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.".

 
 

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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.).

Photograph by Eschol M. Hammond, of Porterville.    It's an image of Porterville's  1922 Armistice Day parade.     This is the intersection of Main St. and Putnam Ave.    The Pioneer Hotel is in the background, with  Claubes' Drug Store on the hotel's first floor.    A car race on Main Street was held, as part of the celebration.    A few of the cars are visible here.    It looks like quite a few  men wore their WWI uniforms to the parade.

Close up:

From an old photo postcard.   It's postmarked "Portersville, Cal., 1911". 

 It's addressed to a Mrs. Thomas Pulford of Los Angeles.
The message written on the back of the postcard reads:   "Oct 21 -- Can you find me here?   We went thru this tunnel 1400ft on the little car.    I received your card & two packages of papers today: Thanks for sending them.       H. and I are thinking of going to Porterville this P.M.    I hope my pictures are good.   H. took this. ---- Bertha".
I'm guessing that this was the magnesite mine east of Porterville, that was owned by the Tulare Mining Company.    Several mining journals, of the period, state that this mine had a 1400 foot tunnel.    One journal, published in 1911, indicates that this tunnel was new... So I'm guessing some 'locals' were curious enough to check-out the new tunnel.

Close up:

Photo postcard, circa 1912.   Porterville's  First Congregational Church was built in 1908.   The church still stands today, with some modifications due to a fire.  i.e. The church was built with a gymnasium, auditorium and pool; these areas suffered damage from a fire in 1937; and were taken out.     

It is located on the SE corner of  Mill Ave. and 4th St.    It was added to the  National Register of Historic Places, in 1999.

An old photo postcard, circa 1910.     The photographer was Lindley Eddy.
This is an image of the Lemon Cove railroad depot with a Visalia Electric Railroad passenger car to the right.   These passenger cars were basically electric trolley cars. 

Postcard circa 1916.     This building housed Dinuba's branch of the Tulare County Library as well its  Chamber of Commerce.

Photo postcard, circa 1919.    Dr Shrodes was a physician and an inventor.

From an old photo postcard, circa 1908.    This is Visalia, looking westward down Oak Ave., near its corner with Church St.    There's a horse drawn street sprinkler in the foreground with a Visalia Electric Railroad passenger car, to the right.   The old county courthouse in the background.    Street sprinklers were needed because Oak Ave. wasn't paved at that time.
These Visalia Electric Railroad passenger cars ran by themselves, powered by electric motors (via contact with overhead power-lines).   The VE Railroad ran these types of cars from Visalia to Exeter, and then on to Lemon Cove and Woodlake.

 Written on the back of this school photo:   "Elsie Heard.  Taken at Roche Avenue School.  November 1924.   Porterville, Calif.    Second year in school. 6 years old.".        I assume Elsie is the girl in the front row, second from the right (someone has drawn an "X" on her shoulder).  
I don't know much about the photo company ("T.C.W.  Co.,  251 Post, -S.F.-");    other than finding examples of this studio mark on California school photos from Chico, Sultana,  and possibly  La Jolla.

(Update: 3/6/24):   The photographer was  Theodor Clemens Wohlbrück, e.g. The 1921 San Francisco directory lists his address as 251 Post Street.   He had a previous history of taking school class photos in Massachusetts.

 Family photo by Photo by the Visalia studio of  Robinson & Churchman (Ida Robinson & Schuyler E. Churchman), circa 1899.    

 Tourist posing in front of the General Sherman Tree, with a photographer.
From an early photo postcard, circa 1907.

 Photo by E. M. Davidson, of Visalia.   Circa 1892.

An old photo postcard image of the 1909 Lindsay High School girls' basketball team.
It's addressed to Carl Stelling of San Jose, CA.      The message on the card:
'"Dear Carl, Maybe you reconize some the group.  This is what we will take to "wipe up" Exeter Hi (maybe).  Game comes off Sat sure.   I hope it don't rain.    Our suits are green with red 'L.H.S'. ... Nina'".

Photo postcard of Exeter's Southern Pacific Railroad depot, circa 1909.    Postcard by George Besaw.   To the left of the depot is a Visalia Electric Railroad passenger car.

Close-up:

Visalia Electric used these types of passenger cars from 1908 to 1924.   Note the apparatus mounted on top of the car (called a pantograph),  it collected power through contact with an overhead electrical wire.

The Visalia Electric Railroad company existed until 1992,  but they stopped using electric freight locomotives in 1944.  i.e. After 1944 they used diesel locomotives, and the company was just "Electric" in name.

Old postcard of a Visalia Electric Railroad freight locomotive,  circa 1913.

Old photograph of workers on the Visalia Electric Railroad track.    The electric locomotives could travel from Visalia to Exeter, and then on to depots in Lemon Cove and Woodlake.   

Despite the company's name, it was an Exeter based subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The Visalia Electric Railroad bridge, crossing the Kaweah River near Lemon Cove.  Note the power lines over the middle of the track.  

 I posted another photo of this bridge on  5/12/2012.

Old photo postcard from Lemon Cove, circa 1908.
Written on the back of the card: "Lemon Cove Depot, Jeff Paregien, Click Paregien - 6yrs."    Most likely these names refer to Jefferson M. Paregien of Lemon Cove and his son Charles Clifton Paregien.    

This depot was built to service the Visalia Electric Railroad.     It was located just west of the intersection of Road 244 and Avenue 328.   The depot and the railroad tracks are no longer there.

A couple close-ups:

 This is a photo postcard of the Kaweah River, bridge and the River Inn (Three Rivers, CA).

It's post-marked June 1911, which is just a few of months before the River Inn burned down.

Note: Apparently this print was made with the negative slightly askew.

Close-up of the River Inn:

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The following two photographs came from an old album, dated 1912.

The upper photo was taken in Richgrove, CA. The lower pic states that it is at the Kaweah River:

I would guess that they're on the railway bridge that crossed the Kaweah River in the Woodlake/Lemon Cove area.    Note that the power-lines in the background are set up for the Visalia Electric Railroad.

(Update, 10/5/12) The Tulare County Public Library's online digital collection appears to have a color photo of this same bridge, taken at a much later date, e.g.  After they took down the over-head lines for the electric railroad.   Their picture is entitled "Visalia Electric Railroad Bridge Over Kaweah River".