Historical Perspectives

12/24/2024

Years ago, I came upon this 1922 column by Fresno historian Ernestine Winchell, published in the Fresno Republican (which I've transcribed). It gives up a fascinating look into a Christmas Eve journey by a group of hardy Fresno pioneers.

09/07/2024

Out of the Past…I’ve always been intrigued with steamboat travel deep in the San Joaquin Valley, which was in its heyday in the late 1850s to 1860s (before rail traffic took over in conveying freight).
An interesting find was reported in the Fresno Bee, December 31, 1958: the skeleton of a large barge, 140 by 22 feet, which was used to haul up to 10,000 sacks of grain to the Bay Area, towed by steamboats. On return trips the steamers with barges in tow would return to landings to deliver merchandise, lumber, etc. to the growing area.
Workers installing a drainage siphon under the a bend in the San Joaquin River near Los Banos, made the discovery. Ralph Milliken, a local historian, said in the story that it may have been a barge owned by the ranching firm of Miller & Lux, which had river warehouses in the region.

06/06/2024

One of the new Historical Perspectives ‘then & now’ photographs on display for tonight's Art Hop at the M Street Arts Complex is of the old Fresno Water Tower…this is cut-away is based on an illustration that Bee artist Doug Hansen did based on the architect’s diagrams (commissioned in 1891, completed in 1894).

06/05/2024

June 6th Art Hop @ M Street Arts Complex, 1419 M St, Fresno, 5-8 PM, “Free Ice Cream with the Artists” I’m in Studio #13. I’ve left up the Historical Perspectives for another month since I’ve been nicely asked to do so… When this project came to its end at the Bee, I had quite a few on my to-do list. I’ve unearthed nine of these and put stories to them. Some quite interesting: Warnors Theater, Monument to Dr. Rowell, Meux Home, dueling banks: First National & Farmers, Clovis Bank robbery of 1924, Fresno’s 40 & 8 Boxcar, and the Fresno Water Tower. Stop on by! I’m in Studio #13.

05/01/2024

Art Hop this Thursday, May 2, M Street Arts Complex, 1419 M St., Fresno, 5-8 pm.

Special offer: Free Taco plates for the first 80 guests from Zamara's Taqueria for a Cinco De Mayo Party at M Street. After the first 80 guests, taco plates will be available for purchase.

FYI----This will likely be the curtain call for my Historical Perspectives show...will move on to another topic....likely portraits.

04/03/2024

Art Hop this Thursday April 4th, 5-8 pm, at M Street Arts Complex…After the good turnout at my gallery last month, I’ll keep up the Historical Perspectives show for at least another month due to the interest in it.
What I have done is change it up a bit, with over ten new photos up with accompanying stories. Among them: Teilman’s Bridge to Nowhere, Zapp’s Park, Temple Bar Building, the original Fresno Auditorium, the Fresno Arch, Lane’s Bridge, South Pacific Rail Depot, Gottshcalks and the original Fresno High School building.
M Street Arts Complex, 1419 M St, Fresno

02/16/2024

One of my favorite illustrations...an 1890s look up Mariposa Street, Fresno, brought to life by Fresno Bee artist Doug Hansen.

12/26/2023

12/06/2023

I’ll continue with my Historical Perspectives show during this ArtHop, Thursday, Dec.7, 5-8 pm, 1419 M St, Fresno. I’ve swapped out a few from last month. Among the new ones:
-El Adobe de los Robles, one of the oldest standing buildings (163 years) in the Central Valley & its tie to the Donner Party tragedy.
-Dr Hares Sanitarium, where the one of the first X-rays was performed in the west (a 30-min. exposure performed in 1903, looking for a bullet in a patient’s shoulder)
-The Fiske building- where the notorious murder of the building’s swashbuckling owner occurred 133-years ago.
-The Fresno Expositor- on display, an original copy of the newspaper’s holiday 20th anniversary edition.
-The ghost town of Kingston- claim to fame: the entire village was tied up & robbed the day after Christmas, 1873.
Also, in keeping with holiday spirit, I’ll have out samples of my English toffee, for early attendees. M Street is also having a toy drive this night.

10/31/2023

Historic ArtHop event this Thursday, Nov. 2, 5-8 pm, at the M Street Arts Complex. I’ll be showing some photographs from my Historical Perspective series that ran in the Bee over close to a decade. This is a local ‘then & now’ look, featuring historic photos & the stories behind the photos…a somewhat fun look at how our world has changed over the years. I’ll also have some historic artifacts on display. Location: 1419 M St, Fresno, gallery #13. Drop on by!

06/05/2023

El Gobernador was a 4-10-0 steam locomotive built by Central Pacific Railroad at the railroad's Sacramento, California shops. It was the last of Central Pacific's locomotives to receive an official name and was also the only locomotive of this wheel arrangement to operate on United States rails. At the time it was built in 1883, El Gobernador was the largest railroad locomotive ever built.
It was originally designed to haul trains out of California's San Joaquin Valley via Tehachapi Loop. The locomotive was disassembled into five large subassemblies for transportation to the pass because it was thought to be too heavy for the various bridges along the route to the pass. Fresno Bee Library

05/18/2023

The ruins of the Cox and Clark adobe, a steamboat landing on the western shore of the old Tulare Lake, which can be seen in the background. It was built in 1870 as a trading post, where steamboats would ferry goods to points around the lake. It was in ruins at the time the photograph was taken by Kings County Sheriff William Van Buckner, while his family in buggy at left, were on their way to the coast in 1893. The location was approximately 3 miles south east of present-day Kettleman City.