Monthly news & updates

A Message from the President

Dear Members, Supporters and Friends,  

With the first quarter of the year gone in a flash of water, wind and branches crashing all around Kearney Park, I started to think of what we in Fresno County looked forward to doing in April. Without a doubt, we have always loved our parades!

If there was an opportunity to gather and celebrate, we took it and, my goodness, how elaborate the floats and entries could be. April is Fresno County’s birthday month so, in particular, there were LOTS of parades around April 20th. Also, for a number of years, Fresno hosted the Raisin Day Parade as part of the Raisin Day celebrations – Roots of the Valley this month chronicles this ingenious method of promoting our most valuable crop across the globe as well as around the country. I know you will enjoy that article greatly as it has some connections you will be surprised to learn.

One of the earliest parades I could find details about here that took place here was in July of 1900 – naturally to commemorate the 4th of July. Our parades are ALWAYS very patriotic!

The Fresno Morning Republican reported on July 5th the following enthusiastic recap:

“WAS A MEMORABLE FOURTH OF JULY – Yesterday’s Pageant One of the Best in Fresno’s History---Fine Street Parade and Park Entertainment---Brilliant Electrical Effect---Immense Crowd Attended the Celebration”

“Well, it’s over now and this is tomorrow morning – how do you feel? Yesterday’s celebration of Independence Day was certainly one of the best in the history of the city, if not the very best. When guns boomed in the morning and Young America was up with a firecracker under the paternal window, there was no mistaking that the ‘day we celebrate’ was ripe for the celebration. If any fond parent muttered anything Bout ‘that tamboy’ and tried to pinch another bit of sleep, he was foolish.

“The first thing that probably greeted the early riser was a nostril sensation of burned powder from the early and late sputtering of the toy artifices of war. Then the streets were covered with bits and shreds of shattered red paper. That was only the beginning, however, as the incessant firing continued all day long. Late in the afternoon and early evening, a favorite pastime was hurling cannon bombs into the middle of the street and shattering nerves and causing hearts to seek the throat.

“Then the crowd! There was a jam and a jostle on the streets,and elbowing and edging in the park (Courthouse Park), a crashing and crushing everywhere. People lined up in the streets and waited for a chance to take a hasty meal at the restaurants. Anybody that could wear an apron could have a job for the asking. To get fed was the chief problem.

“One noticeable feature of the day was the good order maintained by the great crowd. Very little drunkenness was to be seen; fights were a non-occurrence. The whole affair was highly creditable to the managers of the celebration, to the participants and to the on-lookers.”

There is a lot more to the article, but you get the picture of the day. Since Fresno was founded in 1872, this extravaganza occurred when the community was but 28 years young! And they compared themselves to previous parades which means, as we know, that Fresno County loves a parade!

Some of the other interesting photos I found include a very early Chinese Lion Dance in a pageant on the West Side – meaning across the tracks, a Bread Parade sponsored by Sperry Flour Company and, of course a number of military parades such as Navy Day and Armistice Day – which now, as the Veterans Day Parade, is one of the largest in the nation. Put it on your calendar – November 11th beginning each year at 11:11am.

Some of my personal favorites, for sentimental reasons, are the Centennial Parade photos, take by Pop Laval in April 1956 and the Sesquicentennial pictures that I took in April 2006 – I think it is cool that we both documented the same event 50 years apart. Yes, I am an old softy.

So, when March gets you down and feeling blue, just ask and I will send you a plethora of parade pictures to enjoy. Those and some marching band music are sure to raise your spirits as the real thing has done for generations of Fresno County residents since the beginning of our time here - especially in April!

Joyful wishes for a happy Easter month,

All the best,
Elizabeth Laval        
President                          
Fresno City and County Historical Society

FIELDS OF FRESNO FARM TOUR APRIL 29th
by Candice Hill, Tour Director

I always love to start off with a different quote from one of our recent guests from the Fields of Fresno Ag Tour. This time, let’s hear from Esteban Solis Loya:

“Having grown up in the South Valley, I was surrounded by the citrus industry and saw how that impacted the culture in my hometown. This Ag Tour gave me huge insights about Fresno County’s agriculture dominance and how essential it is to the country and to the world. We have incredible gems here in Fresno County, and I’m excited to see the next generations of farmers and ag workers continue to innovate!”

Did you know that you can book a PRIVATE group Ag Tour of up to 50 people per coach bus with the Historical Society? Our public Ag Tours are always on a Saturday; but if you prefer a private weekday Ag Tour for your group of friends, associates, members, colleagues or family, just contact [email protected]. That’s exactly what Fresno’s Garden Club did this past Tuesday. Private Ag Tours are customized for each party. For example, for this group I arranged for the garden ladies to visit the African American Farmer’s Demonstration site behind Kearney and John Paul’s Farm in Selma. They fell in love with the stories of both endeavors. The Paul’s family history is a riveting story of grit! The African American Farmers of California’s demo site is a creative story of making dreams of farming accessible to the average person. The emotional nature of both stories are as rich as the soil itself. It was my pleasure to direct it.

Our preservation reach is not just within the walls of the Kearney Mansion Museum, but throughout the County of Fresno.

FCHS's next public Ag Tour is Saturday, April 29th with a pre-Ag Tour Wine Mixer the Friday before. We only have 10 seats left and it’s just the start of April. Book your seats at valleyhistory.org/ag-tour as we prepare to visit three sites including the AA Farmers of California’s demo site with Chris Fields and Sherrell Wells, Matsumoto Farm with a guided tour by Nikiko Masumoto, and “Bob” of Kings River Winery.

TICKETS

MOTHER'S DAY TEA PARTY

TICKETS NOW ON SALE

We will celebrate Mom on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Kearney Mansion Museum with a traditional tea party. This special event offers a choice of seating in the Mansion dining room or on the veranda overlooking Kearney Park.

There are two seating times for tea at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM and includes a traditional tea service and a tour of the Kearney Mansion Museum and Gallery along with a 10% discount on store merchandise. 

Click here to secure your tickets today!

APRIL ARCHIVES SPOTLIGHT
by Cami Cipolla, Education Director
Our Valley History

Hello Friends of the Archives!

This month, I wanted to share with you the exciting news that our first round of California Revealed Archival Ledgers, diaries and documents has been digitized and is available for public view online! This has been a project that we have been working on since 2018 and plan to continue in the coming years. California Revealed is a California State Library initiative that helps heritage organizations digitize, preserve and provide online access to materials documenting the state’s history, art and cultures. They also provide free access and preservation services for existing digital collections, including technical advice and guidance, for partner organizations with in-house digitization programs. Our first round of items that are now available to the public include issues of the Fresno Weekly Expositor, which was one of Fresno County's earliest successful newspapers. It was founded in the county seat of Millerton on April 27, 1870, was published on Wednesdays by Peters & Co. and edited by co-owner J. W. Ferguson. In 1874, when the county seat was moved to Fresno on the Southern Pacific railroad line, the newspaper relocated as well. The first issue was published in Fresno on April 22, 1874. The Expositor was issued as a daily newspaper beginning in 1881 and was published until September 1, 1898 after J. W. Ferguson sold the business.

There are diaries and ledgers from late 19th century Fresno County included in the Collection as well. One of these ledgers is the Savage and Leach Trading Post Ledger from 1851. This ledger documents one of the earliest Gold Rush-era trading posts in the overlapping histories of Mariposa, Fresno and Madera Counties. The store was located at Fresno Crossing on the Fresno River in what is now Madera County near Coarsegold, California and was owned by Major James D. Savage and Dr. Lewis Leach. Originally a miner, Savage operated several trading posts in the mining regions of the western Sierra Nevada near Yosemite. He traded with local Native American tribes. One post was located on Mariposa Creek and two others were built on the Merced and Fresno Rivers.

Another item is the Fresno County Business License Ledger which documents the companies and individuals seeking business licenses in Fresno County just after the county was formed in June 1856 and ledger begins on July 10, 1856. The business licenses were issued for a period of three months. Entries include name of business or individual, type of business, duration of license, place of business, license class and fees paid. This ledger reveals the multi-ethnic community of Fresno County's first seat at Millerton and highlights the types of business services provided locally.

California Revealed was also able to digitize film reels including By Jupiter! which was released on April 1, 1941. This short film from Wilding Pictures is an example of the morality films Hollywood produced in the early days of WWII. The plot features Thornton Poindexter as he re-lives a day of his life and learns how just a little kindness can change things around. 

There have been two other nominations made to California Revealed by the Fresno County Historical Society that include Justice of the Peace Criminal and Civil Court Dockets and City Works ledgers. We are excited to continue our partnership with California Revealed to digitize our collections to better share them with the world! To find our items, you can visit their website. 

Cheers friends!

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR
TIME TRAVELERS' EDUCATION DAYS

Next month on May 25th & 26th, our Time Travelers' Education Days will provide two full days of curriculum-based educational engagement for children on school tours, along with family-friendly activities. This special experience will all be held at the Kearney Mansion Museum and Gallery and on the shaded lawns of Kearney Park.

Stations will include meeting Fresno County historic figures who will share their stories, interact with students and help them learn how the Central Valley evolved - from struggles they encountered to the joy of their newly-adopted homeland.

Additionally, there will be live demonstrations, a chance to participate in educational activities, and become immersed in cultural music, dance and folklore tales.

Don't wait register today to bring your class or home school family on a trip through time - back to Fresno County’s early years. Pre-and post-event curriculum will be available. 

Advanced registration is required.

Admission is $8.00 per student registered.

Educators and Adult Chaperones are Free.

Click Here and Register Today!

HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S 1940's GALA A SUCCESS
by Lori Hunter

For the Fresno County Historical Society’s 104th birthday, we wanted to throw a party that was one for the ages! If you attended Stars, Stripes and Swing - raise your hand!

The theme provided a fantastic experience, including Ration Books, that we wanted to share with all of our attendees, celebrating not only the founding of the Historical Society, but also commemorating the tremendous and wonderful efforts of the USO, which has been there for so many of our service members around the world and throughout the decades.

When it opened its doors on February 4, 1941, the USO was created as a physical network of stateside club locations where service members could go to relax, socialize and get a taste of the civilian world. Did you know that the USO provides programs, entertainment and services at more than 250 USO locations worldwide, including Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy, Japan, Iraq, South Korea and the United States? In 2019, USO centers were visited more than 8.1 million times by service members and their families. USO centers provide a warm and comforting place where service members can connect to loved ones via Internet or phone, play a video game, catch a movie, have a snack or just put their feet up and relax. We wanted to replicate that experience as closely as possible - cocktails and dinner in a vintage hangar? Check! Big band orchestra playing hits from the ‘40s? Check! Coffee and donuts available for everyone? Check!

From the welcoming “Aviator” cocktail, to the amazing cuisine, to the delicious coffee and treats (and amazing 1940s desserts!) - all captured a moment in time, frozen in song and forever in our memories. Here’s to the 1940s and here’s to a very VERY Happy 104th Birthday to the Fresno County Historical Society.

We salute you!

ROOTS OF THE VALLEY: RAISIN DAY

The Raisin Industry, which had flourished in the latter part of the 19th century, was, by 1908, floundering. The markets for raisins were disappearing—things had gotten so difficult that raisins were being used as feed for livestock. What could be done to save the raisin?

In the early Spring of 1909, a small group of local citizens, advised and aided by a group of railroad men, among whom was James Horsburg of the Southern Pacific Company, met in Fresno and decided that something would have to be done to advertise raisins to the country and stimulate consumption of a rapidly increasing production. Horsburgh suggested holding a festival in honor of the raisin. The idea was accepted with great enthusiasm and the first Raisin Day was held on April 30, 1909. Horsburgh became known as the “Father of Raisin Day.”

As a result, April 30, 1909 was designated Raisin Day and was perhaps the first of such days that have since become numerous and widely used to popularize California products.

Raisin Day then, however, was a but a feeble advertising campaign confined mostly to the menus of the dining cars of a few western railroads. Raisin bread was initiated that year, as a feature of the campaign. There was no celebration of any sort, and the world at large knew little and cared less about Raisin Day.

By 1914, Raisin Day was taken a step farther—a committee was formed to get as many people and organizations in the community involved as possible. They planned not only a parade, but also a pageant in Roeding Park that would begin shortly after the parade ended. Twenty-seven hundred participated in this spectacular event that told the history of the raisin in Fresno County.

On April 30, 1914, those who came downtown to watch the big parade saw blue and gold bunting—the festival’s colors—everywhere. Tall buildings were draped with hundreds of yards of the material—in many instances, it swooped down from the top floor to the first floor so streams of blue and gold seemed to clothe not only the buildings, but the city as well. The exterior of the Holland Building, home of the office of the California Associated Raisin Company that was spearheading the Raisin Day advertising campaign, was decorated with huge artificial California poppies as well as bunting. Inside its first-floor office, in full view from the street, was a California bear drinking from a fountain. The bear was made entirely of raisins.

Over the years, Raisin Day became a major event drawing crowds of 100,000 people or more from all over the country. The centerpiece of the celebration was always a huge parade with a Raisin Queen and her court riding on one of the many floats. Other cities, such as Pasadena, participated. San Francisco County and Los Angeles County also took part. Businesses, communities, and organizations of all kinds sponsored floats in the parade. Marching bands also were featured. All of these groups competed for the sought-after sweepstakes award. Over the years of the event, many famous people, Tom Mix, for one, were featured as Raisin Day King of the parade. The last Raisin Day was held in May 1932.

Raisin Day succeeded in its purpose by making the raisin known throughout the country. Hotels and railroad companies helped by serving raisins with their meals each day during the event.

From the title, Raisin Day, emerged the name California Raisin Festival as the event assumed state-wide proportions; and in the late ‘20s, all California claimed an interest in and credit for a magnificent pageant parade which in included participation from all the major cities of the state as well as of the San Joaquin Valley; that district which shared the privileges of being host.

In order to provide for the entertainment of the ever-increasing Raisin Day throngs, it became necessary to provide more events, so there was added to the festival afternoon entertainment, and, later, the grand ball at night. When the idea of having a reigning queen was first originated, the honor of providing the queen was rotated among the counties of the valley on the basis of raisin acreage. Fresno County provided the first Raisin Day queen. This system was followed for seven years until Stanislaus County, the county with the smallest raisin acreage, had sent her queen to Fresno.

The former policy of having a moving picture star reign as king of Raisin Day originated around 1919 as a publicity stunt because of the fact that, in those days, any event associated with the name and photograph of a picture star was certain to be received with open arms by the newspapers and magazines of the country. At that time, the Raisin Festival was not so strongly entrenched as an annual event of importance, and needed all the publicity that could be obtained.

The afternoon entertainment was of varying types until 1920, when the board speedway, the first mile bowl in the country, was constructed in Fresno. The speedway races in connection with the Raisin Festival, provided thrilling entertainment and worldwide advertising for Fresno County and the festival for a number of years while the racing craze lasted.

The mid-1920s saw two changes in policy: one related to the selection of the queen and the other to the type of afternoon entertainment. All communities of the San Joaquin Valley, large and small, were then allowed to compete for the honor of giving the festival its queen and twenty-two valley cities sent to Fresno two weeks before Raisin Day their fairest daughters from whom was selected by judges Queen Blanche Grimes of Sanger. Lindsay claimed the honor of sending Queen Georgia Holmes to reign over the festival in 1928 and, in 1929, on the twentieth anniversary of the festival, Queen Genelle Green of Porterville reigned.

With speedway racing no longer attractive to the public, a new type of afternoon entertainment became necessary and out of the deliberations of the California Raisin Festival Association came the first annual West Coast Relays held at the State College Stadium in 1927 after the Fresno County Chamber of Commerce education committee had successfully conducted a public movement for construction of the stadium and had increased its seating capacity from 3,000 to about 11,000.

This type of entertainment was decided upon for many reasons but chiefly because of its advertising value to the Fresno State College, growing interest in the West in the Olympic games scheduled for Los Angeles in 1932, and because of the fact that there was not in the West any event comparable to the Penn Relays on the East Coast and the Drake Relays in the Mid-West.

The Relays brought to the festival a clean type of sport in which the mechanical element does not center, an event of accumulating interest and changing personnel, and a subject for almost continuous newspaper comment throughout the nation.

As other phases of the festival changed, so did the policy with regard to the king of Raisin Day. In 1929, a star of the athletic world, Morley Drury, typifying the stalwart young manhood of the West and the sports in which the men of the West excelled, reigned as king with Queen Genelle Green.

From that small, almost unnoticed effort in 1909, there had grown a succession of events composing the California Raisin Festival in 1929.

The coronation pageant, “Land of the Fiesta,” was held at the Pantages Theater. The following day, the magnificent California Festivals Pageant Parade took place as was the third iteration of the West Coast Relays. There was a “Joy Zone” at H and Mariposa streets and, naturally, the Grand Ball closed out the celebration.

Don’t forget, the point was advertising…so during Raisin Week, there were many special raisin menus in the dining rooms of steamships afloat on all the waters of the world, in the dining cars of all railroads in the country and in the dining rooms of thousands of hotels in this country and abroad.

Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Exchange, Round Table, Optimist and Advertising Clubs of the entire world observe Raisin Day with special luncheon meetings at which special raisin dishes are served.

Newspapers, magazines and trade journals have carried thousands of columns of illustrated reading matter about Fresno city and county, the San Joaquin Valley and the California Raisin Festival and the West Coast Relays.

Within a week after Raisin Day,they will have appeared in practically every large theater in the country newsreel views of the pageant parage and West Coast Relays, including sound pictures to be taken by the Fox Newsreel cameramen who, with the representative of ten other newsreels, came to Fresno for the purpose of recording for the world the events of Raisin Day.

Raisin Day Timeline
1909 - First Raisin Day held
1910 - Lydia York of Fresno becomes first Raisin Day Queen
1912 - With creation of California Associated Raisin Company (now Sun-Maid), Raisin Day begins to assume larger proportions
1916 - Barney Oldfield competes in the Raisin Day automobile races, held at the Fresno Fairgrounds
1921 - Helen Hauser and William Russell reign as first "king and queen" of Raisin Day
1924 - Only two-time Raisin Day King, Monte Blue, has his first reign; the second was in 1927
1926 - Famed cowboy star Tom Mix reigns as Raisin Day King
1927 - Track and field events added to Raisin Day; these evolved into the West Coast Relays
1928 - Wallace Beery reigns as Raisin Day King
1932 - Last Raisin Day held, though the tradition stays alive in some smaller Fresno County communities

MAKING HISTORY EVERY DAY:
Fresno State Marching Band Members Go Global at
Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Early St. Patrick’s Day morning, about 100 members of the Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band will take to the streets in Dublin, Ireland, to perform at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade as part of the Mountain West Conference All Star Band. 

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin on Friday, March 17, is one of the biggest and most celebrated annual events globally. 

“This is an amazing opportunity for all of our students to perform in one of the most recognized and distinguished international events, as well as to be immersed in the culture and heritage of Ireland,” said Steven McKeithen, director of the Bulldog Marching Band and the Mountain West Conference All Star Band. 

Earlier this year, the Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band performed in the Rose Parade. Weeks later, they presented a performance video at the prestigious College Band Directors National Association Conference in Athens, Georgia. Now, some members will be on the world stage performing in Dublin, Ireland.

“We are so happy to see our Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band students collaborating with students from other Mountain West universities under Professor Steven McKeithen’s direction in Dublin, Ireland. This is truly a transformative experience for all of them, and we’re very proud of the band’s accomplishments and recognition far and wide,” said Dr. Honora Chapman, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State.

The Mountain West Conference All Star Band consists of 220 members from eight universities who will join together to perform in the world-renowned parade. These include Fresno State; San Diego State University; San Jose State University; University of Nevada, Reno; Boise State University; Utah State University; University of Wyoming; and the United States Air Force Academy. The participating Fresno State students used their own resources to fund their travel.

“We are very excited to partner with our associated Mountain West schools and their wonderful students and directors. This is an unprecedented partnership that has been in process for over a year,” McKeithen said.

The Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band is an NCAA Division-I college marching band that performs at all Fresno State home football games and various other events on campus and in the community. It was recognized by the College Band Directors National Association as one of the top eight college marching bands in the country with the 2017 Ensemble of Excellence award. The 280-member Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band represents all eight schools and colleges on campus, comprising a diverse group of students from all over California, the United States and beyond.