search for the killers. The story takes place around 1959. Well, the mother that was killed had a brother who lived in Visalia, CA, his name is Harold Fox. Supposedly the story is true. The wife’s maiden name is Fox, and she married Herb Clutter. So my friend was wondering if the Fox family is still in Visalia.”

The murder that took place in the book In Cold Blood did take place in 1959. I do not realize it, but it is based on a true story and with this book, Capote introduced the “non-fiction” novel. The book describes how the husband (Herb), wife (Bonnie) and two children were murdered in Holcomb, Kansas. To help me run down the Visalia connection, I asked HH subscriber and super sleuth extraordinaire, Marian Shippey Cote to work the case. She indeed found information that led me to be the answer. Her work led me to Harold Fox, a 92-year old man living in rural Visalia. He in fact, was Bonnie’s brother. When I talked to him about the loss of his sister, he mentioned that in 1959, the year of the murders, he had declined all interviews with the press related to his sister death. Now he was willing to talk and we had a nice chat. He’s a very nice man, and thanks Kathy for the email, and thanks Marian for your investigative talent.

Dotty Dean Fire
A few weeks ago, Jan Morrison, HH subscriber, mentioned to me, what she called, the Dotty Dean fire. At the time it didn’t sound at all familiar to me. However, when she showed me the photograph, I knew exactly the fire she was referring to. I knew it as the Elks Club building fire. On December 1, 1959, mysteriously the old 1917-1918 building caught fire and burned beyond repair. Jan was at the fire with her father, Leo Morrison, who took this picture. The Elks building was in the heart of Visalia on the southwest corner of Main and Locust streets. The fire wiped out a nice classic old Visalia building.

Ralston Purina
Mary Alice Johnson, an HH subscriber and former employee of the Ralston Purina Co. here in Visalia shared some Ralston photos recently. The Ralston Purina Co. bought the milling company on on the southeast corner of Main and Santa Fe streets in about 1946. Here you can see the Ralston building with the Santa Fe Railroad Depot on the far right. The S. F. Depot sat on the southwest corner. Ralston Purina burned to the ground in 1967. Photographs of the Ralston Purina Co. are hard to come by, so thanks Mary Alice for making these available.

**Thanks to all of you who took time out to comment about the Vic Lombardi inquiry. As you recall, he was a former Brooklyn Dodger and several of you knew him or knew of him. Doug Rains also passed along that Al Gionfriddo also lived in Visalia and was on the 1947 Brooklyn Dodger team. Larry Baldassaro said that both Lombardi and Gionfriddo were inducted into the Dodger Hall of Fame in 1993. By the way, I believe Jackie Robinson got his start with the Dodgers in 1947, too.

** Mary Beattie, an HH subscriber, introduced me to her husband, David, the other night and he issued a challenge to me to find out some history on a man known as Smokey Yunick. I have asked around, checked all my resources and no luck. David is this a joke? Anyone know anything about a man who lived in our area named Smokey Yunick? Great name! I really need to know about him!

** The idea of placing historic plaques on old Visalia buildings is coming up again. I certainly hope it actually happens as we have some old time buildings that deserve the recognition.

** More buggy step donations have come in, including one from Steve Salomon, Visalia’s City Manager. His personal donation and the sizeable donation from the Kaweah Kollectors will make it possible to get the step restored this month. Could use more donations for the dedication event though. Thanks to all of you who have donated to this worthy project so far.

“That the practice of dumping trash in the streets, alleys and side walks of the city must cease was the declaration of City Street Superintendent Henry, Saturday.

The equivalent of 1,000 ordinary wagon loads of trash were hauled away by the city, the Street Superintendent said, during the recent cleanup campaign. The cost to the city was about $400.” Visalia Morning Delta, May 3, 1914

ROVER IS NOW OVER!

Rover started his hunt Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at about 11:30am, and today Thursday, January 7, 2010 at about 11:15am it ended with Randy Groom first to find the treasure. Imagine all that detective work in less than 24 hours. Amazing job Randy! After Randy, Dana Switzer came in 2nd at about 12:25pm, Marian Shippey Cote came in third at about 2:25pm. Congratulations to the top 3, you guys were really good!

Thanks to all of you who took part or watched on the sidelines. I know the poetry was brutal on everyone, but I’m thinking with more practice I could really become good! I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if from time to time I included some in HH. New membership to HH could soar! Well, maybe I’ll rethink the poetry thing.

Behind the scenes there were lots of people involved that need to be thanked. My wife, Lari who puts up with my quirky ideas and who is the webmaster for Historic Happenings; J. M. and Peggy Bragg who generously donated the fire alarm box; Bill Dillberg, the gentleman who spent considerable time on the telephone with many of you giving you clues; and my daughter Lyndsay who also puts up with her dad’s quirky ideas. (It was she you saw on her website along with our little granddaughter, Maggie.) And then of course the retail businesses deserve a lot of thanks for letting Rover come into their stores. Specifically, Quality Jewelers owned by Paul Heidenreich, The Pauline Collection owned by Liz McClelland, and Link’s Men’s & Women’s Wear owned by Tom and Bob Link, all were such good sports in the Rover challenge. I appreciate their community spirit. Also, it is my understanding that the Tulare County Elections Office and the Tulare County Library were bombarded with inquiries about clues, and I thank all of the county employees for their work.

So the first Rover Challenge is over. Should there be a Rover challenge II? If so, what changes or new ideas do you have? Please let me know. One more thing, if you are dying to know the answer to one or more of the clues in Rover, let me know and I’ll be happy to fill you in.

We Have A Winner !

BUT Wait…

Rover Is Not Over!
There will be a prize award for the 2nd and 3rd place winners. It was actually my wife’s idea. She wanted others who worked hard to get something too.

The Grand Prize (fire alarm box) has just been won, but two more prizes are going to be given away. So the Rover player who finishes 2nd will get the choice of:

**3 original and complete Visalia Morning Delta newspapers. Each is 8 pages in length so you get 24 pages of news from November and December 1927. World news, US news, and local news including local classified ads and business advertisements, all packed in these old newspapers. They are fun to read and a great way to learn history. Each sheet measures about 18” x 22” and suitable for framing. Great collection here, and these 83-year old newspapers make wonderful textbooks to expose children to history. The 3 Visalia Morning Delta newspapers include the following dates:

1) November, 13, 1927

2) December 8, 1927

3) December 9, 1927

OR

**You can choose a beautiful old original Visalia fruit crate label for fancy apples, grown and packed by James L. Parks, Visalia, California. It is in color and measures about 10 ½” x 9”; it’s a beauty. It shows a dog, not Rover unfortunately, but a hunting dog. I don’t know much about the label, but it would make a nice research project. I guess it to be from the 1940s. Very suitable for framing.

Again, the second place finisher gets choice of either the newspaper collection or the apple box crate label. Third place winner gets the remaining prize.

Thanks to all of you who played Rover and the plan is to do another Rover challenge in a few months. Suggestions for the next one are always welcome. Prizes, ideas, clues and clue locations are especially welcome.

Once the 2nd & 3rd place winners are identified, I will announce all of the winners of the first Rover Challenge.

P.S. I am thinking about Rover T-shirts! What do you think?

Rover Is Unleashed

The Challenge Has Begun!

Good Hunting!

What is Rover?
Rover means Rootin’ Out Visalia’s Exciting Record. It is a treasure hunt challenge designed to lead you from one clue to another. The first person to successfully go through all the clues will win the prize. Rover is first of all, about you having fun. It is designed to let you feel the excitement of the hunt. Secondly, in the course of “Rootin’ Out”, you will undoubtedly learn something about Tulare County and Visalia history. Fun and learning local history go together.

Object of Rover:
The object of Rover is to be the first one to get the clues, decipher them correctly, and follow them to the treasure.

Rover Etiquette:
Rover is suppose to be fun, and in the course of the hunt you will come in contact with people involved in the challenge, so an appropriate please, thank you, excuse me or I’m sorry will always be appreciated. Rover will also take you to places of business with customers, so please be considerate to those that allowed us to use their business location.

Rover Eligibility:
Only those on the Historic Happenings subscription list are eligible to participate and win the treasure.

Rover Rules:
**Pretty simple. Follow the clues. Use whatever resources you can muster. Remember the first HH subscriber to reach the prize wins.
**No one connected with any of the clue locations is eligible to participate.
**If you have questions about the Rover rules or anything about the challenge you can email me at histerry@comcast.net or call me at (559) 901-3227.

Rover Treasure:
Obsolete and original Visalia Fire Alarm Box

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!
Here is your first set of clues. The clues that follow will identify the telephone number of a well-known gentleman who is anxious to help you move to the next clue. He’ll only help you if you follow these instructions exactly (more about that later.) But before you talk to him, you need to decipher his 10-digit telephone number:

**The first 3 digits of his telephone number is the area code. His area code number is assigned to a portion of the San Joaquin Valley. If you add the individual numbers together, it adds up to a total of 19.

**The next digit in the telephone number is the number of election precincts the Tulare County Court of Sessions established for the county in 1852.

**The 5th digit is the number of comedians that made up the famous comedy team in the classic 1930 film called Soup to Nuts.

**The 6th is the number used by early travelers to our area in and around Visalia which describes the number of creeks. This area was known as _________ Creeks.

**The 7th and 8th digits are the two numbers used in the 1920s and 1930s to describe a patron at a bar who was not to be served any more alcohol or a patron who was asked to leave the bar. Some still use this 2-digit term today.

**The last two digits are the year in the 1800s when Fresno County was formed breaking off the northern section of Tulare County.

Well, there you have it. Once you are satisfied that you have the correct telephone number, check it with the following: If your number is correct, the total of all the numbers added together should be 54.

When you are ready to make the call, have a pen and paper handy. You will need to take notes. Punch in the number. When the gentlemen answers say these exact words, “Terry told me to call.” He will then give you instructions to the next clue. If his voicemail picks up when you make your call, leave the following message, “Terry told me to call” and leave a clearly stated call-back number and your name, nothing else.

If you fail to follow these directions precisely, you will not get the next set of clues. Good luck.