Thursday, April 27, 2017

 Photo postcard image of Exeter's  Pine Street, circa 1911.


Photo postcard.    Post-marked: "Portersville Cal., Feb. 24, 1907". 
 There's no ID  for the children with the card.      I haven't been able to pin-down the exact location yet. There were several palm tree lanes like this in the Porterville/Lindsay area.      This could be the palm lane near the ranch of J. H. Williams of Porterville.

(Added 5/5/17)  From an old photo postcard, circa 1908.     I believe this is the same Palm Ave.  that's in the previous image.



A snapshot of sunbathers at the old Bartlett Park swimming hole,  Porterville.    Circa 1916.      Along the Tule River,  this area is now under  Lake Success.           (Update/Correction, 7/5/17):  Actually there was no Bartlett Park in 1916.    I just received the following information from  Laurie Schwaller, of the Tulare County Treasures:
" In 1923, the Porterville Chamber of Commerce sponsored a fundraising drive to acquire land for a park on the Tule River.  The necessary funds were raised very quickly.  The land was purchased (about 34 acres?) and then donated to the County, with the understanding that it would be developed and maintained as a County park by the County Forestry Board, headed by William Pitt Bartlett of Porterville.  Bartlett had served on the Forestry Board since its creation and had a great deal to do with the development of Mooney Grove Park and Cutler Park (as well as Murry Park in Porterville).  The new park was named Tule River County Park.  I have heard that the land on which it was situated had been used as a swimming hole for a number of years previously.
In February, 1929, the Board of Supervisors, in response to a petition signed by many organizations, businesses, and individuals in Porterville, renamed the park as W. P. Bartlett Memorial Park, to honor the seriously ill Mr. Bartlett.  Bartlett died July 5, 1929."


Another snapshot from the old Tule River swimming hole.


Photo postcard, circa 1910.     Looking east down Tulare Ave. ,  Tulare CA; near the intersection with J  Street.      This appears to be a George Besaw postcard.


An old photo postcard, of the 1906 flood in Visalia. (Visalia flooded several times that year.)
The image is of the old county courthouse, on the NW corner of Church Street and Center Ave.
The high curbing and corner stones are still present today.


Another postcard image from the 1906 Visalia flood.   This is an image of the old Odd Fellows hall on the NE corner of Church and Center.