Saturday, December 14, 2013



Orosi football team from 1898.
A photo of Orosi's football team, from 1898.
There's a poster in the window at the left side of this image,  and it's possible to make out some of what's written there: "CHRISTMAS SPORTS",  "REEDLEY",  "SATURDAY DECEMBER 24TH  1898"...
The 12/29/1898 issue of  The Reedley Exponent  has an article about these "Christmas Sports" events, which included a football game between Orosi and Selma  (Selma won 22 to 6).

Close-up:
Orosi football, 1898.
This team seems pretty well equipped.  e.g.  Some of the players here have nose armor  which was state-of-the-art stuff for football in the 1890's.


Irene Emily Antrim
Photograph by E.R. Higgins of Fresno,  circa 1890.   The name "Irene Antrim" is written at the bottom of the photo.    I believe this is Irene Emily Antrim (1882-1917).   Her family lived in the Orosi, CA area at this time.  She was the daughter of  Dr. Hiram Antrim and Isabella M. Furtney.  They moved to California from Iowa  sometime around 1888.   Her father,  Hiram,  died of pneumonia in 1891.   Irene died at the age of 34,  in Dinuba.      She was married to Edwin Burdette Chase and  they had two children.


Calvin Hiram Antrim
Another photograph by E.R. Higgins of Fresno,  circa 1890.   I bought this from the same person who sold me the photo of Irene Antrim (above).    Written on this photograph:  "C.H. Antrim  Jr.".   I believe that this is an image of Irene's little brother  Calvin Hiram Antrim (1889-1961).       Most likely  his grandfather was the 'senior'  C.H. Antrim being referred to (His name was Calvin Hackney Antrim,  e.g.  Apparently he sometimes just went by "C.H.").    C.H. Jr.  was born in Orosi and died in Fresno at the age of 72.   He was married to Cora Rodeck  and they had at least one child.


Tulare in 1908.
Photo postcard of Tulare Avenue, Tulare CA.  Circa 1908.    I believe that his was taken looking east on Tulare Ave.,  from J Street.



Tuesday, November 19, 2013



Porterville Red Cross in 1917.
 This is a scan from a glass negative I recently acquired.   It's an image of Porterville's Red Cross Chapter during World War I  (1917).   This office was in the upstairs of the Putnam Pioneer Store on Main St.      The photograph is by Hammond Studio of Porterville.

Porterville Red Cross during World War I.  Putnam Pioneer Store
(Added 12/15/13)  This appears to be another view of Porterville's WWI Red Cross Chapter in the upstairs of the Putnam Pioneer Store.   I count about 120 workers here.   The sign at the lower right side states:  "Visitors are Not Admitted.   Only workers with cap and apron allowed in Surgical Dressing Dept.     All workers must wash their hands before working in surgical dressings".         This is a scan from the glass negative which has unfortunately suffered a lot of damage,  which limits the view somewhat.

Close-up:
Porterville in 1917.  Red Cross
View of the back of the room.


Lilburn Dunn 1890 wedding.  Visalia
 Photograph by E. M. Davidson of Visalia.   Written on the back of the photo:  "Lilburn Dunn,  Clara May Dunn   (Center)  Wedding Picture".   And with a different pen someone has written "Father" and "Mother" next to the Dunn couple's names.   Tulare County marriage records list a Lilburn Dunn and Clara M. Hilliard marriage on  4/23/1890.
 Close-up:
Wedding of Lilburn Dunn and Clara M. Hilliard.  1890



  Porterville circa 1910.
Photo postcard of Porterville, CA,  circa 1910.   The photograph is by George Besaw  (Western Postcard Company).    This photo was taken looking north on Main St., between Oak and Mill  Avenues.     The Putnam Pioneer Store (mentioned with the Red Cross photo above) is the building here with the two pointy roof spires.

Friday, November 8, 2013



Porterville High School football team, 1920.
Porterville High School  football team,  1920.   (Scanned from the glass negative).   The team is posed in front of the school's  El Granito  building.    I found a partial list of names for the team members,  and I attempted to match the names to the players in this image, e.g.  Using old yearbook senior class photos, etc.    Here's what I came up with, (the players are listed from Left to Right):
Back row (Standing):  3rd player from the Left: Clyde Hubbs,   next to him (4th from L.):  Everett Cattaneo.   8th from the Left:  Sherrill Halbert.   9th from L:   Elrino Neher.   10th:  Roy Vincent.   11th:  D.R. Lightner (coach).
Middle row (kneeling):   1st from Left:  Calvin Stewart.   2nd from L:   Henry (or Oliver?) Peak.  3rd: Walter Premo.   4th: Taylor Perry.   5th: Jack Newbury.   8th from L:   Nelson Smith.
And sitting in the front row,  4th from the L:   Gilbert Velie.

A couple of close-ups:





Tulare in  1914
Kern Street in Tulare, CA.  (Circa 1914).   This is a view looking west,  near the corner of Kern Ave. and K Street.

Close-up:
Tulare,  corner of Kern and K Street, 1914.



Lindsay, CA.  1908
Written on the back of this photograph:  "Uncle Willie",  "Cigar & Candy Store",  "Lindsay  Calif."
Photo circa 1908.   It looks like there's a small telephone switchboard at the left side of this image.

Saturday, October 19, 2013



Porterville high school girls basketball team. 1918
 Porterville High School Girls basketball team, 1918.    This is a scan from the glass negative.  The two girls sitting front center  by the basketball are probably the Sheela sisters, Valetine and Frances (I'm not sure which is which).    Behind the Sheela sisters, in the white dress  is their coach,  Miss Meighen.   The girl in the back row, furthest to the left is Henrietta Cornell.   Back row, furthest to the right, appears to be Elizabeth Velie.  And in the back row, 2nd from the right is Ann Henry.

A couple of Close-ups:
Porterville Sheela
 One of the Sheela sisters.

Porterville,  Henrietta Cornell
Henrietta Cornell


Dinuba,  El Monte Way.  1907
A photo postcard of  El Monte Way,  Dinuba CA.   Circa 1907.      I would guess that this photo  was taken somewhere near the present day corner of El Monte Way and J Street.  e.g.  The two story house on the left,  with the upstairs balcony,  looks a lot like the home that is presently on the NW corner of El Monte Way and Villa Ave (Next to Dinuba City Hall).    See next image
(Added 1/6/17)  Here's a present-day view of  El Monte Way near the same location.


Camp Sierra,  Sequoia National Park
From a photo postcard of Camp Sierra, which was  in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park.   Circa 1910.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

 Three more photo postcard views from Tulare Co.



circus in Porterville CA
 Circus parade in Porterville, CA.  (March 1917).  This photograph was taken near the corner of Main St. and Mill Ave.


Orosi CA, around 1910
  Orosi, CA.   Circa 1911.

Close-up:
old Orosi CA



sequoia national park 1913
 Sequoia National Park,   postmarked 1913.

Close-up:
1913 sequoia national



Tuesday, September 3, 2013



In 1906.  Bank of Porterville
Interior of the Pioneer Bank of Porterville,  February  1906.     By Porterville photographer  A. R. Moore.
 (Added 3/29/14)  At the lower right corner of this image there's a desk blotter;  when this desk blotter is enlarged it is possible to make out the words: "Richard Bradley,  Porterville California".  I believe Mr. Bradley is the man in this photo with the beard.     Bradley was the bank's cashier and manager during this period.  

(Added 12/12/13)  Another Pioneer Bank photo from this series.

(Added, 10/28/13)  Here's another view of the Pioneer Bank of Porterville,  this time from the other side of the teller's window. 
Photo by A. R. Moore (Arthur Roland Moore).  February 1906.
(Added 3/29/14)   How I came up with the date of "February 1906":  There are three different calendars in these photos,  unfortunately I cannot clearly make out the year on any of them.  But I can see that  it was February, that it wasn't a leap-year (there are 28 days) and that the 1st of the month fell on a Thursday.  This would apply to the years 1900, 1906 and 1917.   A.R. Moore stopped his photography business in 1914, so this would eliminate 1917.        I think I can also rule out the year 1900.  e.g.  Even though I cannot clearly make out the year on the calendars,  none of them look like they have a year ending in "0" (i.e. The ending number looks like a "3", "5", "6" or "8").   Also,  I have seen a photo of Richard Bradley from around 1900, and I don't believe his hair looks quite so gray in that photograph.    
The Pioneer bank of 1906 was a single story granite-block building built in 1904.   Unfortunately this building was so heavy that it began to sink into the ground, and had to be torn down in 1911.


(Added 8/27/16)   A photo of Porterville's  Pioneer Bank (mentioned above),  from a postcard by George Besaw.   Circa 1908.


Springville, CA.   Around 1917
Photo postcard image of the Springville Hotel (Springville, CA).   Circa 1917.


E. M. Davidson, Visalia
Portrait of a young child from the studio of  E. M. Davidson,  Visalia CA.  Circa 1890.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Here's two carte de visite  portraits by Visalia photographer  E. J. Kildare,   circa 1875.

  
E. J. Kildare.  Visalia
 Printed on the back of this photo:  "E. J. Kildare,  Art and Photographic Rooms,   Over Baker's Drug Store,      Cor.  Main & Church Sts.,  Visalia   Cal."


E. J. Kildare.  Visalia and Bakersfield.
 Printed on this photo's back: "E. J. Kildare,  Art and Photographic Rooms,   Visalia and Bakersfield  Cal.".    This is the only reference I've seen to Kildare having a studio in Bakersfield.

After doing a little bit of research, here's what I was able to piece together about the life of Mr Kildare:
E. J. Kildare (Edward James Kildare) was born in Somerville Massachusetts in 1849.   He moved to California sometime around 1870.    During the 1870's he did various jobs at several well known photo studios in San Francisco (i.e. Bradley & Rulofson I. W. Taber & Co.  and  Thomas H. Boyd).   He also apparently had a partnership in Sacramento around 1877 (The studio of Wolfe & Kildare).   Kildare was in Visalia sometime between 1872 and 1875.
In 1875 he married Clara Isabelle Skinner (Claribel  Skinner).  They had at least two children together.  
Kildare moved to Guatemala Central America, in the early 1880's...  where he most likely  worked for the pioneering German-born photographer Emilio (Emil) Herbruger, and later he worked with  Alberto Valdeavellano.  
According to one Masonic publication, E.J. Kildare died  around 1901 while still apparently living in Guatemala.   His wife Clara  was killed during the 1902 Guatemala earthquake by "falling walls while trying to escape from her house".


(Added 5/24/14)  Carte de visite  portrait of a child by the studio of  "Kildare & Cook",  "Visalia and San Bernardino,  Cal.".    E. J. Kildare apparently had a short lived partnership with California/Arizona photographer F. A. Cook.   



(Added 5/24/14) From the backs of the three photos above,  as well as an example from one of  E.J. Kildare's Guatemala studios.


Circa 1917.  Porterville Main St.
A photo postcard view of Main St. Porterville (Circa 1917).  The building with columns at he end of the street is the Morton Street School.   This school was eventually torn-down to extend Main St. 



Monday, August 5, 2013



Tulare County pioneers.  Courtner and Jordan.
From a Paris Panel photograph by E.M. Davidson of Visalia.  (Circa 1892).
Written on the back of this photo: "Wm Courtner, Aunt Mary Ann".    This is a photograph of  William Coleman Cortner  (1830-1894) and his wife Mary Ann Jordan (1833-1915).     According to the 1892 Tulare County Atlas (by Thos. H. Thompson & Co.),  William Cortner owned land just east of Orosi (in Stokes Valley)...  Perhaps that is where this photo was taken. 


Tulare baseball.  Circa 1911
Photograph by "Hammond. Tulare, Cal" (Circa 1911).   I would guess that this is a photo of Tulare High School's baseball team.
  Written on the back of this photograph:
 "Reading from left to right."   "1. Wood",   "2. Dunlap - passed away May 18 1974",   "3. Smith",  "4. Foster",   "5. Ellis - passed away Oct 20 1956",   "6. Pell - passed away May 1913",   "7. Specklemere",   "8. Dye",   "9. Bedford",   "10. Harris",   "11. Hopkins",    "12. Prof. Walton".          Also written at the top is  "J. L. Dunlap", this along with the "2." player listed above seems to refer to John Leslie Dunlap  of Tulare (born 8/6/1893).  e.g.  John L Dunlap did in fact pass away on May 18, 1974.
The name "Ellis"  may be referring to Lawerence Lynn Ellis (born: 10/23/1893,  D: 10/28/1956).   


Printed on the back of this photograph: "Frank S. Ansley", "Photographer",  "Visalia, Cal." (Circa 1902). 
And written on the photo's back:  "Ethel Smith with Shep and Bob".


Thursday, July 18, 2013



Dinuba wagon shop.  Circa 1901
 The inscription along the bottom of this photograph reads:  "S.W. Photo 1901", "Glimpse at White Bros Wagon Shop", "Dinuba".
White's Wagon Shop  was on the corner of  Fresno and L Streets, in Dinuba.


Tulare Southern Pacific railroad depot.  Circa 1911
 A photo postcard of the Southern Pacific Railroad depot in Tulare, CA.   The postcard is dated: 12/14/1911.

Circa 1911. Tulare southern pacific depot.
(Added 7/29/13) Another photo postcard view of Tulare's Southern Pacific Railroad depot.   It's post-marked 6/21/1911, the photograph is by Beck.   This depot was on the NW corner of J Street and Tulare Ave. 
Close-up:
The large horse carriage in this image has "Encina Hotel" painted on its side.   This hotel was on the 100 block of South J Street.   The Tulare sign in the upper left hand corner states the distance in miles to San Francisco and New Orleans.


 (Added 7/21/14)  And here's another photo postcard view of Tulare's Southern Pacific Railroad depot, by Beck.   Circa 1911.
 Close-up:



Circa 1912. Tulare family picking strawberries
From a photo postcard.  Printed at the bottom of this photograph: "Strawberry picking near Tulare, Cal.   (by) Johnson".    Circa 1912.



Thursday, May 23, 2013


Circa 1905,  girl in nursing uniform.  Tulare
Photograph of a girl in a nursing uniform,  from Doran Studio (Tulare, CA).   Circa 1905.



Visalia woman, in 1880.
Photograph by S. W. Watrous of Visalia, CA.  (Taken in 1880 or 1881).    Note the hand colored flowers, cross and lips.       Written on the back of this photo is:  "Francis D. Bellina,  age 18".      Most likely this is  Francis Douglass Bellina,  maiden name: Francis P. Douglass.  She was born  Jul 22, 1862;  she passed-away on  Oct. 9, 1945 in Tulare CA.   She was married to Frank E. Bellina in 1883. 
    The 1900 U.S. Federal Census lists Francis as a widow with seven children.  In the 1910 Census, six of her children are still listed as living with her.  Both censuses indicate that she was a resident of  Visalia.


Circa 1919. Tulare CA.
From a photo postcard, Tulare, CA.  Circa 1920.    This is a view of  K Street, looking north from Kern Ave.   Many of these buildings are still standing.