A Wowol Yokuts village called Chaw-Lo-Win existed here on an island in Old Tulare Lake,
once the largest fresh water lake in California. In 1859 Allen Atwell and Isaac Goldstein claimed the island. They ferried hogs to the island on rafts to fatten . . . — — Map (db m141811) HM
The first people to use the hot springs were the Bokninuwad Yokuts also called "Hoeynche" who called it "Kahtililkau" hot water. In the late 1870's T.J. and N.B. Witt filed claim to Upper Deer Creek "Hoyen Idik" which included the several hots . . . — — Map (db m51871) HM
Alta Irrigation District was formed in August 1888 by means of a general election
after the Wright Act, which became law on March 7, 1887. It was the first such district to become operational. The Alta District incorporated the holdings of the "76" . . . — — Map (db m141675) HM
In 1885 four German homesteaders Chris Joos, Ben Spuhler, Fred Schmidt, Gotlet Utley, sunk a common water well where the corners of their land met. This junction became Dutch Corners. In 1888 the east side line of the Southern Pacific Railroad was . . . — — Map (db m141646) HM
In 1858 the Butterfield Overland Mail Company established stations at ten to twenty mile intervals to serve passengers and change horses. One of those stations was located approximately a mile and a half east of here. The first stage left the East . . . — — Map (db m141792) HM
Located just to the north on the People's Ditch, this mill, operating from 1854 to 1913, produced much of the flour used by early settlers of the valley — — Map (db m34481) HM
Exeter has been the terminal for the Visalia Electric Railroad, the first 15-cycle alternating current rail line in North America, since its start in 1905 with Southern Pacific Railroad, which created the town in 1888, and the Atchison, Topeka & . . . — — Map (db m141666) HM
Tulare County's third oldest community dates back to 1866... the year that Merrill Jasper and John Crowley established a general store at this location. The store was sold, in 1868, to Thomas G Brundage who made application for a post office and . . . — — Map (db m141665) HM
While trapping in the Rocky Mountains in 1827 Thomas L. Smith was shot in the lower left leg by Indians. Escaping he took his knife and cut off the useless part, surviving this, he carved a peg of oak, strapped it on and was thereafter called, . . . — — Map (db m51870) HM
One and one-half miles northwest of this point the settlement of Fountain Springs was established before 1855. It was at the junction of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the road to the Kern River gold mines. From 1858 to 1861, Fountain Springs was . . . — — Map (db m51865) HM
Running north and south, following an older Indian Trail is the route taken by many Spanish expeditions, American trappers, traders and parties of exploration. It was the major inland route of gold seekers to the northern and southern Mines and was . . . — — Map (db m51868) HM
Tailholt began as a gold mining camp about 1856 during the Kern River gold rush. Gold was obtained from placer and shaft operations. Mining has been carried on intermittently since the time of discovery. During periods of activity there has been a . . . — — Map (db m143541) HM
This cabin was built in 1872 by Israel Gamlin, who with his brother Thomas filed a timber claim to 160 acres within Grant Grove. They quartered here until 1878 while grazing cattle in the mountains. After General Grant National Park was established . . . — — Map (db m44329) HM
This tree was cut in 1875, and a 16 ft. section sent to the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. Only the outer shell was exhibited, the parts being reassembled after shipment. Eastern people refused to accept the exhibit as part of a single . . . — — Map (db m44327) HM
The Kaweah Cooperative Colony was a utopian project started in 1886. For several years it attracted international attention and many settlers came here and actually did much to further their ideals. Unable to secure title to the land, and because . . . — — Map (db m166737) HM
In 1910 this was Southern California Edison's Camp 8, and in those days it really was the "end of the road".
From the uppermost camp S.C.E. constructed the intake for their Kern River No. 3 Power Plant.
In 1922, Earl and Lucille Pascoe . . . — — Map (db m196331) HM
Along this loop trail, information signs help acquaint you with the General Grant and other notable trees in this impressive sequoia grove. For a more detailed story, purchase the self-guiding brochure at the Grant Grove Visitor Center or from a . . . — — Map (db m82384) HM
(Left side)
One wonders how long this tree fell...A high tanning content makes Giant Sequoia wood undigestible to fungi, bacteria, insects, and other decay organisms. Thus, decay of this wood takes place very slowly! The Fallen Monarch . . . — — Map (db m82385) HM
Ben Harris, unwashed & profane was known as "the greatest liar in the Sierra."
He frequented Lemon Cove and the Mineral King back country and became part of the folklore.
His mule was the smartest, his dog the meanest, his gun the . . . — — Map (db m141540) HM
On this site, in 1879, a large two story thirteen room hotel was constructed, known as “The Cottonwoods,” by the partnership of C.W. Crocker and J.B. Wallace of San Francisco, and J.W.C. Pogue. The Pogue family came to this lime kiln area in 1865 . . . — — Map (db m155190) HM
This route, following an earlier emigrant trail, was laid out in the 1850’s as part of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road. It was used by the Butterfield Overland Mail stages between St. Louis and San Francisco from 1858 to 1861. This was the first . . . — — Map (db m143279) HM
In 1894 John Jolly (J.J.) Cairns planted rows of olive trees as a windbreak on the north side of his newly planted orange orchard. His daughters Laura and Ethel, stated that Cairns truly loved the beauty of the trees. He planted three rows on the . . . — — Map (db m155668) HM
This tablet marks the trail taken by Gen. John Charles Fremont on his famous march over the Rocky Mountains through California. — — Map (db m168346) HM
Try to imagine yourself standing here in the 1950’s. You would have been surrounded by cars. Engine noise and exhaust would have overridden your impressions of the giant trees. Almost 100 cabins and motel units would have faced you from across the . . . — — Map (db m44311) HM
He laid the foundation of the National Park Service defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come to an end to the good that he has done. — — Map (db m52661) HM
This cabin was built by cattlemen who had acquired much of the Giant Forest land for grazing purposes prior to the establishment of Sequoia National Park in 1890. After the park’s establishment, the land was leased to men who supplied meat and milk . . . — — Map (db m44338) HM
An earlier road to Giant Forest, completed in 1903, quickly proved inadequate for increasing motor car use. Completion of a new road providing wider turns and less grade became a high priority, so a road survey of the Middle Fork Canyon was ordered . . . — — Map (db m44346) HM
In the evening of Friday February 22, 1889, two men wearing masks boarded the engine of Train No. 17 as it pulled away from Pixley Station. At gun point they ordered engineer Peter Bolenger and fireman C.G. Elder to stop the train two miles south . . . — — Map (db m141756) HM
One of the oldest continuously operated schools in Tulare County was started at this location as South Tule School, May 6. 1874. Citrus Elementary School founded in 1897, merged with South Tule in 1932. The La Motte School, founded in 1894, was . . . — — Map (db m141671) HM
Born in Ohio, Dr. George saw action in the Mexican War. After studying medicine, he started a practice in Visalia about 1855. He served in the Indian War of 1856, and as a loyal Union man, kept an eye on the Secesh in Tulare, Kern and Coso for Union . . . — — Map (db m141542) HM
A significant segment of Porterville and Tulare County history is associated with this site and this monument through the name of Elisha Packwood who built his home here in 1852 after crossing the plains as leader of a wagon train, from Missouri . . . — — Map (db m141723) HM
The First Burton Schoolhouse was a few yards to the North of this site. It was in a field owned by Royal Porter Putnam and is shown here in the 1892 Tulare County atlas.
School buildings in the early days were the community meeting places, and it . . . — — Map (db m141919) HM
Spanish-California explorer and first white man of record to visit this area. He discovered a river now known as the Tule in April of 1806, named it Rio de San Pedro and followed its channel upstream possibly as far as River Island. Friar Pedro . . . — — Map (db m141718) HM
At this location from 1895 until the late 1920's Mrs. Nettie Smith had a dance hall, bar and restaurant with several small rental cabins reputed to have been a brothel. Mrs. Smith was for years accepted as a business woman in this town, she was from . . . — — Map (db m141087) HM
We Did All That Was Asked
CPL Stephen E. Austin 21 USMC
CPL Roy V. Berry 20 USMC
CWO Rudy Bijl 30 USA
SP4 Phillip W. Bridges 23 USA
CMDR Rodney B. Carter 40 USN
PFC Dennis F. Ellis 20 USMC
SSGT Donald T. Erickson 32 USA
PFC Timothy . . . — — Map (db m119153) WM
Jim McKinney, Porterville's "Jekyll and Hyde,” a soft-
spoken man was liked by many, but when drunk was dangerous, always armed and looking for trouble. On the night of July 27, 1902, on a drunken rampage he went totally bad and shot up . . . — — Map (db m141829) HM
In September of 1858 the Butterfield Overland Mail Company set up stations along its route from Missouri to California. These way stations were at about fifteen to twenty mile intervals to change horses. Some would also provide food and lodging. . . . — — Map (db m141817) HM
Frank "Buck Shaffer was a man of music, integrity, inspiration, patriotism and discipline. Buck came to Porterville in 1953 to take a position as the Porterville High School band director. Thousands of young people have had the opportunity to learn . . . — — Map (db m119156) HM
At a temporary camp at the old indian trail crossing on Paint Creek (White River), a treaty between the United States and the leaders of four Yokuts tribes was signed on June 3, 1851. The four tribes of Yokuts were the Yal-Um-Ne, Co-Yet-Te, Chu-and . . . — — Map (db m141876) HM
On January 9, 1873 the U.S. government set aside land for the present reservation. This encompassed all of the tributary area of the south fork of the Tule River down to a north-south line four miles below the Soda Springs on the Tule River. For 18 . . . — — Map (db m141523) HM
A reservation was originally established in 1857. Indians from a widespread area were brought here. The natives of this vicinity were the Kuyeti Tribe toward the west and the Yaudanchi Tribe toward the east. Both were branches of the Yokuts Indians . . . — — Map (db m13237) HM
Here Peter Goodhue operated am emigrant trail stopping place on the banks of the Tule River from 1854 to until the river changed its course in 1862. This became a Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Station, 1858-61. It was kept in 1860 by R. Porter . . . — — Map (db m10461) HM
Between 1859 and 1862 Vandalia was developing as the largest trading center in the Tule River Watershed and the third largest settlement in Tulare County. Vandalia Village, three tenths of the a mile north of this monument was the first semblance of . . . — — Map (db m141659) HM
Home of the Tule River Yokuts, founded in 1873 by Executive Order of President Ulysses Grant. Totaling 56,396 acres, elevation range from 900 to 7,500 feet.
The reservation is governed by the Tule River Tribal Council consisting of nine elected . . . — — Map (db m119158) HM
A long period of unrest between the settlers and Indians of Tulare County erupted in war during the Spring of 1856. Untrue reports that five hundred head of cattle had been stolen in Frazier Valley and the burning of Orson K. Smith's sawmill aroused . . . — — Map (db m173122) HM
Named after John Milton Nelson who came to California in 1850 and in 1886 homesteaded here and built a cabin near this spot. He visited here first in the 1860's while traveling over the Jordan Trail to the Owens Valley. This resort was first used by . . . — — Map (db m141759) HM
This chimney is all that remains of the store, bar and rest stop built in the 1860's by William C. Daunt, on land owned by Louis Weber. The stop was a favorite of sheepmen, lumbermen and travelers in and out of the mountain area. The Daunt post . . . — — Map (db m141677) HM
The original Harmony School opened August 5, 1871, was among the first to serve pioneer families who settled west along the Tule River. The first school building was a one-room one-sided wooden structure. It was located some 100 feet south of this . . . — — Map (db m141752) HM
When John and Peter Roth came to Tulare County in 1878. They acquired and dry-farmed thousands of acres along the Tule River. Their holdings extend north through the present Strathmore area. In 1888 they built a grain-loading platform on the . . . — — Map (db m141652) HM
In March of 1860, Joseph R. Walker, leading a party of men across the Southern Sierra to prospect, was in Visalia to get supplies. The editor of the Visalia newspaper interviewed Mr. Walker regarding his route and learned surpisingly that he was not . . . — — Map (db m141822) HM
Auto Log
Base Diameter – 21 Feet
Fell in 1917. Since then many types of vehicles have been photographed on this unusual log driveway. — — Map (db m103308) HM
Buttress Tree
Length 272 ft.
Base Diameter 20 ft.
Estimated Age 2,300 yrs.
Fell without warning June 3, 1959. The weather was clear with no wind. Sequoias lose their balance and fall when their shallow root systems are weakened by . . . — — Map (db m103311) HM
Shaping a Park
Call the Cavalry!
The Parker Group owes its name to a cavalry officer who commanded troops here in 1893. Why was the military here? Congress established Sequoia National Park in 1890, but the National Park Service did not exist . . . — — Map (db m103432) HM
Shaping a Park
Colonel Young: A Buffalo Soldier
The road to Moro Rock is part of the legacy of a young army officer who became America’s first black national park superintendent. Captain Charles Young, a West Point graduate, commanded the cavalry . . . — — Map (db m103435) HM
There it is! The largest tree on earth. Directly in front of you stands the biggest tree on the planet, the General Sherman Tree. Some trees grow taller, and some are bigger around, but no tree has greater mass. The amount of space taken up by its . . . — — Map (db m87852) HM
In 1879 a toll road company was formed and in five months, at a cost of $30,000 a crew of 125 men directed by Thomas C Mayon and John W Crowley completed 25 miles of road from Toll Gate to Mineral King. Empire Mine owner Tom Fowler, who lost his . . . — — Map (db m141532) HM
United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization
MAB
Program on Man and the Biosphere
By decision of the Bureau of the International Coordinating Council of the Program on Man and the Biosphere, duly authorized to that . . . — — Map (db m2978) HM
Shaping a Park
The CCC Boys
Tunnel Log reminds us of the work of young men who struggled to survive the Great Depression in the 1930s. The drive-through hole in the log was carved by the “boys” of the Civilian Conservation Corps . . . — — Map (db m103433) HM
Shaping a Park
The Naturalists
Moro Rock is one of the places in Sequoia National Park where, in 1922, naturalists began “translating” the landscape for early park visitors. Naturalists offered walks, talks, and campfire programs . . . — — Map (db m103434) HM
Traver
Traver townsite was laid out by the 16 Land and Water company. An auction of lots was held on April 8, 1884. Within sixty days a small town was in existence
It prospered for a few years and was probably the largest grain shipping point . . . — — Map (db m101866) HM
At this site on February 11, 1912, Frank Bryant piloted the first airplane to land in Tulare County at what was then the Tulare County Fairgrounds. The plane, a Curtiss pusher-type biplane, had been used by Glenn Curtiss to win a world speed title . . . — — Map (db m141673) HM
John Gilbert "Tex" Rankin and associates saw Tex's dream of an academy to train Army Air Force Cadets begin here on a 960 acre site on February 12, 1941. A three day event heralded the opening on May 18, 1941. The original cost estimate of $350,000 . . . — — Map (db m141778) HM
On September 12,1936 a fire struck downtown Tulare destroying Al Tuggle's furniture store. A few months later W. A. "Al" and Enid Tuggle rebuilt their store in an open field South of Tulare
exactly. 4 miles South of Bardsley Road on K Street (old . . . — — Map (db m141911) HM
By July 1872 the railroad had reached a site where they had planned a town to be called
"Tulare City". This they believed, by bypassing Visalia, would soon become the new county seat and a large area was allowed for the government buildings, but . . . — — Map (db m141873) HM
This district was formed in 1889 and is considered the fourth oldest irrigation district in California. At the time of its founding it encompassed 32,500 acres and has since grown to 70,000 acres. The district delivers canal water to 230 farms and . . . — — Map (db m141915) HM
This Classic Revival style
structure was built in 1923
for the Bank of Italy. It was
renamed Bank of America in
1930 by owner Amadeo Giannini.
Previously, the Bank of Visalia
was located on this site. — — Map (db m168322) HM
At this place, near midnight Oct. 8, 1858, Visalians greeted with an anvil salute, the first coach of the pioneer line to arrive from St. Louis. The Visalians' hearty welcome caused the only "through" passenger to remark "They ought to be remembered . . . — — Map (db m34511) HM
On October 6, 1862 Capt. Moses McLaughlin and Lt. Col. George S. Evans commanding 57 men of Company D, 2nd Cavalry, California Volunteers arrived in Visalia. They had come from Camp Independence, Owens Valley over the newly completed Coso Trail. . . . — — Map (db m141739) HM
Sweet's Department Store,
a Visalia landmark from 1857
to 1931, moved to this site
around 1859. A 1922 remodel
gave the building its current
roofline. Link's Clothing
Store, opening in 1941, was
located here from 1974 to 2014. — — Map (db m169070) HM
On Christmas Eve 1872 James G. McCrory, who had murdered before in Visalia and in Arizona, was drunk and disorderly at the El Dorado Saloon on Main Street in Visalia. When one of the owners, Charles Allen, tried to quiet him he shot Allen three . . . — — Map (db m141814) HM
In 1854 the supervisors of Tulare County authorized construction of a 16' x 16' oak log structure with a courthouse upstairs and jail downstairs. Before this, the most dangerous prisoners were chained to a large oak log out in the open. In 1858 a . . . — — Map (db m141827) HM
Under a nearby tree a party commanded by Major James D. Savage, on July 10, 1852, conducted an election by which Tulare County was organized. Woodsville, Site of Wood's Cabin, the first small town settled by white men in Tulare County, and first . . . — — Map (db m149167) HM
Within one-eighth mile of this site was Woodville, the first settlement and county seat of Tulare County. It was named after John Wood, the leader of a party of eighteen from Mariposa mines, who built a log cabin and who was killed here by Indians . . . — — Map (db m141786) HM
The Chinese Community flourished in this area from the latter 1800s to the 1960s. The first known Chinese resident in Visalia was known to be here as early as December 1859. Visalia Chinatown dates from the early 1890s. Originally encouraged to come . . . — — Map (db m141775) HM
Around the 1860's the Mexican saddle makers of this area developed a new saddle for the working vacquero. The names associated with the development of this new stock saddle are J. Martarell, J. Salazar, R. Mattley, and A. Herrera. All were old . . . — — Map (db m141533) HM
This Mission Revival style
building retains the original
lanterns which flank its present
entrance. Initially, the depot's
entrance faced south. It was
remodeled in 1971 by “Hap” Cobb
to house The Depot restaurant. — — Map (db m169093) HM
"We have come to this young county with the paraphernalia of our trade, not for political or partisan ends, but with a sincere desire to advance its interests...," so wrote I.W. Carpenter, founder of the Tulare County and Fresno Examiner. The first . . . — — Map (db m141669) HM
This area for miles around was the ancestral home of the Wukchumne Yokuts until 1852 when Tulare County was established. Settlers came soon after to establish farms and cattle ranches along the north side of the Kaweah River. Floods in the 1860s . . . — — Map (db m141524) HM
