Photo by Foster, Tulare.  Circa 1895

An old image of Goshen, CA. Circa 1887.    The photographer is C.C. Curtis, from his Traver studio.

Written on the back: "This is our place of business that was burned. Post office, saloon and butcher shop. - Victor Colon. Goshen."   Victor Colon is listed as Goshen's postmaster between June 1886 and June 1888.   C.C. Curtis had his Traver photography studio from 1885, to May of 1888.

The writing and photographer's stamp, on the back of the Goshen photo:

A photo postcard image of Tulare High School girls basketball team, 1908.

From an old photo postcard, postmarked 11/9/1907.
It's an image of a magnesite mine, east of Porterville.

The studio stamp on this photograph states: "Robinson & Weishar, Holt Block, Visalia, Cal". Circa 1904.      On the back of the photo someone wrote "Elsie Chatten".      

Elsie Amelia Chatten (1889-1961) was the daughter of John Chatten and Celeste Reynolds, of Orosi.   She married Logan Joseph Lindley, in 1908, and they had four children.   In 1925, she married Arvid Roman.    Elsie and Arvid had one child, in 1930, a daughter named Karin.      Apparently after Arvid's death in 1937, Elsie could no longer take care of Karin.    Karin was adopted by her eldest half-sister and her sister's husband, Dorothy Lindley and Charles Smith.    Dorothy was 22 years older than her sister Karin. According to an online family history, Karin passed away in 2015, and she appears to have lived a very happy life.    Elsie was buried in the Visalia Cemetery, under the name Elsie A. Roma

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Below are images sold as being from the Visalia area.     They are by "Ansley".    I believe that they are by Frank S. Ansley of Visalia,  circa 1902.

A couple close-ups:

A couple close-ups:

(Update 7/22/21)  Many thanks to Joseph L. Noell,  who recognized this scene from one of his old family photos.     This is a family gathering at the Visalia home of  Norbourne Noell, in April 1902.   Norbourne owned the Visalia-Millwood Stage during this time period. 

Standing in the back row, from L to R:    George McClellan Noell, Judith A (Pierce) Noell,  Etta (Fly) Noell, Carl Milton Noell,  Walter Raleigh Kightlinger,  Cynthia Ann (Grubb) Kightlinger. 

Front row (L to R):   Louis Noell (with long hair and dress),  Avery Noell Roser,  Cornelia Jane "Jennie" (Noell) Roser,   Carol Roser (on Jennie's lap),  Julius Alden Noell,   Edith (Kightlinger) Noell - wife of Norbourne,   Dewey Noell (in front of his mother, Edith),   James Noell,  Norbourne Noell holding his son Myrle,  Edgar Roser,  Martha W. (Casey) Noell,  Martha Olivia Noell.

Close-up:

Close-up:

Close-up:

Close-up:

I did a blow-up image of the dog,  it looks an awful lot like one of the dogs in a Frank S. Ansley print I own  (Different angle, but many of the same markings on the dog).

Written on the back of this old photograph:  "4 on Right - J. M. Ferguson,  Parthenia,  Tom,  Fletcher".   These names refer to  Josiah Messer Ferguson, his wife Parthenia, and two of his sons: Thomas and Fletcher (See Fletcher's wedding photo, below).   This photo is circa 1903, and may have been taken in Poplar, CA.   In 1904, they moved from Poplar to Porterville. 

J. M. Ferguson was a farmer who also owned a furniture store in Porterville (see next image).

Written on the back of this photograph:  "Ferguson Furniture Store.  Location on Main Street,  present Woolworth's.    Dr Hiarn (sp) - left aisle,  Tom Ferguson on right.   About 1910.  - In Furniture Store 1906-1913,  Moved to Ranch 1913,  Grocery Store 1904-1906".  (J.M. Ferguson had also been in the grocery business).     If you look at the image posted 11/19/13,   you can see a street view of this furniture store.   The old Woolworth's building is located at this site (159 N. Main St., Porterville).

(Added 6/14/16)  Wedding photos of Fletcher Ferguson and his wife Erma Avery (below).   They were married on 5/18/1910.   Photographs by the Opera House Studio, Porterville CA.   This was A. R. Moore's last photo studio.

  (Added 6/14/16)  Erma Avery Ferguson, 1910.  Photo by  the Opera House Studio, Porterville CA.

(Added 8/24/16)    Photograph of  Dora Alice Ferguson (1876-1948) and  Cora Bell Ferguson (1876-1954).    They are the twin sisters of Thomas and Fletcher Ferguson  (See above).     Photo by Harrod of Porterville, circa 1905.       According to the book 'A Modern History of Tulare County' by Limited Editions of Visalia, Inc. (1974), they were the first twins born in Tulare County and two redwood trees in Balch Park are named after them.

Photo postcard,  Porterville circa 1908.   In the distance, at the left edge, appears to be Porterville's Olive Street depot.

The photographer's stamp on the back of this photo, states:   "C. C. Curtis, Photographer.  California Views.  Constantly on hand at reasonable price.  Hanford & Esperanza, Tulare Co. Cal."  ... This would date the print between 1888 and 1892 (Curtis sold his studio in Traver in 1888, and opened a studio in Hanford.  Hanford became part of Kings County in 1893).   "Esperanza" was a short-lived socialists commune that Curtis belonged to.

Note that these grapes are not trellised.  Having grape vines un-trellised  was a common practice in California, back then.

Photo by C. C. Curtis, circa 1890.   The photographer's caption at the bottom of this photograph states: "Combined Harvester, Tulare Co., Cal."

Jackie Weiner's book about the photographer  (Timely Exposures,  The Life and Images of C.C. Curtis) has a copy of this image. That particular copy has written on its back: "Sam Reed's harvesters, Brother to T. L. Reed".
"T. L. Reed" refers to Thomas Law Reed, the man Reedley, CA is named after.

Photo by C.C. Curtis, circa 1890.  This one also has the "Hanford & Esperanza, Tulare Co. Cal." photographer's stamp.    This photograph may have been taken in the Badger/Eshom Valley area.   The bells on the lead mules were used to warn others of the approaching wagon.

Photograph by C.C. Curtis, circa 1890.   This photo also gives the location of Curtis' studio as "Hanford & Esperanza, Tulare Co. Cal.".
The Tulare County Library's online collection has this same image, which they describe as:    '"Rabbit Drive, Pixley, Calif., Late 1800s. The farming community poses with pride with their pile of thousands of rabbits killed during a Pixley, CA, rabbit drive. After the drive, the dead rabbits were put on a train that took them to San Francisco, purportedly to become 'chicken' tamales."'.      Or this could possibly be in the Goshen area.  i.e. According to a Traver newspaper, Curtis took photographs of a rabbit drive east of Goshen, on  4/11/1888.

A 1923 photo of  a barbershop, most likely in Lindsay CA.   Three of the four calendars on the back wall are from Lindsay businesses, the forth calendar doesn't list the business's  location.      "The Flirt" poster  in the back may refer to the popular 1917 silent movie of that name.

A 1921 photo postcard  of the 6th grade class from Olive Street Grammar School in Porterville.

Another 1921 postcard/class photo from the Olive Street school .   Perhaps this is the fifth grade ?

The photos below came from the same old album,  unfortunately no names were listed with the photographs.   Some of the people are in more than one photo.

Photograph by S. W. Watrous, circa 1888.

Photograph by E. M. Davidson of Visalia,  circa 1892

Another photograph by Davidson, circa 1887.

Photo by C. A. Myers

Photographer,  A. R. Moore  had a studio in Gilroy during the early 1880s, and later in Visalia and Porterville.   Moore also apparently had summertime studios in the Grant Grove area (e.g. at Millwood), from about 1893 to 1902.  

Photo by C. C. Curtis, circa 1885.

Curtis had studios in Hanford and Traver,  he took photographs throughout Tulare County.  He is probably the most well known photographer who worked in Tulare Co. during this period.  Curtis is known best for his photos of the Kaweah Colony and for his images involving the logging of giant redwoods. 

Photograph by E. M. Davidson, circa 1892.