Friday, March 25, 2016

 An old photo postcard image of Visalia's July 4th parade in 1908. The photograph was taken 'looking' northeast, near the intersection of Main and Locust Streets.          This was during the time that the U.S. Navy's Great White Fleet was going around the world, thus the nifty horse-drawn battleship float.
You can see the old Tulare County courthouse at the upper left, which was at the NW corner of Church St. and Center Ave.


A 1910 photo postcard of Tulare, by photographer John Bowers of Long Beach.
This is a view looking north down J Street from Kern Avenue.   This area was also known as Front Street.
 Close-up:


 Photo postcard view of the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot (now the Depot Restaurant), on Oak Ave., Visalia.  Circa 1921.    
The old county courthouse is the background.   This courthouse was built in 1876.  It was torn-down after it sustained significant damage from the 1952 Tehachapi earthquake. 
  

 An old photo postcard view of Main St., Visalia. Circa 1907.
Visalia's Carnegie "Free Library" is at the left foreground of this image, which was on the NE corner of Encina and Main Streets.    
 Terry Ommen recently commented on this postcard, in his Visalia history blog, he said:  
"...On the far left is the Carnigie Library (gone now) and on the far right is the Askins Sheet Metal Works (also gone now.) The Askins business was at this location from 1904 to 1911. In order to date this picture, it helps to know the library was finished in 1904, so I date this photograph to be from the first decade of the 20th century. There are a few interesting things about this photograph. Notice the dirt streets, cement sidewalks, and there are still some wooden buildings on Main Street."
 A couple of close-up views:
 



Photo portrait of a woman in the polka-dot dress, from the Visalia studio of  E. M. Davidson.  Circa 1893.


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


 Photo postcard of Lindsay's Nazarene Church, circa 1911.


An early Tulare County biker with Harley, circa 1915.      This is from an old photo postcard.   
In the background, there's a sign for the Visalia Steam Laundry company.  This company served Visalia and some of the smaller communities in the area.     It looks like he is on a 1914 Harley Davidson.   
I'm not exactly sure where this photo was taken...  but the structure behind him could be the Brick Block building in Woodlake.

Saturday, January 30, 2016




 photo postcard image of a parade on Dinuba's  L Street, circa 1911.    The Gustie Building  is at the left side  (It's on the corner of  L and Tulare Streets).    I'm guessing that this photograph was taken from the balcony of  Commercial Hotel.


Photo postcard, circa 1914.    The Tuesday Club was a Lindsay women's club.


Photo postcard from Tulare, circa 1918.   This building still stands on North J Street,  it's the structure which now has the old Adorh Milkmaid and Cow statue  at it's front.

Adohr Milkmaid, cow
Adohr Milkmaid, cow
Adohr Milkmaid and Cow

A small portrait by George E. Dean of Visalia, circa 1875.


Another photo by the Visalia studio of George E. Dean, circa 1875.


Photograph of Ethel Jane Fewel (1892-1959). The photo is dated April 8, 1895.     From Beck studio in Visalia.      
Ethel married Leslie Ripperdan Hamilton (of Visalia & Lindsay) in 1913, they had at least 4 children.


An old photo postcard of Tulare, circa 1907.    This is an image of K Street looking northerly,  taken between Kern and Tulare Avenues.   
The City Hall/Firehouse is at the near left side (with the small bell-tower on top).


Photograph by E.A.S. Wyllie, Tulare CA. Circa 1887.    The name "Frank Tilly" is written on the back.     So far, I haven't had any luck finding information about Mr. Tilly.


From the Tulare studio of E.A.S Wyllie. Circa 1890.  
On the back of the photo is written "Lizzie Dover".    I believe this is a photograph of  Elizabeth Dover (born 1874).   See the photograph just below...

I bought this photograph from the same person who sold me the image of  "Lizzy Dover".
It's also from  E.A.S Wyllie's Tulare studio,  circa 1890.   "Eva Dover" is written on the back of the photograph.   I believe this is Eva May Dover (born 1879), the younger sister of Elizabeth Dover.    They are the children of Jesse B. Dover and Elizabeth Keefer.
Tulare County marriage records indicate that their mother re-married a man named  Nevada M. Dobson, in 1890.  


Postcard image from Exeter.   Postmarked 12/8/1910.     In the message on the back of the card, it mentions that the First National Bank in this image (left side) was robbed in 1909.    The bank robbers used dynamite which destroyed the bank's vault.  


Wednesday, December 9, 2015


 An old photo postcard image of Main St. Visalia, circa 1910.    This is a view looking east down Main, taken between Court and Locust Streets.
The 'Holt Block' building is at the left foreground. It was built in 1886 by Fred S. Holt.     He was part of the Holt family of Stockton, who were pioneers in tractor manufacturing.    The photograph is by John Bowers of Long Beach, CA.   Bowers produced these 'semi-panoramic' postcards of scenes throughout California.
 Two close-up views:
 



 Image of a little girl with dog.   From a small carte de visite  photo,  circa 1886.
Photo by  A. P. Bailey  (Excelsior Photograph Gallery),   Tulare, CA.   
"Tiny & Mary" is written on the back of the photograph.


 Photo postcard of the Bank of Tulare and the Tulare Block building (to the left), circa 1907.    This bank was on the NW corner of  K Street and Tulare Ave., Tulare CA.


 Photo postcard of the Brick Block building, Woodlake CA.   Circa 1918.   It was located at the NE corner of  Valencia and Naranjo Boulevards.


Photo postcard of  Spalding Lumber on S. Pepper St., Woodlake.  Circa 1914.


Fruit drying in Orosi, circa 1910.


Thursday, November 26, 2015

Below are a few photo postcard images by Lindley Eddy.   
For 30 years, Mr. Eddy was the photography concessionaire at Giant Forest (Sequoia National Park).    During some of these years, he apparently spent the winter months in the Three Rivers/Lemon Cove area.  
In 1934,  Lindley Eddy married the widowed  Helen Gladys (Emery) Aoki.


 The photographer's stamp on the back of this postcard states:  "Photograph by Lindley Eddy,  Kaweah, Tulare Co., Cal.".    
It's postmarked 7/20/1911.   Camp Sierra was along the northern margin of Round Meadow.
 Close up:


 Image circa 1912.


Image of the Giant Forest Hotel/Lodge dining hall, circa 1916.  This lodge was at the same location as Camp Sierra.

 The Giant Forest Lodge in snow, circa 1916.


Road to the General Sherman Tree, circa 1920.


Tuesday, November 17, 2015



Photograph from the studio of E. M. Davidson, Visalia, 1892.
Someone has written on the back of this photo: "Aunt Carrie, Uncle Mark McKee".   Most likely this is an image of Marcus Lafayette McKee and his wife Caroline Virginia Ragle, who were married on 10/5/1892 near Woodlake.   Their grave-stone (in Exeter) list their names as: "Mark L. McKee" and "Carrie V. McKee".        The 'Blair-Moffett Families, History and Genealogy', by Eva Pogue Kirkman (1935); indicates that Caroline was a "vineyardist".

Photo postcard of Exeter, circa 1920.    Judging from the location of the water-tower, this would be a view looking east from Pine Street



An old photo postcard of the Johnson Hotel, circa 1922.   This hotel was on the NE corner of Church and Main Streets (Visalia).    It was built in 1917, and torn down in 1968; after suffering damage from a fire.


From the Visalia studio of  A. R. Moore. Circa 1891.


From the Tulare studio of James Turner Doran.  Circa 1893.


A photo postcard of Lemon Cove;  postmarked September 24, 1909.
The photographer's stamp on the back states: "Photo by Weissenfluh, Visalia, Cal".
The two-story brick building, in the foreground, was destroyed by fire some time during the 1950's.
Close-up:
Note the sign for telephone service (bell shaped).  The sign that says "Call" refers to the San Francisco Call  newspaper.


Panoramic view of Lindsay from 1910.   This is actually a double-sized photo postcard.
A couple close-ups: