REDISCOVERY OF OLD VISALIA MAP

Several weeks ago, Leslie Caviglia, Visalia Deputy City Manager, found an 1858 map of Visalia in storage. Endorsed by E. E. Calhoun, the Tulare County Clerk and Recorder at the time, the map is authentic and I believe it to be the first official Visalia street map. The town was 6 years old at the time it was made. How it has survived all these years is a mystery to me. Although faded, the detail on the map is amazing. Imagine Mill Creek being called Tiber and wide enough to have an island. Notice too, the hand drawn bridge over the Tiber at Bridge and Mill (now Main) streets. Efforts are underway to duplicate and preserve this wonderful piece of Visalia history. Good find Leslie.




REDEDICATION OF OLD VISALIA LIBRARY

On October 28, 2008, the 1936 Works Progress Administration (WPA) library building was rededicated. For many years the building was the pride and joy of the community, but for more than 3 decades it was relegated to storage facility status. It is again the pride and joy of the community! The dream of many was to see it restored and have it serve as a Children’s Library connected to the 1976 library building. Tulare County undertook the restoration project with substantial state funds and donations from individuals and groups alike. It was completed in 2008 and is an example of what a community can do when it is committed to keeping these classic old buildings. Visalia Heritage raised thousands of dollars to help make this project happen, and on their behalf Jane Nash was photographed as she made some appropriate remarks at the ribbon cutting ceremony.



GREELEY TOGNI RETURNS TO VISALIA

The Togni name has been in Visalia for over a century and up until the last year or so, the name has been part of Visalia’s business landscape since 1921. In that year, Charlie Togni and his brother-in-law Kenneth Branch began Togni Branch Stationary Store. In 1957 the partners sold the business to Charlie’s son Greeley, and in 1987 Greeley sold the stationary store to Pete and Dorothy Jungwirth. A couple of years ago, Greeley left Visalia due to health reasons and in 2007, the Togni Branch store closed its doors for good. It was sad to see the Togni name gone from Visalia after being a well known name for so many years here. Greeley passed away on October 22, 2008 in Folsom, California at the age of 86. Interment was at the Visalia Cemetery on October 30th.





DON’T MISS THE BOY SCOUT CABIN DEDICATION

In the 1930s, Visalia Boy Scouts built a log cabin clubhouse on the south bank of Mill Creek near Sierra Vista School. Over the years the old cabin fell into disrepair. Glen Drake, then an employee of the Visalia Unified School District, had a dream to bring it back to its glory days and he enlisted other scout “heavy hitters” to make it happen. The log cabin clubhouse was donated to the scouts and moved down Mooney Blvd. on July 27, 1999 to its new home in Mooney Grove Park. Local professional photographer and historian, Sandy Newman, snapped this once in a lifetime picture as the log cabin is trailored down Mooney Blvd.. On November 8, 2008 at 9:00am the restored log cabin will be dedicated at its new home. Come out and support the scouts and see a fine example of preserving the “old” for future generations to enjoy.






ASSORTED HAPPENINGS WORTH MENTIONING

///Did anyone else hear that Mondo is no longer at The Depot Restaurant? Hard to imagine The Depot without Mondo at the front door to greet you.

///Sounds like work is progressing on a plan to connect Visalia and Tulare using the old Santa Fe Railroad route. It’s being called the Santa Fe Trail and I understand it will be open to pedestrians and bicycle traffic and I also understand it will connect to Mooney Grove Park.

///The Visalia Masons recently conducted a Cornerstone dedication program for three Visalia schools – Manuel Hernandez, Annie Mitchell and Cottonwood Creek. Laying cornerstones has been a long tradition for the Masons and I hear they were decked out in full uniform and looked good!

///Regarding the Grubstake drive-in, Peter Cowper, tells us that in the 1960s it was called Ken and Fern’s Grubstake and Art Browning confirmed it. But the last operators of the Grubstake were Walt and Peggy Sanders. The building is still standing, but its days are numbered.


“Young man, be careful how you live. Avoid the unhallowed labyrinths of vice, where the pebbles of sin are polished and the diamond of youth is dimmed.” Visalia Morning Delta, March 27, 1898.

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.

Old Courthouse Tour

Sorry for giving such short notice on this information, but it just came up.

In the last two issues of "Historic Happenings" I have included information about the old Tulare County Courthouse located on Court Street between Oak and Center. Arrangements have just been made to tour the old courthouse interior on Monday, September 29th at 2:30pm. You are all invited to participate. For many of you this will be the first time inside the building and I understand there are some interesting features for us to see.

If you are interested in this tour, be at the old courthouse at 2:30pm on Monday. Great opportunity! Any questions please comment below, email or call me at 901-3227.

Hope to see you there.

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.”

Test Blog Post

Hi Everyone,

It has come to my attention through various ways that you have an interest in local history in some fashion. Certainly, in some case we have talked about some aspect of local history. As a means of getting the historical word out or at least stimulating historical discussion, I am using this email to accomplish that. I know we all get inundated with email and keeping up with them is difficult, but unless you tell me to not include you, I will send out via email periodic and occasional notices about “Historic Happenings” in and around Visalia. Please don’t be shy. If you would rather not get them that is OK just tell me. If you know others that would like to be included please have them email me indicating interest. My email address is histerry@comcast.net

For now emails will be sent out blind until I hear from each of you indicating that you don’t mind your email address openly displayed. Ideally an open email list is desirable so dialogue can take place between individuals on the list. As I mentioned this will be an occasional email that will focus on historical things occurring in the community, many of which will involve old buildings, activities connected to history, and historical programs. Its purpose is to inform, raise questions, solicit information and share in matters in which we all ( or many of us ) have an interest. Much of the information presented in Historic Happenings will be rumblings or rumors, but by learning and sharing, it is hoped that solid information can be obtained, so we can be better informed. In the past, many have indicated an interest in knowing what is happening historically and hopefully this will be a forum to help get the word out. I think by posing questions and /or providing information, a forum for discussion can be started about these historical topics. Initially if you would like to add something to the discussion let me know via email and I will include it in the next Historic Happenings. Again, I want to emphasize, much of the time, the material emailed to you will not be based on good solid factual information , but rather will fall into the category of the “word on the street.” I’ll try and make it worthy of your time but please forgive any grammar, punctuation or style problems.

Robin Fountain: The Robin Fountain or Birdbath restoration at the Tulare County library grounds is moving forward. For those of you not familiar with the project, Mrs Eichmann in 1944 commissioned local artist Carroll Barnes to create a marble water feature on what was then the site of the Visalia City Library. For many years it was in disrepair and it is now being restored. The plaque on the Robin Fountain reads “To the children of Visalia”. First Arts is coordinating organization with local art expert Aaron Collins taking the lead. The effort to restore the fountain is about 2/3 done. Still a little more fundraising to go. It is about a $6000 project. If you go to the East side library entrance, take a look at the birdbath in its permanent location. You can’t miss it is sure to become the Gateway to the restored children’s library. Many argue Visalia needs more public art. Here we have professional art with a historic Visalia connection.

Kathe Home Restoration: Just as a point of information, an out of the area building contractor ( although I think he grew up close by ) is restoring the old Kathe home located on the NW corner of Encina and Oak streets– directly across the street from the restored library. The contractor is interested in preserving the original structure as best he can. He has been asking about colors and so on, but unfortunately, no old photos exist showing any kind of coloration on the home. But if anyone has an information on that old house, I’ll pass it on to the contractor. Looks like it was built about 1910 and has been a triplex for a number of years and is going to be a home ( continue as a triplex ) for special needs Housing Authority tenants, I believe. The house is being “gutted” and should look super when the job is finished. You’ll know the house when you drive by. Should be very nice.

Fort Visalia: Susan Mangini has raised the question of rebuilding a replica on Fort Visalia on the lumber yard site at Garden and Oak streets. This is the site of the 1852 Fort ( birthplace of Visalia ) and it has been her desire for many years to build a replica on that site. Her recent comments to the Visalia City Council have brought the subject to the surface and it seems to have the community buzzing The block is apparently up for sale so she sees this as a golden opportunity to do something creative with Fort Visalia. Lotsa talk about that block either for sale or coming up for sale. Let’s see what happens to the site and if any more ideas surface about resurrecting old Fort Visalia. Go Susan! I’m sure Susan would love to know about other creative ideas that might be considered for that very historic site.

Old Courthouse Square: There has been recent talk about the status of the old courthouse building on Court Street between Oak and Center streets. Historically that block has been known as Courthouse Square. I am told the old WPA Courthouse building ( Finished in about 1935 ) located on Court Street is now totally vacated by county workers. The newer building on the Square still is being used. This property is owned by the county and speculation has it that the building and the surrounding grounds will come up for sale. This is a very historic site and seems to provide an opportunity for an investor. Great location! Anyone hear anything about it? Any investor groups out there? The old building has some problems but also has a lot of potential.

And then there’s Mearle’s?

Please feel free to comment on any historical topic here or about Historic Happenings in general. If at any time you want to unsubscribe from Historic Happenings, just let me know and you will be removed from the list. You obviously can forward to anyone you choose but to get Historic Happenings directly interested parties should contact me to subscribe. Nothing falls in the category of Secret in this document. Anyone that you know of that does not have an email address I will make an effort to get them a copy either snail mailed or delivered. Historic Happenings is designed to be a dialog or conversation so please comment or clarify to me and I will see that your information or questions are posted in the next HH. Brand new topics are encouraged too. This is a local history forum vehicle so you input is valued. It is hoped that this can be a great way to connect like-minded people.

At the risk of sounding repetitious. This material is for discussion purposes only and no claim is made that the information contained in Historic Happenings is true or factual in any way.

"No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that's in the right and keeps on coming."
On the tombstone of Bill McDonald, Texas Ranger