Tuesday, March 19, 2013



Around 1895.  Lindsay CA.  Man holding his baby
 The photographer's stamp on the back of this photo states:  "Horbach&Wingrove", "Lindsay, Cal.".
Circa 1897.


Around 1900.  Doran studio. Tulare
 Photo by Doran (James Turner Doran), Tulare, CA.  Circa 1900.



Around 1918.  Giant Forest CA.  Auto Log
 This was a popular photo postcard of the Auto Log in Giant Forest (Sequoia National Park).  Circa 1918.

(Added 8/21/14)  Another photo postcard of the Auto Log.  Circa 1918.
The photographer:  George F. Belden.

Around 1917.  Porterville.  African American child.
A portrait of  a toddler,  by Hammond Studio of Porterville. (Circa 1917).    Eschol M. Hammond started his photography business in Porterville in 1914.   Like many photographs of this period, it was printed on photo postcard stock paper so that it could be mailed as a postcard.  This particular AZO stock paper was produced between 1904 and 1918.   


Monday, March 11, 2013



Around 1900.  Ranch house in Lindsay CA.
This is an old photograph of a ranch house in Lindsay, CA.  Circa 1900.   On the back of this photo someone has written: "Lindsay place before the yard was planted".   I would guess that it's the owner &  family that are out on the second floor balcony.


 Here's a present day photo taken near the site of the photograph above.  The old ranch house is apparently no more.   This photo was taken from Avenue 232 at the Friant-Kern Canal.


Close-up of the ranch house:




Redwood pipes.  Tulare county
This image is from a Keystone View Company magic-lantern glass slide.  The description printed above this slide is as follows:  "Complete Irrigation Pipe of Redwood Staves Bound by Iron Bands, Near Lindsay, Calif." (Copyrighted April 1919).    According to this 1918 Engineering and Contracting publication,  the Lindsay-Strathmore Irrigation District used 87,497 feet of 14-inch to 48-inch redwood stave pipe such as this.  (That's over 16.5 miles of redwood pipe.)
It's odd to think of so much pipe made this way, i.e. Constructed like VERY long wooden barrels.

(Added 8/16/14) This is another Keystone View Company magic-lantern glass slide (Slide # 23071).   The Library of Congress copyright entry for this slide states:  "Steam shovel excavating trench for wooden pipes near Lindsay, Cal." (Copyright Jan. 15, 1919).


In 1909.  Visalia area school.
This is a photo postcard of a school, apparently in the Visalia area (I'm not sure yet which school it is).
It's post-marked "Visalia, Cal. Apr. 13, 1909", and addressed to "Miss Hazel Flory,  Percy, Iowa".
The postcard is from the school's teacher and addressed to her cousin Hazel...  she wrote:
"Dear Hazel. This is to give you a slight idea how I spend my time.  There were 7 absent the day this was taken.  At present I have 36 enrolled.  Lots of time to spare, Oh yes.  At present I am having school morning, noon & evening reviewing my 9th grade for the Co examinations which come in 2 weeks.  I never left this berg till 5:15 tonight & I am so tired I am almost crazy.  I lost 2 weeks just recently on account of having the mumps so that is one reason I am rushed so now.       I am as ever, Your Cuz, V."

(Update 12/2/15) Soon after I posted these images, I was able to determine that "Your Cuz, V."  is Vera Savilla Jones.   She is Hazel Flory's second-cousin.     During this period, Vera is  listed in the census and in the Visalia city directory as a public school teacher.   But I have not been able to determine which school(s) she taught at... so I still have no clue which school this is.   
Vera's father is Enos Avlin Jones, who Vera apparently lived with in Visalia.   In 1915 she married Arthur Dice of Visalia

Two close-ups from the above photograph: