~~~~~~ ANNOUNCING ~~~~~~

Wild Tulare County: Outlaws, Rogues and Rebels

Well, if everything goes as planned, there will be a new Tulare County history book available this fall. The publisher’s projected release date for Wild Tulare County: Outlaws, Rogues and Rebels is September 28, 2012. For me it has been a challenging and demanding project, and one filled with excitement and considerable learning.

Because of the writing and general book demands during the last two months, postings for Historic Happenings have been short and have looked differently. Now that the book project is winding down, next month’s HH will revert back to its old look and expanded content.

A number of you have asked about the book. Although the title Wild Tulare County: Outlaws, Rogues and Rebels is descriptive and somewhat self-explanatory, I’d like to briefly explain the book’s contents. The tough guys included inside are some of the county’s worst and they all contributed more than their share in making Tulare County a wild place with a rough and tumble reputation. Several of the expected badmen are in the lineup, but others less known are also included.

Even though many of their evil deeds centered within the current boundaries of Tulare County, I have in some cases, included criminal activities that occurred in the early much more expansive boundaries of the county. Boundaries that originally included what is now Fresno, Kern, Inyo and Kings counties.

The book has 13 chapters, lots of photographs, references and an index. I believe Wild Tulare County adds substantially to our knowledge of county history—a history not often highlighted.

The image shown here is merely a representation of the book. The actual cover design is under construction by the publisher. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at histerry@comcast.net. 

Beware! The study of history can be dangerous and exciting.

On June 11, 2012, I received an email from Heather, a primary researcher with the Savannah Memorial Park [Cemetery] in Rosemead in southern California. In her email she said she had found the Historic Happenings blog on the internet and had seen photographs of a couple identified as Nathaniel and Matilda Vise. I had done this posting some time back. Now for the shock! Heather went on to say, “I’m sorry to tell you, but the pictures are in fact William Francis Turner and his wife Rebecca (Humphreys) Turner.”

I was surprised, disappointed and pleased all at the same time. Surprised because the couple has been the face of Nathaniel and Matilda Vise in our area and beyond for at least 40 years. Disappointed because Annie Mitchell and I, and probably others, have published these pictures purportedly showing Matilda and Nat Vise—Nat being the namesake for the town of Visalia. Pleased because anytime we can fix the historical record and improve on its accuracy that is a good thing.

Since arriving in Visalia 40 years ago, I believed the accuracy of the identification of this historic Visalia pioneer couple’s photographs—especially when Annie Mitchell published the photographs in her Tulare County history book called The Way It Was (see page 29.) Annie had received the photographs with identification from Lillian Wiggins, a descendent of Nat and Matilda. It appears Lillian made an error in her identification.

When I asked Heather how she knew our identification was wrong, she shared that through her historical research she was familiar with the pioneer Turner family from southern California and as a result was aware of the Turner autobiography called My Story written by Rebecca Humphreys Turner. The book was published by Rebecca’s daughter Maud in 1960. The book is rare, but a copy is in the San Bernardino Public Library. In the book the identical portrait photographs are shown and identified as William and Rebecca Turner (see pages 231 and 235). Thanks to Heather I have seen the Turner book. I believe this to be persuasive evidence as to the correct identification. An autobiographical book would certainly have gotten the photos correctly identified.

After checking with other local resources and communicating at length with Heather and with the son of Lillian Wiggins, I am now convinced  that the couple we have come to know as Nathaniel and Matilda Vise is in fact  William Turner and his wife Rebecca Turner.

So the hunt is on again for a picture of Nathaniel Vise. I believe we have a correctly identified photo of Matilda in the photo files in the Tulare County Library, so I think we are OK with a correct picture of her.  I will supply my investigative material to the Annie Mitchell History Room, just In case there may be people who wish more detail.

I would be happy to show the evidence and discuss the basis for my conclusion, so please contact me if you’re interested. A photograph of Nat has got to be out there someplace.

Thanks Heather for taking the time to pass along your discovery.  It is important to us that we get the historical record as accurate as possible.

Visalia's Heritage

I have been asked by the owner of this book to offer it for sale. It is called Visalia's Heritage Buildings People History and was prepared by Visalia Heritage, Inc. in 1989. This is a hardcover book with dust jacket and is the revised 2^nd edition. Beautiful book with no defects, just very slight wear on the dust jacket. This 175-page book is packed with photographs of homes and commercial buildings. This is a hard to find book and highly sought after. I have one and use it constantly. Fairly priced in this condition for $25.00. If you have and questions or would like to purchase this book, please email www.visaliahisterry@gmail.com or click on the above cover photo.

The Story of Tulare County and Visalia

I have been asked by the owner of this book to offer it for sale. It is called The Story of Tulare County & Visalia and was prepared by the Title Insurance & Trust Company. This little soft cover book contains 36 pages with great history, maps and illustrations. About 5" x 7" , it is a classic little publication written by W. W. Robinson. This is the 4^th printing, 1962. No damage or rips, just a little discoloration on the cover. A hard little book to find and I have one. I strongly recommend it. The price is $5.00. For questions or ordering information please email visaliahisterry@gmail.com or click on the above cover photo.

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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 to Carmen Bonilla for being the first to correctly identify the last mystery spot. It was the labor temple at the corner of Church and School streets, formerly Brooks Mortuary and before that it was the home of Superior Court Judge Wheaton Gray. Good job Carmen. Thanks to all of you who gave it a shot. Many of you got it right.

Okay, here are the clues for the next mystery spot.

1) Sometimes history repeats itself.
2) For many years the building housed a chain furniture store.
3) This building is in the heart of downtown Visalia.
4) The building also had an office supply store in it for a number of years.

Good luck!

 Doe Ave

Catherine Doe has been involved in family genealogy for a long time and she’s also a great historian. She tells me that Doe Ave, a street in the industrial park, was named for her grandmother, Florence Doe, who owned the property nearby.

Rare Old Train Depot Photos Discovered

Recently while visiting with Irma and George Cisneros, both local history fans too by the way, I saw these pictures framed in their home. I had never seen the photos before. Oh, I’ve seen lots of similar pictures of the old 1893 depot, but these two are from a different perspective. Both have stains as you can see, but regardless, they show some nice detail. The first one is a view looking east on Oak Street from just west of Church. Note the multiple train tracks and the fancy granite curbing that still borders courthouse square. I’d say this picture was taken about 1905. The second picture, taken I’d say about the same time, in this set also shows the depot but from a different angle and it shows the sign at the top of the building that says “Southern Pacific Freight and Passenger Station.” I’ve never seen that sign before. This building was replaced by the 1916 depot building that is now the Depot Restaurant. Thanks George and Irma, for sharing these great old pictures.

Mearle Heitzman Turns 90

Yesterday, June 2, 2012 Mearle Heitzman, the namesake for Visalia’s famous Mearle’s College-In Drive In tuned 90 years old. Annie and Doug Silveria threw a birthday party for him at their ice cream shop called Mearle’s on Main Street. There was a birthday cake, a happy birthday song, and lots of fun as Mearle and his wife Marilyn enjoyed their many friends. Bill Dilberg, the professional photographer that is absolutely everywhere and very generous with his time and talent, was there to capture the moment. These two photos are from his camera. By the way, Mearle took over the Nielsen’s Drive-In in 1961 and kept it until 1995. The birthday party was Annie’s idea and it sure was a nice way to honor the man who was responsible for many memories for so many people for so long. Happy Birthday Mearle!

Conyer School

Conyer School traces its beginning to the early 1900s. It started out as a one-story brick building. Over the years buildings were added to the campus. The school was responsible for educating many children and one was Everett “Les” Thomson who shared this class photo from March 12, 1953. He was in kindergarten at the time and is in the front row, 7th from the left. I know the faces are small but who knows maybe you can spot more kids you recognize. Thanks Les for the nice class picture and reminding us of the school’s long history.

1885 Oil Painting Shows Interesting View

I recently visited City Hall West (Johnson and Acequia) and spotted this great old framed oil painting on the wall. For some reason I had never seen it before and it was a nice surprise. The artist, Frederick Bauer, created this image in 1885 and the view is looking east from the top of the old courthouse. In the foreground of this image, on the right, you can see the Masonic/IOOF Hall which sat on the northeast corner of Church and Center streets. To the left of the Hall is the future site of the 1893 S. P. Depot (where the Depot Restaurant is now.) Very few images exist showing this particular view and it was a good one to share. Again it is available for viewing in the public area of City Hall West. Go by and take a look at it. Much better to view in person.

“This Place Matters”

The Kaweah Kollectors group is at it again! This time they are inviting everyone to a ceremony to honor Irma and George Cisneros and their beautiful circa 1870 Queen Anne home at 525 No. Court Street. On June 9, 2012 at 11:00am there will be a ceremony as part of a “This Place Matters” program and the home will be recognized for its historical importance to Visalia. At the same time the City of Visalia Historic Recognition program plaque will be unveiled. Over the years the home has had many owners, but E. O. Miller’s name has been the one most recognized. He was a prominent local attorney and businessman who also became a state senator. George and Irma have owned the home since 1981 and I can’t think of a better couple to care for this Visalia beauty. Hope you can make it next Saturday to this event. By the way the old image that you see is from a 1907 postcard and shows the Miller home on the far right.

***Susan Fawkes asked about Checker’s Drive-In restaurant which is located on Acequia near Kaweah Delta Hospital. She thought there might be some nice old history related to the building. I know a little about it, but not much. Can anyone share some history on the Checker’s building? Wasn’t it the Sno-White Drive In at one time?

***In the last HH there was question raised about the initials VMDA which appeared on an old local milk bottle. Sharon Collier seems to have found the answer and she found it on the internet. Apparently, it stands for Valley Milk Distributors Association. Thanks Sharon for that.

***Gina recently asked a cemetery question. She had heard there was another cemetery in Visalia before the existing one. She is absolutely right. Originally, Visalia cemetery was located in the area bounded by Murray, Locust, Race and Encina. In 1859, the cemetery was ordered moved. The bodies were exhumed and reburied. Did they find all the bodies? I doubt it. Be careful when digging in the area, you never know what you might find!

***Duane Davis is curious about the decorative ornaments on either side of the entrance to the downtown post office. They are interesting objects and he asks if anyone knows anything about them? By the way, they are original to the post office. It sure would be nice to know who the artist was that designed them. Another by the way, the cornerstone for that building was laid in December 1933.

*** In the last HH, Janzen’s Jewelry store was shown in one of the photographs and Jan Moffett recalled how impressed she was with the store’s “animated” displays in the front display windows. She particularly remembers the snow scene with little figures skiing downhill. This would have been before 1956. Anybody else have any Janzen memories?

***In the last HH the Rainbo Bread building was featured and so many of you commented about the wonderful bakery smells that floated over Visalia when the ovens were working. Hard to beat the smell of fresh baking, huh?

Lombardi, the Italian arrested at the instance of J. R. Coats and charged with discharging firearms in the city limits, was found not guilty by City Recorder Clack this morning. Lombardi’s defense was that a dog, which was later found to be one belonging to Coats, was engaged in chasing his chickens at the time. Judge Clack declared that a man has a right to shoot in defense of his property. Visalia Daily Times, March 29, 1909

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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 to Joseph Vicenti who was the first to identify the last mystery spot as the Las Palmas restaurant building on E. Main. Many of you correctly identified it, but he was the first. By the way, Joseph had an edge as he had previously researched the building’s history. Nice work Joseph!

Okay, here are the clues for the next one:

1) The structure was built about 1876 as a residence.
2) Superior Court Judge Wheaton Gray lived there.
3) The home was later converted into a funeral home.
4) People now hold meetings there.

Good luck!

Army Float Parade Entry
Recently, Guy Shelly, a long-time Visalian, was going through a family photo album and found this interesting shot. Probably taken about 1950, it shows Army soldiers with mortars on the back of an Army truck. This apparently was a parade entry during the Korean War era. The background of the photo shows south side Main Street between Court and Locust streets. J. J. Newberrys was at 127-129 W. Main, Locey Shoes at 119 W. Main and the Janzen Jewelry store with their street clock was at 111 W. Main. Notice the people on top of the building dangling their legs over the side. Can you imagine people to do that today?

Railroad Bridge Buried Under the Street

For the last month or so the City of Visalia has been trying to fix a “sagging surface” problem on Santa Fe Ave. just north of Main Street. It was believed that there was something below the street level that was causing the soil to give way. It looks like the mystery might have been solved. When several exploratory holes were dug under Santa Fe they found some very large timbers, some vertically driven into the soil as deep as 20 or more feet. It appears the crew had uncovered remnants of the wooden bridge built by the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad to span Mill Creek. The bridge was removed, however the timbers that were below the surface were apparently left in place. It appears that some of the below surface lumber rotted away, thus causing the ground to sag. The bridge had huge redwood posts driven vertically down deep into the soil to create the infrastructure needed for the bridge to support the heavy train. Notice this redwood post had one end carved to a point to make it easier to drive into the ground. As you can see, one of these is being pulled out. Mike Porter, with the city engineering department brought this discovery to my attention. By the way, the inaugural train for the SFSJVRR came into Visalia on September 9, 1897, which indicates the bridge was constructed in early 1897. The line later was bought by the Santa Fe.

Jaime Hitchcock Leaves Tribute to His Children

Before the Fox Theatre restoration, the landmark theater had been turned into a 3-plex. In order to accomplish the conversion, the theater owners added a floor-to-ceiling wall dividing the ground floor into two. When creating this wall, they totally obliterated the face of the genie that was sculpted above the stage. When the restoration began, George Pope who was then the lead restoration manager, invited Jaime Hitchcock, a local artist, to give his thoughts on restoring or more accurately, reconstructing the sculptured face of the genie. Jaime had experience and offered to rebuild the face, donating his time. Working only with a photograph, Jaime worked about 70 feet above the floor on shaky scaffolding with poor lighting and uncontrollable temperature fluctuations. As he worked on the project, sometimes his 6 year-old son, Tanner and his 4 year-old daughter, Calli, played on the floor of the gutted theater. Jaime finished the genie but then had to reconstruct an obliterated tile panel that had also been destroyed below the genie. He had an idea. He shared his idea with George and the result was a reconstructed decorative tile with a cast handprint belonging to his daughter, Calli on top of the panel with the word “beauty” next to it and his son, Tanner’s print on the bottom with the word “strength” next to it. What a great idea for an artist’s signature. Next time you are in the Fox look up at Jaime’s wonderful work on the genie and take a special note of his creative and lasting tribute to his children. If you look closely, the handprints can be seen from the seating area. George calls Jaime a “wonderful artist” and hear, hear to that! Thanks Jaime for generously sharing your wonderful talent and leaving a little Fox secret for future theater goers to enjoy. Note: This story was not Jaime’s idea, it was mine. It needed to be told.

Oval Service Center and Rainbo Bread

Sue Gunderman shared a great collection of photographs with me recently showing the groundbreaking and celebration party for the Oval Service Center—the building that sits at the south end of the Lincoln Oval Park. It appears that the dedication party for the groundbreaking was held across the street at the old Rainbo bakery building (now restored) just to the south of the Oval Park. The celebration was a large one and many prominent people were in attendance. The collection of photographs is undated, but the Oval Service Center building was built in 1983. Can you believe it—it’s almost 30 year old? The groundbreaking photograph shows an artist rendering of the service center building and the dignitaries from left to right are: The late Visalia Chief Building Inspector Ben Owens, Mayor Berkley Johnson, Oval advocate Pat Maxwell Finger, and late Council Member Pete Peterson. Thanks Sue for sharing these pictures, and thanks to your now, 93 year-old mom, Louise Gothard for taking these pictures. By the way, Sue’s father, Joe Gothard, now deceased, worked at the Rainbo bakery for over 50 years and his father more than 30 years before him.

Laurence Moye—Tulare County Surveyor

Recently Fred Weber, long time land surveyor in Visalia, mentioned to me that he had a photograph of Laurence Moye that had been given to him by Larry Otter, another surveyor. I had never seen it. Moye was the well-known Tulare County Surveyor (an official position.) His name appears on many early Tulare County maps. He served as the county surveyor for a lot of years and for a time was Visalia City Engineer. By the way, the lady in the photograph is unknown. Could it possibly be his wife? Also here is his re-election card, probably from about 1920. Thanks, Fred for sharing.

***Many of you responded to the question about who had the same phone number for the longest period of time. Thanks for all your responses. Looks like the winner is Charles Streeper, who has had the same phone number since 1947—that’s 65 years! Amazing!
*** The Hyde Ranch Dairy story in the last HH posting caused many of you to wonder about other Visalia area dairies. Pratt, Campbells, Swansons—can you think of any others? Also the subject of milk bottles came up, too. Anybody know what VMDA stands for on a milk bottle? Also was there a dairy associated with VMDA?

***Gary Holders mentioned that the “Spot” drive-in on Court Street. He said it was more popular than Mearle’s for teenagers in the 1950s. Any Spot stories?

***Barbara Hinds Joseph shared that her family had home milk delivery from Hyde Ranch Dairy and she remembers that at the time, milk was not homogenized. She recalled that on cold mornings the cream would rise and freeze above the top of the bottle. The cap would be sitting on the top when they retrieved it from outside.

During the last few nights a thick cloud of smoke has been wafted over town. It was caused by the smudge fires on the fruit ranches near this city. Visalia Daily Morning Delta, April 2, 1896

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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.

Marian Cote was the first to identify the last mystery spot and get this, she was the only one! I took your request for harder mystery spots seriously, huh? It was the old Southern California Edison building on the southwest corner of E. Main and Ben Maddox. Congratulations Marian and thank you for your great detective work, and thanks to all of you who took a stab at it. Now, so I don’t lose mystery spot gamers, here is a slightly easier one, I think.

Here are the clues:

1) This building is a big mystery to me as I do not when it was built, but it is clearly an old timer and has a lot of character.

2) It has been a meat market, department store and men’s clothing store.

3) It is surrounded by food, entertainment and classrooms.
4) The business currently occupying it has been there for many years.

Good luck!

The Stevenson name goes back to the very beginning of Visalia. Sebert Stevenson, the patriarch of the family, was reported to be the second white child born in Tulare County. He was born in 1854 in a house located on what is now the campus of Redwood High School. His parents came out by wagon train and Stevenson Street was named for that pioneer family.


A Little Bit of Norwalk in Visalia

Some time ago, an old photograph probably taken about 1944 was shared. Adjacent to the Oval Park was a Norwalk service station located at 101 N.E. Third operated by Ira D. Miller. On the same site in the 1930s was the Lincoln gas station. This historic part of Visalia dates back to 1875 when the Oval piece of land was designated a park. It was first called North Park. It was neglected for many years and became a dumping ground for trash; eventually, it became grazing land for sheep and cattle.

Floyd Runs for Constable

Recently, an old election card was shared. It announced the candidacy of Floyd Depew for Constable of the Visalia Judicial District. Most old-time Visalians remember Floyd as a Visalia Police Officer. He worked for VPD from 1941 until 1974, when he retired. In 1954, Floyd ran for Constable and cards like this one were handed out. Floyd is legendary figure in Visalia, and even though he is gone, his name is still remembered. Here he is shown shortly before he retired. I had the pleasure of working with him for a couple of years.

Visalia---Part of the National Historic Trail?

I was recently alerted to a National Park Service effort to get the old Butterfield Overland Mail route—all 2,800 miles of it—designated a National Historic Trail. Tulare County and Visalia played a big part in the old stage line that operated from 1858-1861. Visalia was a timetable stop and was recognized as the town offering the best welcome to the stage on its inaugural run. The Clampers put up a marker on E. Main Street in front of the old Togni/Cross building in 1973. It was near that site that the stage actually stopped. Unfortunately, the bronze stage graphic plaque of the marker has been lost or stolen and now only the bronze text portion of the marker remains. By the way I hope the Clampers would work on replacing the missing part of that marker. The community would love it and visitors, too. National designation as a historic trail would be a great thing for Tulare County and Visalia. I encourage you to take a look at the e-newsletter from the Park Service. The link is http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=45312 If you go to the bottom of this link you can click on the link called Trail Study News January 2012. There you will find some great information about the project. If you care to comment on the program, you can do it there. Thanks also to Troy Tuggle for sharing this set of Butterfield commemorative centennial U. S. stamps from 1958.

Huge Milk Bottle Marks Hyde Dairy

Richard Drath recently found some goodies from Visalia’s past in his family’s collection. One of the items was this Hyde Ranch Dairy milk bottle cap. It is in nice shape and a great old piece of local memorabilia. Many of you know about the Hyde Ranch Dairy, but in case some of you don’t, here is a little bit of history. The dairy was named for the Hyde family obviously, and was located where K-Mart is now near County Center and Hwy 198. It had a recognizable large milk bottle on the top of a high tower. It stood out prominently making it a significant landmark both on the ground and from the air. This photo shows the milk bottle as it is being lifted to the top of the tower. The truck, by the way, is marked on the side door, T. T. Godsey Contractor. The second picture was supplied by Marian Shippey Cote and shows the lineup of delivery trucks. Hyde Ranch milk bottles can still be found as well as these caps. Thanks again, Richard for preserving pieces of Visalia’s bygone era.

Old Malloch Homestead Up for Grabs

Catherine Doe, daughter of Russell and Tamara, is looking for a new location for the old Malloch homestead house located in rural Visalia. Peter Malloch homesteaded the land in 1870s and it is believed the house on the property was built about 1886. It is now in the path of development and needs to be moved if it’s going to be saved. It has lots of character and Catherine tells us that the outhouse could be thrown in to sweeten the deal, so to speak. By the way, in the back of the property an early hitching rail still stands. I wonder how old that is? Anyone interested in the possibilities with this old and historic fixer-upper, let me know. Thanks, Catherine, Tamara and Russell for letting us know about this opportunity. You can check out an early picture of this home with the Malloch family standing nearby. Go to the Tulare County Library website and see the photograph here:
http://www.tularecountylibrary.org/cgi-bin/photo_search.pl?words=malloch&how=and&sh=on&ti=on&cd=on&page=1&s=simple

***In the last HH we mentioned Jefferson School and after reading it, Brent Nunes passed along that when the school was torn down bricks were salvaged to build a neighboring home.

***In historic Visalia we don’t always think about old buildings with elevators, but we had them. The first was probably in the 1876 courthouse. The old Bank of Italy building, now the Bank of Sierra building, had (one and still does). The old Mt. Whitney Power building had one (now Quality Jewelers and other businesses), and I’m told the old Elk’s building located at Main and Locust had one, too. The Elks building burned. Someone also mentioned that the old Sweet Store had an elevator as well. Riding those early elevators was definitely a thrill ride. Carol Mathewson’s mom worked at the old courthouse and in the late 1940s, she was stuck in the elevator and in order to get out, she had to climb a ladder that extended down the elevator shaft. Know of any other elevators in early Visalia?

***Thanks to so many of you for responding to Sue Gunderson’s request for help. She asked about the rock band that visited Visalia in 1960s, but she couldn’t think of the name of the group. A number of you commented, mentioning groups such as The Association, the Grass Roots, Nitty Gritty Dirt Bank, and Beau Brummels. All of these possible were passed on to Sue. Sue now believes it was the Grass Roots that she saw. Thanks again to all of you for coming to the rescue.

***Joseph Vicenti recently asked a couple of interesting questions. "Who in the Visalia area has had the same phone number for the longest time? And which individual or company has had the same address (or PO Box) the longest?" First of all, Joseph, I will start this off. I have had the same phone number for the last 40 years. Can anybody top that? I'm sure you can.

** Kaci Hansen passed along a website she discovered called http://www.classmates.com/  On this site are many online school yearbooks including those from Visalia schools and you can check out pictures, ads, etc. Very cool. Thanks, Kaci.

…We notice the names of several loafers who “froze out” of this burg a year or so ago, figuring pretty extensively at Aurora, as secretaries of mining companies, etc. Landlords and saloon keepers will suffer some. Visalia Delta, March 5, 1863