Photo postcard image of a granite quarry that was east of Porterville, circa 1909.    According to one website,  R. Johnson of  Visalia owned the quarry around that time.    And a  1903 Visalia Delta article states that "Robert Johnson, the quarry man" was called out on business to Porterville.  There was also a Robert E. Johnston (1851-1936), who was a tombstone carver, and owned a quarry east of Porterville.  I’ve been informed that his last-name was often misspelled, so it’s quite possible that this is the same person.

 

An old photo postcard showing a peach picking crew in Visalia.    It's postmarked Oct. 26, 1909.

 

 

Photo postcard of Dinuba, circa 1916.     I believe this photo was taken from the water tower at the corner of  Tulare and I Streets, looking in a SE direction.      The large building at left center was Dinuba's old high school (at the same site as their current high school).   Their grammar school is the white two story building at the left upper-hand corner.   Some of the homes in the foreground (on I Street) are still there.

Photo postcard of Tulare's K Street, circa 1908.     I believe this is a view looking north down K, towards its intersection with Kern Ave.    Some buildings that you would normally see from this view (around 1912) are missing.  For example, the domed First National Bank of Tulare hadn't been built yet, on the NW corner of K and Kern.   A building trade journal published 6/26/1909 indicates that the bank's construction was not complete at that time.   From the style of script at the photo's bottom, this appears to be a George Besaw postcard.

Photo postcard circa 1910.   It's postmarked from "Portersville, Cal.", I can't make out the date.    It was sent by Ida E. Dunham to someone in Long Beach.     Ida Elizabeth (Goldberg) Dunham (1869-1958) appears to have lived in the Globe area (east of Porterville), around this time.    

I would assume these are her children, from L to R:  Wynn M. Dunham (1902-1918), Anna Moyer Dunham (1906-1986) and Loyal Falk Dunham (1905-1940).

Photograph from the studio of S.W. Watrous of Visalia, circa 1890.    The name "Ann Besse" is written on the back of the photograph.   Ann Besse (1829-1907) is listed in the 1900 Census as living with her daughter's family in Tipton.  The family in this photo maybe that of her daughter's (Carrie), around the circa date of 1890-91.   Their names were: Carrie Elizabeth (Besse) McDaniel (1861-1956), Robert Andrew McDaniel (1850-1925) and Robert M. McDaniel (1889-1953).

Written on the back of this old photo:  "Florence Nevora Weishar - Jan 8, 1905 - Age 2yrs 5mo 7days."
This was taken at her father's Visalia studio (Photographer Frank A. Weishar of Robinson & Weishar).

An old postcard view, looking east on Pine Street in Exeter.      The old Exeter High School building is at the end of the street.  This structure was finished by March 6, 1911.    I would guess that the image is circa 1911.    There are no cars or trucks in the photo.    Apparently, this was before Exeter's water tower was built.

An old photo postcard of Springville, postmarked 1915.    I believe this is near the present-day  corner of CA-190 and Tule River Drive, looking in an eastward direction.

An old photo postcard image of Springville, circa 1909.

 

An old newspaper archive photo of Julia Howe.
On the back of it someone wrote: "Mrs. Orlean E. Howe who shot and killed W. Brooks at Porterville, Cal. on trial early March 1918 at Visalia, Cal.".
A Porterville city website has a history section that describes the incident:
"...The last part of 1917 was an unfortunate time for the Zalud family. During this time Annie Zalud was married to William Hubert Brooks, a real “go-getter” with the National Cash Register Co. Although their marriage appeared a contented one, they were often separated by business affairs. Eventually, it is said that Brooks tried, unsuccessfully, to have an affair with an associate’s wife, Julia Howe. The rejection angered Brooks so that he reportedly spread rumors about the woman being a “real hot lover” and to avoid her or she’d “get you into trouble”. Brooks apparently caused so much trouble for Mrs. Howe that she had a nervous break down and planned on killing herself.  In November of 1917 Julia Howe rented a hotel room at the Pioneer Hotel, paid all of her bills, and bought a gun at Porterville Hardware. As she stepped into the Pioneer Hotel, ready to head to her room and use her new purchase, she saw William Brooks sitting in the lobby.  Mrs. Howe then emptied the gun into William Brooks, and waited for the Constable to arrive.  After a scandalous trial, Julia Howe was fount not guilty, and was set free.".

 
 

 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

 

Two old postcards, from the summer of 1908, involving a camping trip to Sequoia Lake. 

 Both cards are signed "A.J.M." and addressed to "Miss Signe Erickson" of Kingsburg.

The first image appears to be a view from El Monte Way (Ave. 416) just before entering the foothills. It's postmarked: Millwood, 6/18/1908.    I've added a google street view image at the corner of Ave. 416 and Boyd Drive, for a comparison of the view of the hills in the postcard.

I would assume they traveled to Sequoia Lake via Millwood Drive (SR 245).
The other postcard shows their campsite at Sequoia Lake. It is postmarked from Badger on 8/27/1908 (Mailed presumably on their way home).  Millwood Drive travels through Badger.
Note that they have a horse-drawn wagon, traveling by car to the mountains didn't become very common until after 1910.

Signe Erickson would have been 17 or 18 years old at the time these cards were mailed to her. She was the daughter of Swedish immigrants who moved to Kingsburg around 1888.
Millwood was a sawmill town near the General Grant Grove. From Millwood, cut lumber was sent down a 54 mile long water flume to Sanger.   Sequoia Lake was originally created to provide water for that flume.   Around 1908 the logging operation began to move out of Millwood, and it became more of a place for tourists to visit (or stay) while visiting the Grant Grove area.    Around 1913, a new route to the parks bypassed Millwood, and the town soon died out.

 

 

 

 

 

 An old photo postcard of Porterville's Main St..Postmarked 3/29/1910.  I think that this is a view looking south down Main, from north of the corner of Main & Putnam Ave.

 

 

 

 Photo postcard image of a Visalia Electric Railroad passenger car.   Postmarked 8/15/1908.

 

 

 

Photo by Doran of Tulare.

Picture of a young gentleman with top hat, riding crop and monocle.

The writing at the bottom of the photo appears to be: "Warren 1894".

It's difficult to ID him with just his first name... It could possibly be Warren Hobart Pillsbury, who lived in Tulare at that time and would have been 6 or 7 years old in 1894. His father was A. J. Pillsbury who was one of the owners of the Tulare Daily Register newspaper.

Photographer James Turner Doran had a studio in Tulare from about 1887 to 1916.

 

 

 

An old photo postcard.  Photograph by Hammond's Studio of Porterville.

The Two Hoyts was a husband and wife act.  According to one old newspaper: "Mr. Hoyt is a magician and his wife is a juggler and dancer".  They apparently traveled throughout much of the western U.S. during the 1910s.    From searching old newspapers online, it looks like they were in Tulare County in 1911, 1912 and 1916.   Eschol M. Hammond opened his Porterville photography studio in 1914, so this photo was most likely taken in 1916.

 

 

 

An old photo postcard by Hammond's Studio of Porterville.
Dated:  "Camp Wishon,  Springville, Cal.,  July 26, 1917."
No names identifying the children in the image.   Camp Wishon is about 9.5 miles NE of Springville,  along the northern fork of the Middle Fork Tule River.

Photo postcard view of  S. Sweet Co. department store in Visalia, circa 1907.     This particular building was on the SW corner of Church Street and Center Ave. (S. Sweet also had businesses on Visalia's Main Street.).