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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list, 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 never share your email address with anyone without your permission.

Nice work Jaime! Jaime Hitchcock was the first person to correctly identify the mystery spot as the old Boy Scout building now housing Ameriprise at 221 No. Encina (Oak and Encina.) The glass blocks were the obvious giveaway and are clearly a unique feature of this building. The majority of you that correctly identified it remembered the building as the Visalia Boy Scout office of some years ago.

Now for the next mystery spot. Here are your clues:

            1. This building seems out of place in the downtown area.

            2. It dates back to about 1923.

            3. There are more than one of these in Visalia.

            4. It is located near the street that was named for the family of the builder.

Where is this building? Good luck.

I received this information from Bill Adair. Roeben Road or Street as it is called now is named for William "Bill" Roeben. He was born in Germany and settled in Texas. He married Antonia Vogelsang and the couple moved to Visalia in 1903 and farmed west of town.

Visalia Theater Sign in Pizza Parlor

Patrick Barszcz recently sent me this picture. He saw it on display at the Planing Mill Pizza Shop at 514 E. Main Street and apparently the sign came from the old Visalia Theater which opened in 1949. Is this the old original theater sign? Maybe a replica was put up when the Enchanted

Playhouse took over? Anyone know the story of the sign switch?

Visalia Recreation Band Photograph Appears

Recently I was presented with this photograph. As you can see printed above the band members is Visalia Recreation Band. The band members and band director are unnamed. Surely this circa 1955 photograph has recognizable people. Can anyone help?

No Wilting of Peter Perkins' Flowers

Several of you recently mentioned to me Peter Perkins Flower Shop. First of all Peter Perkins was an actual man. He opened his flower shop at 116 No. Court Street on October 17, 1914. The business is still operating in Visalia, although it has changed locations several times over the years and has a different owner. Next year Peter Perkins flowers will celebrate its 100th year in business. Quite an accomplishment! The first photo shows a Peter Perkins advertising display at the 1920 Visalia Fair. The second one shows the flower shop when it was located at Floral and Willow streets. I would love to hear some Peter Perkins Flower stories. Anyone know anything about Peter Perkins himself?

Interesting Old Court Street Photograph

Recently I received a photograph, circa 1900, that shows Court Street with a view looking south near Oak. On the immediate right you can see the Templar's Hall building (balcony posts) with the Palace Hotel annex on the left in the foreground. Next to it is the actual Palace Hotel. The Harrell Building can be seen behind the Palace Hotel. On the right is the City Stable and the Visalia Times newspaper office. The man in the foreground looking back is unidentified. This photographic view is pretty rare. The second image is a current view from the same vantage point.

***I recently wrote a story about downtown Visalia which included Ken Schelling, an important personality in downtown history. Ken's insight into downtown is remarkable and very interesting. You can read the article in the April 2013 Lifestyle Magazine. It's a beautiful magazine and can also be found online  at  http://issuu.com/lifestylemagazine/docs/ls1304  The article is on page 40.

*** Regarding Robbin's Music store. Many of you remembered Robbins but remembered it at 300 So. Locust Street. Apparently it started on Main and later moved to Locust.

***I received this inquiry recently from a person who shared the following: "My family settled in the Visalia/Hanford area in the 1920s. My grandfather James Sweeney is in the biographical history. My grandfather Dilbeck worked in the Dodge garage on Main. I am trying to find the early Swedish owned bakery in Visalia It was owned and run by a Swedish family but I can't find early history including businesses. Bothof's website doesn't include history so not sure if that would be it." Can anyone help this person?

***Chad Holman also had an inquiry and asked about a so-called Visalia "hanging tree." According to the story he heard, the tree was used to "lynch" African Americans when Visalia had an active Ku Klux Klan. Anyone have any information about this hanging tree?

***J. C. Hickman, retired reporter and editor of the Visalia Times Delta inquired about the brass or bronze plaque that had been on the L. J. Williams Theater identifying the building as the original Montgomery Auditorium. I mentioned to him that I had seen the plaque several years ago, but he asked me to check to see if it was still there. I did, and found that the L. J. Williams Theater no longer had the plaque. I asked a school employee about it and they said it had been stolen several years ago, apparently a victim of metal thievery.

***In the last HH I mentioned the Visalia Vapor Trailers and indicated I heard that a history was being written about the organization. Anyone have a good "sand cast" aluminum window plaque? I'd love to share it with the rest of the HH readers. I am certain some still exists.

***Joseph Vicenti asked if anyone knew where the huge old Hyde Ranch Dairy milk bottle went after the dairy disappeared. The bottle weighed just over 1 ton!

***Visalia Heritage, Inc. wants everyone to visit their new blogsite and sign up for periodic postings. It sure looks nice. Check it out at www.visaliaheritage.blogspot.com

***I'm glad several of you were able to identify relatives in the old track photo that was in last HH. Always fun to see recognizable faces in old photographs.

“The plan of giving nickel dances will be followed at the Steuben hall hereafter on Saturday nights. That each dance will cost the gentlemen a 5-cent piece, and he can dance but once or as often as he pleases, provided he has a sufficient number of 'five centses.' This plan has been followed with much success elsewhere.” Visalia Morning Delta, April 7, 1909

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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list, 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 never share your email address with anyone without your permission.

Congratulations to Steve Gerrard for his quick and accurate identification of the latest mystery spot. The mystery spot of course is the beautiful law office of Russ Hurley and Phil Laird. The old restored building and beautiful property at School and Floral streets once belonged to Dr. Combs and his wife Maude. Good work Steve, and again, congratulations.

Now for the new one. Here are the clues:

1.      This is not an ancient building

2.      At one time it housed a business machine store

3.      The building appears to have been built in the late 1940s

4.      This building is close to another building that is used frequently by those seeking information. As you can see, this novel building has glass blocks as part of its construction.

Where is this building? Good luck.

Visalia’s Mexican Concert Band

I recently received a great old photograph that belonged to Pat Finger, now deceased. Her daughter, Kathleen, found it with her mom’s things. The band members shown here are posing on the Tulare County Courthouse steps here in Visalia and are identified on the back. The leader of the band was Celso L. Rojas. Louis Salazar and Rojas would occasionally tour as solo musicians leaving the band in Visalia under the

control of Pedro Grajeda as the band leader. This photograph has conflicting dates of 1918 and 1912, but regardless, it’s an old timer. I do know the band existed as early as 1908. Thanks, Kathleen, for finding this great old photograph. So few pictures exist of Visalia’s Hispanic pioneers. Recognize anyone? Let me know if you do.

Remembering the Titantic—101 Years Ago

Even though the sinking of the Titanic had no connection to Visalia, the catastrophic incident was widely reported in the local newspaper. Dana Lubich reminded me that this month, April, 2013 is the 101^st anniversary of the sinking and the loss of so many lives. Thanks, Dana, for not letting us forget this tragic event in history.

The Giant Milk Bottle – Hyde Ranch Dairy

Steve Blackwood recently shared a memory of the Hyde Ranch Dairy located near what is now the K-Mart Shopping Center. The ranch was known for the large 21’6” milk bottle (used as a water tank) mounted on a high tower. The bottle weighed slightly over 1 ton. The tower was 40’ high and the bottle was placed on it in about 1926. Steve reflected back to his youth and said, “Hyde Dairy was across the street from my house on Linda Vista. Spent many an afternoon walking through the alfalfa fields to unload trucks there. We used to climb the derrick to the big milk bottle they used as a water tower.” Steve, glad you survived the climbs. This photograph shows how the bottle was raised to the tower.

Bartell Todd Gave Visalia Gas

Another great old picture made it to me recently. Remember the Bartell Todd Texaco service station and garage (309 W. Main Street) across from the Fox Theatre? Bartell Todd bought the Featherstone Service Station in 1922 and turned it into a very well-known and popular spot. This 1929 photograph shows employees, some in uniform. The building on the far left with the “Nash” sign on it, still stands with Café 225 occupying part of it. The only person identified is Joe Angelastro, fifth from the left. Visalia’s downtown had many gas stations in its early days and now almost all are gone. The Bartell Todd building was replaced by Visalia’s new Sears building in about 1950. Thanks Sharon, for preserving this great old photograph and sharing it with us.

The 1945 Visalia Union High School Track Team

Recently, Harold Lee Edwards shared this beautiful old photograph showing the Visalia Union High School track team with the athletes identified. It is dated May 1945 and the picture was taken inside the “bowl” at the east end. I recognize so many names including Sam Sciacca, Bob Bricker, and others. If you see people you recognize,  please let me know and for sure let them know. Also let me know if you

are in here.  Anyone still have this “V” shirt complete with wings? Great looking track shirt. Please let me know if you have one.

Robbins Meant Music to Visalia

Moneka Simmons recently shared some of her Visalia memories. She mentioned one business that is not often mentioned…the Robbins Music Store. It was on Main Street next to the Bank of America building. It was started by Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Robbins in 1920. Over its long life it offered pianos, organs, phonographs, televisions, radios and appliances and sheet music for sale. Moneka recalls when it carried records as well. She said, “We loved that place back when I was a kid. We could go into the store and choose a 45-rpm record that we wanted to hear, then we could go into a glass booth and play it to decide if we wanted to buy it or not.” The photo shown here is the store at the time of the 1945 flood. Anyone know when Robbins’ closed?

***It was silenced and now we’re getting our voice back! Yes, the Valley Voice newspaper is starting up again with its first issue scheduled to be published in June. It is going to be published bi-monthly and be pretty much like the old VV. An interview with U. S. Congressman Devin Nunes will be featured in the first new issue. News and story ideas are welcome and encouraged and can be sent to Catherine or Joseph at news@ourvalleyvoice.com. Best of luck!

***Moneka Simmons shared another memory of Visalia. Not sure when this was, but it sure sounded like a dangerous Halloween. She said, “It was all out war on Main Street. Dirt clods, rotten eggs, tomatoes, you name it – a solid barrage of stuff being thrown at people walking and also cars cruising up and down Main. It was awesome until the ‘city fathers’ again got tired of cleaning up the mess up and down the street the next morning. I have heard that people came from San Francisco and other places to see it.” Wow!

 ***For a long time I have heard from many of you mentioning an organization called the Visalia Vapor Trailers. That hotrod organization dates back decades and many people were part of the group. Many still do belong. I also heard that a member of the group is writing the history of the organization and I am looking forward to reading it. Hope it comes out soon.

***Michelle Lang is an independent film producer who has announced a new film called “Lost on Purpose.” The story is based in and around Visalia  and here is an interesting and  short description of the film with the actors and the producer. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/273375852/lost-on-purpose      Good luck to you Michelle and everyone involved.

“Forty-one persons, mostly Chinese, were arrested in gambling raids last night by the Visalia Police Department. Establishments at 405, 409, 410 and 414 East Center street were raided. All persons taken into custody were taken before Police Judge Gareth W. Houk and paid fines totaling $890.” Visalia Times Delta, May 14, 1938.

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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list, 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 never share your email address with anyone without your permission.

We have a new winner! Al Williams who just happened to be the co-editor of the Oak Yearbook in 1954 was the first to get the mystery spot correct. The mystery spot was the building that housed the Automobile Club of Southern California at 520 W. Mineral King. It was there for a number of years and in 2004 to was moved to make way for the multi-story Kaweah Delta hospital building that occupies the space now. The old Auto Club building now sets on the northeast corner of Oak and Stevenson streets (732 W. Oak). This mystery spot proved to be a very difficult one, so Al, good job!

Now for the new one. Here are the clues

1. This building served as a residence for Dr. James Combs and his wife.

2. It was built in about 1902.

3. It is a beautiful downtown office building now.

4. It has the building owner’s name in letters over the front entrance.

Where is this building? Good luck.

Visalia’s Fascinating and Mysterious Mill Creek

Not many towns can boast a creek flowing through the middle of it, but Visalia can. Mill Creek is one of the many water channels that are part of our area, creating a delta (Kaweah Delta.) Historically because of these channels we were right in the heart of what was known as Four Creeks Country. Mill Creek has quite a history. It has been the source of terrible grief and the cause for great pride. I am doing an article about the local waterway and I’d like to hear your stories and experiences with it. I especially want to hear from anyone who took inner tube rides through the subterranean channel as it flows underneath downtown buildings, parking lots and streets. Please email me your Mill Creek stories.

Lynne Brumit Shares Local History

Lynne Brumit has been an HH follower for a long time and she has also been a keeper of relics of local history for even longer. Recently, she shared many of her treasurers including her books, newspapers and memories. Even though she does not live in Tulare County now, she returns occasionally to visit friends. Of special interest to me was this 1983 Visalia calendar. As you can see, these 30-year old calendar features the City Council at the time. In that year Visalia had a population of slightly less than 55,000. Now we are over 125,000. Thanks Lynne for sharing your goodies.

Pioneers in Paradise – New Book by Sophie Britten

A new book has just been released written by Three Rivers native Sophie Britten. Pioneers in Paradise: A Historical and Biographical Record of Early Days in Three Rivers, California 1850s to 1950s is the only publication I know of that focuses on Three Rivers history. The book has been a long time overdue and Sophie was clearly the one to do it. Obviously Three Rivers is the focus, but Visalia also plays a role in the book. You can order Pioneers in Paradise by going to http://www.brittenbooks.net/  Thanks Sophie for such a nice historical gift to Tulare County and especially Three Rivers.

John Shannon Gunned Down

Back in December of 2012 Ron Greenlee, a supervisor at the Visalia Cemetery, let his curiosity get the best of him. He had just read Wild Tulare County—Outlaws, Rogues and Rebels and when he got to the chapter about William G. Morris killing John Shannon over  a political dispute, he had to see if Shannon was buried at the Visalia Cemetery. He did the research and found out that Shannon was buried there and he was able to find the unmarked burial spot. He shared his discovery with his co-workers at the cemetery and they decided that Shannon needed a headstone. They got a headstone, contacted Ron Westbrook at Visalia Granite and Marble Works next door and he generously donated the labor to create the headstone. In the near future it will be placed on Shannon’s grave. Thanks Ron Greenlee and all the cemetery staff for the good research and putting in the effort. Thanks also Ron Westbrook and your crew at Visalia Granite for making the stone. By the way, Shannon had been a newspaperman in Auburn, California before coming to Visalia in 1859 and the Auburn Journal newspaper recently did a story on Ron Greenlee’s discovery, too.   See it at http://www.auburnjournal.com/article/media-life-gunned-down-editor-has-poetic-auburn-link   I’m sure many of you read the nice local story in the Visalia Times Delta, February 26, 2013 written by Luis Hernandez.

***Thanks to all of you who provided information with respect to the hot dog stand that was in question in the last HH. Appreciate your effort on this.

 ***Barbara Hinds Joseph has asked about a distant relative named James S. Clack. He was married to Julia Hinds Clack. She (and me too) would love to have a photograph of him. He was an attorney and judge in Visalia. Can anyone help with a photograph or information about him?

“Doctors state that Visalia is in a good sanitary condition, and that there is very little sickness prevailing in the city, except in the southern portion, where a stinking slough breeds malaria.” Visalia Weekly Delta, October 22, 1891.

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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list, 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 never share your email address with anyone without your permission.

Congratulations go to Art Browning who was the first to identify part of the large neon sign at Surplus City as the last Mystery Spot. So many of you identified it correctly, but Art was the first.

This next Mystery Spot is going to be harder, so get ready. Here are the clues:

1.      This Visalia building once housed one of the biggest clubs in California.

2.      This building once sat on Mineral King Ave, before it was moved.

3.      The decorative tile trim pattern on this building is unique in Visalia.

4.      The club that was once in this building, still has a presence in Visalia.

Where is this building located now? Good luck.

Photograph of Kids Drive-in Hangout is Located

In the last HH, the old McDonald’s Drive-In was mentioned as a hangout for young people “dragging” Main Street. I made a request for a photograph of the drive-in and Marian Shippey Cote and Art Browning both found this one in the 1954 Oak yearbook. This old drive-in sure feels like “American Graffiti.” By the way, the McDonald’s drive was on the southeast corner of Floral and Center (where Visalia Community Bank now stands.) Thanks Marion and Art for finding this photo.

Grain Sack Sewer’s Tools

Well, Guy Shelly has shared with us again. His family was good friends with Bert Gifford, a jack-of-all-trades. He was an automobile mechanic and is shown here working on the Shelly family car in about 1947. Bert also worked on threshing crews harvesting grain in Tulare County. His job on the crew was bagging the grain and sewing up the bags. To do that, he needed tools and the primary tool was this grain sack sewing kit. As a “sack sewer”, Bert made his needle case out of leather and carried it in his pocket. Thanks Guy for so generously sharing, and Leonard Cote for completing the needle set. Sack sewers are not in demand much anymore, but at one time they were critical in harvesting.

Fox Theatre Marquee—Viva Las Vegas

I talked with Paul Fry, manager of the Fox Theatre recently and he tells us that the beautiful old movie house has a fundraising campaign underway to raise money for several theater projects. One project that is in the works is a marquee upgrade. According to Paul, replacing this old marquee would do two things. First of all, the existing marquee is “worn out.” Secondly, replacing it with a “digital” marquee would encourage advertisers to display ads on the marquee which would bring in additional revenue. The current marquee on the theater is not the original one. Here is a rendering of what a digital marquee might look like. I don’t believe details of the replacement are worked out yet, so this is just a concept. Would it have animated images moving on the marquee? Would it be in a form that would blend in with the lines and architectural style of the theater? Would a replacement marquee with advertisers commercials on it, meet the requirements of the Visalia sign ordinance. Many of these and other questions are yet to be answered. I trust the public will be kept informed as the marquee element moves forward. The Fox Theatre is a city treasure and I hope whatever decisions are made, they will take into account the overall appearance of this 1930 building.  Whatever is decided, I hope the elegant and historic character of the theater will not be compromised. Thanks Paul, for keeping us informed.

Hometown Boys and Girls in the Armed Forces

During World War II Guy Shelley’s mother made scrapbooks using newspaper clippings of local military personnel who were serving in the armed forces. She clipped many articles out of the Visalia Times Delta mainly from a section called “Hometown Boys in the Service” and later from the new column called “Our Men and Women in Service.” Both columns gave the folks back on the home front, news about locals serving their country. It sure was a nice way for the community to keep track of its young people.

Photography Project Leads to More Photographs

Recently Matt Kneeland shared that he was working on a photography project with his mom. While doing so, Kim Cribbs (family name Morgan) gave him a few additional photographs. Here is one she provided showing Visalia’s Main Street during one of Visalia’s many floods. I would guess this picture is connected to the 1945 flood.  Floods  sure brought out the cameras. Matt also found  a card advertising “Dinah’s Shack.” Anyone ever hear of Dinah’s Shack? Thanks, Matt.

Tucked in a Cigar Box

Darl Ann Rector was going through her great-grandfather’s trunk and cigar box recently and found some interesting things. One of them was this 1911 receipt from the Goldstein and Iseman’s Store in Visalia. She also shared some very interesting genealogical material on the local Krepps family. Thanks as always for sharing Darl.

***Gilbert Gia, an amazing historian living in Bakersfield, recently found an 1875 article in the Overland Monthly Outwest Magazine. In the article the writer described entering Visalia from the Goshen area. He wrote, “We soon entered one of the prettiest districts of rolling lawn land to be seen anywhere. Beautifully wooded, with level reaches of short thick grasses….”  As always Gil, thanks for keeping your friends to the north informed.

***John T. Austin, has just finished his book called Floods and Droughts of the Tulare Lake Basin. I know John and the quality of his work and the book is destined to be the best single source for anything water in our area. The book can be purchased from the Sequoia Natural History Association website or you can get a free download at  http://tularebasinwatershed.org/sites/default/files/sites/all/default/files/pdf/Floods-Droughts-Tulare-Lake-Basin_JAustin_20130109.pdf

***Sadly, California has lost a wonderful promoter of history. Huell Howser passed away last month. He was a part of California’s Gold and the history lovers of the Golden State will feel the loss.

***Art Brumley believes he has lost a hot dog stand! He thinks he remembers it next door to the Mooney Blvd. carwash just north of Walnut. Anyone remember a hotdog stand there, and a name?

*** Cindy Hill wants to know how the name “Modoc” originated in Visalia. We are a long way from the Native American tribe of that name in northern California. Anyone know?

***Several of you shared that elementary/middle schools are publishing yearbooks just like high schools. Thanks, I didn’t know that.

***Hope some of you found loved ones in the class of 1941 photo in HH last month. Tony Cornett found his mom and Godmother.

“The agent of the Levitt-Huggins Shows [carnival] at the Hotel Johnson personally will give $100 in cash to any white man living in Visalia or surroundings, $100 to any white lady, or $200 to any colored man, and $250 to any colored woman who will sleep in the graveyard overnight on a cot chained and hand-cuffed, with no protection but a knife and a gun…” Visalia Daily Times, January 7, 1921.