A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Members, Friends and Supporters,

As America prepares to celebrate her 247th birthday, I started to think about things around our region that have reached or surpassed the centennial mark – such as the Fresno City & County Historical Society which is looking pretty good for 104 years of age!

Lately, several additional well-known entities have turned 100 – both of which possess rich histories of their own.

The first is KMJ Radio. In 1922, the San Joaquin Light and Power Company began an experimental radio station with the call letters "KMJ.”

The Fresno Bee purchased KMJ. On June 12, 1925, Fresno's first radio station went on the air. The program featured music by John C. Edwards and his Hotel Californian Orchestra, Spike Hennessey and his Rainbow Ballroom Band, the Crockett Mountaineers of Fowler, and a song called "Radio Love" written by two Fresno women. On October 28th, a regular Monday through Saturday news broadcast debuted.

The station started airing to great fanfare as this article from June 12, 1925 shows.

“JAZZ TO OPERA! BEE’S STATION KMJ GOES ON AIR AT 7:15 TO-NIGHT”

“Mayor Sunderland Will Open Initial Broadcast With Address: Solo And Orchestra Numbers Programed For Big Radio Jubilee”

“Radio fans! When you hear The Fresno Bee, KMJ, 234 meters, on the air in its initial program under managements of this paper to-night, telephone The Fresno Bee and report reception of the station.

“Arrangements were made by The Bee to-day to have special phone service to-night during the hours that KMJ is on the air, from 7:15 to 9:45 P.M. News men will be on hand to receive your reports on the new station.

“Also, write to The Bee and tell how you received Station KMJ, how you liked the program and what you would like to hear from the station.

“The telephone number is 7300.”

In 1929, KMJ became affiliated with the Don Lee Network. Access to more programming allowed expanded listening hours. Six months later, the Don Lee Network became associated with Columbia Broadcasting System making the first coast-to-coast programs available in Fresno.

By 1940, the station increased its power to 5,000 watts and changed to its present-day 580 frequency. KMJ left the Don Lee Network and became affiliated with the National Broadcasting Company. Now valley listeners heard Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly, Lowell Thomas, and Burns and Allen. Such regional programs as the Nation's Christmas Tree Ceremony and The Forum for Better Understanding were broadcast nationally.

The other notable entity blowing out 100 candles is the Fort Washington Country Club. Not the oldest in Fresno; Sunnyside Country Club holds that distinction; Fort Washington really did begin as a fort to protect settlers near the San Joaquin River in the area north of what is now Fresno. One hundred and twenty-six acres were purchased for the course which was to be laid out by William Watson of Los Angeles.

On June 17, 1923, this article appeared in The Fresno Morning Republican:

“FORT WASHINGTON’S NEW GOLF COURSE TO BE INFORMALLY OPENED”

“The new golf course of the Fort Washington Golf club will be informally opened this morning when members will shoot around the first nine holes, which were completed last week. Work on the inside nine holes will start immediately, and when they are completed, and the course put in tip top shape a formal opening celebration will be held.

“Construction on the temporary club house will start this week, The outside nine holds will have sand greens and the inside nine holes grass greens, but grass greens will be put in on the outside nine after the inside holes are constructed.”

Just a few days later, on June 23, 1923, a note was sent out to more than 50 applicants by newly elected Club President, Dr. Arthur N. Albright stating:

“This letter is to greet you as a new member of the Fort Washington Golf club and to extend to you all of the privileges of the golf course which is now open for you to play on.

“We respectfully request that you take advantage of this and present yourself for plat next Saturday and Sunday, as we want all members to turn in their score so arrangements can be made for a Tombstone tournament by July 4.”

“The Fort” is fully celebrating its centennial year throughout 2023 with special events, a coffee-table book and even an hour-long documentary that is a brilliant “love letter to the Club and to the game of golf.” The film will be airing on Valley PBS and was crafted by masterful filmmaker, Jeff Aiello.

So, there you have it – in a time where a mournful community is watching far too many businesses collapse, let’s remember the plethora of local entities, including your own FCHS, that represent the kind of triple digits we love to see and are still Making History Every Day!

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

FCHS AG TOUR PROGRAM KEEPS GROWING
By: Candice Calderon, Tour Director

It’s great to be back in the Valley! I just returned from directing a three-week Eastern Seaboard tour and I was homesick for our fruit. I searched high and low in New York, and it was difficult to find the ripe, sweet, fruit that some Valley residents take for granted as we have such an array of fresh options within a five-to-ten-minute drive (if that) from our homes and workplaces. Did you know that one of our well-known local farmers used to sell their famous peaches to a New York restaurant as a dessert? Our Valley peaches would be on offer as a dessert for $20, yes that’s twenty with a capital T! But you’re in luck. You don’t have to pay $20 for one big, juicy peach. You can book a seat on our Fields of Fresno Ag Tour for Saturday, July 29th from 8:15am – 1:15pm.

Naturally, our next public Ag Tour on July 29th will highlight the Fresno County Fruit Trail featuring Freisen Farms showcasing their peaches; Liz Hudson Farms, showcasing their giftshop, jams, produce and everything in between; and Ramos Torres Winery highlighting three of their well-known local wines for tasting! Book your seats at valleyhistory.org/ag-tour. The Tour includes parking at the Kearney Mansion Museum, your seat on a spacious motorcoach charter bus, a local Tour Director on the motorcoach bus, registration bags, breakfast snacks, a guided tour at each Ag site, wine tasting and lunch.

Remember that a new feature for our Ag Tour participants is our Wine Mixer the Friday afternoon before each of our Saturday Ag Tours. So, your $85 ticket also includes access to the Friday, July 28th pre-Ag Tour Wine Mixer from 3:00pm - 4:30pm at the Kearney Mansion Museum. I look forward to greeting locals and visitors from afar on our next public Ag Tour on Saturday, July 29th!

Book Now!

FAMILY, FREEDOM AND FIREWORKS
By: Lori Hunter, Administrator

Nothing quite sums up the feeling of summer and the upcoming 4th of July quite like those words, especially when spoken together. They create such a vivid image in our minds, and you can almost smell the ignition of the coals in the grill. As we look forward to safely celebrating our country’s Independence Day, let us look back to exactly how Fireworks came to be.

They were always something special, going all the way back to 200 BC. They were not, however, the multicolor gorgeous displays we see today. In fact, they came to be through mere happenstance. As the Chinese were trying to ward off evil spirits, they put bamboo into a fire and unintentionally created firecrackers, due to the overheating of hollow air pockets in the bamboo. It was not until almost a thousand years later that a Chinese alchemist was mixing potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal to produce a black, flaky substance - and gunpowder was born. It was then added to hollowed-out bamboo sticks and stiff paper tubes later, forming the first man-made fireworks.

By 1200, China had built the first rocket cannons, using gunpowder to aim and blast projectiles at their enemies, the technology of which led to the first aerial fireworks. Due to the European and Arabian diplomats and missionaries, around 1600, Western engineers also began utilizing this innovative technology to develop more intricate weaponry and continued development of fireworks throughout the globe, which resulted in its use in military accomplishments, religious and royal events alike, to denote celebration. Fireworks made their way to Europe in the 13th century and by the 15th century they were widely used for religious festivals and public entertainment. The Italians were the first Europeans to manufacture fireworks, eventually adding other metals such as strontium or barium, which altered the color of the “fireworks” explosions visually.

The fireworks we have today are more due to the developments made since 1600 - previously they were all orange-colored. Now fireworks are found in myriads of colors and have been adopted as a prime celebratory event during celebrations of the birth of our country. So next time you hear or see fireworks, just remember that you are witnessing the culmination of over two thousand years of invention, danger and beauty wrapped up in a gorgeous, and sometimes albeit, very loud, package. Here’s to wishing a beautiful, fun and safe Independence Day to you and your families.

ROOTS OF THE VALLEY: SCENIC BEAUTY OF THE SIERRA UNFOLDS
Inaugural Visit to the Boyden Caves

Located in the Giant Sequoia National Monument and Sequoia National Forest, deep in Kings Canyon, Boyden Cavern is a marble cave that is sometimes open for tours that takes you into a wondrous world deep beneath the 2,000-foot-high marble walls of the famous Kings Gate and Windy Cliffs. You will see massive stalagmites, delicate hanging stalactites, beautiful flowstone, and unique pendant and shield formations. The parking lot is located next to the wild and scenic south fork of the Kings River, and is a great spot to stretch your legs or enjoy a picnic lunch after your drive on Highway 180 along the edge of the dramatic Kings Canyon, the deepest river cut canyon in the United States.

However, until 1929, no one had ventured inside the Caves to take pictures. This July 2, 1929 article in The Fresno Bee spoke of the excitement of the upcoming photo shoot.

 - “Claude Laval, Fresno photographer and Dick Down, director of publicity for the Fresno County Chamber of Commerce will leave Fresno tomorrow for Putt Boyden’ caves on the route of the Kings Canyon highway.

 - “The trip will be made to secure photographs of the interior of the caves and of scenery at Horseshoe Bend. These pictures will practically complete the series illustrating the mountain scenery along the new highway and the country it renders accessible. Laval and Down will be packed to the caves by Napoleon Kanawyer.”

Shortly after, on July 9, 1929, a follow-up article lauded the grandeur of the scenery and described, in detail, the perilous trek into Boyden’s.

“Beautiful Road In Mountains To Reveal Kings River Canyon”

“The most spectacular highway scenery in California will be offered by the Kings river road, now under construction. Dick Down, public relations director of the Fresno County Chamber of Commerce, declared yesterday on his return from a six-day trip into the Kings canyon.

“Down, accompanied by Claude Laval, commercial photographer of Fresno, and I.N. Kenawyer, packer, went into the canyon on a photographing expedition which had as its purpose furtherance of the chamber’s camera records of the scenic mountain country.

“Two principal points were the objectives of the trip. These were Horseshoe bend and the Boyden caves. At Horseshoe bend, the party reached the water’s edge and secured photographs of what will be the north portal of the east tunnel on the Kings river highway. These were the first photographs of this spectacular country ever secured according to Down.

“At Boyden caves, using special lighting equipment, Laval secured photographs of the beautiful formations in this aperture. This cave, not fully explored, is approximately 300 yards deep and, it is believed, leads to other caves hollowed out by flow of water through a branch of Windy Gulch creek. The entrance to the caves is between 100 and 150 feet above the level of the river and, it is expected, the Kings river highway will pass just by it.

“Down reported that the trail leading down into the canyon to the caves is safe for foot travel but extremely hazardous for horse travel. Several serious accidents in which pack animals have dropped off the trail down several hundred feet have been reported. The trail should be improved or closed, according to Down.

“The Boyden caves trail was built 20 years ago (1909) by Putt Boyden, who, with Denver Church, discovered the caves in 1907. Although it appears to be in safe condition, the wood supporting it has rotted to such an extent that it is unsafe for horses or pack mules.

“’Work on the Kings river road is progressing,’ Down said. ‘Two steam shovels are at work just north of General Grant park. Labor on the road has been supplemented by a gang of convict workers from Folsom prison.’

“The party spent an entire day in the main Boyden cave and took approximately a score of photographs of the grotesque formations. These shapes, which are formed by the dripping of limewater, resemble thrones, castles, snow-laden Christmas trees, gigantic mushrooms and in several places appeared to be striving to duplicate a Monday morning washing on the clothesline, according to Down.”

In an extremely rare tape recording, Pop Laval described the harrowing trip in his typical calm and unassuming way…

“What I wanted to tell you about is… It’s just flamboyance, see what I mean? …catching it at all? Denver Church’s partners, And he’d [Dick Down] go down there to fish, and he’d go down there to swim in the canyon. There was this steep old canyon so…

“One day, when he was fishing down there, there this orange tree that I was trying to reach. And he climbed this tree, to see if he could find an easier way out. And that’s when he saw the entrance to this cave.

‘So, when he got back out, when he got Denver Church down, they turned around and laid a claim to that cave, see.” [Asked if Denver Church was a miner] “No, Denver Church was our district attorney, but he wasn’t a mountain man.

“But at any rate, I have the picture of the entrance to the cave with the old boarded up door with the - what would you call it? A sign or a claim stake. Yeah, upon the door.

“Oh they was goin’ explorin’ in there, see? They were gonna find gold in there but at any rate… they laid a claim, and they didn’t find any gold. However, when we went down, we met Denver Church and Earl Church, his son, coming up on foot. And Denver said, ‘Now Claude, they’ll all believe you. This whole thing is very good. It hadn’t been used very much.’

“So, at any rate, we came down, and as we came down, we had this stream and mules sit down ahead. As the night came on, and …. Four mules. And the next thing I know, I hear his yell, “Come quick! Come quick! There’s a mule that’s gettin’ away!” And then the mule had gone over (the edge of the trail) and … he had a lasso around his feet and he said, ‘You hold this while I cut the others loose.’ … So then we gathered up the stuff and started again. I was walkin’ by this time …

“At any rate, we hadn’t gone more than fifty, sixty yards before boom! A mule went over again and this time the camera unit went over. And on the camera mule was my tripod and Dick Down’s fishin’ rods! Well, Dick and his fishin’ rods, he didn’t …. But anyway, when we got down there, my camera and my tripod was … and his damn rods were … So we went down, and this time, we packed one of the shadow horses. And he got out… And I remember leading up, I had Shorty, the horse I was riding and I kept saying, ‘Oh,. I found a dollar. A silver dollar on that trail.’ And I had that silver dollar in my pocket and in my hand. And I said, “Good luck, good luck.

“So we got all the way down to the cave. And we patched up the mules with Iodine I think…. And then we slept that night.

“The next day, we were gonna go into the cave. Dick had all the films and addendum all in his knapsack. And I had the camera. I.N. was ahead of us and he had to come up to little limb rock a little ledge before he got on his face near the floor; they had leveled off the floor near the entrance. He got up on this rock, and within arm’s length from him was this rattlesnake. He was an old mountain man of course. But he turned around, and grabbed a club that he found… and beat that snake to a pulp. Once that was alright, then we had gotten up on this ledge and opened the door.

“When we looked in there, it was black. We couldn’t see nothin’. So we all look at each other and I said, “Well, I’ll take the exterior first.” And I think that’s the longest time I’ve ever taken to stare. I couldn’t get my confidence the way I wanted it to be. And then I said, ‘Well it’s a job, let’s go in.’ So Dick went first. We took no flashlights. … We saw that cave like … but all these walls had different textures.

“It’s a couple hundred feet this wall. We’d holler, ‘I can’t, I can’t! I can’t, I can’t!’ I looked back and heard ‘I can’t, I can’t!’ We went back and said, ‘Alright, alright. No body’s gonna make fun of you!... You stay outside, Dick and I will go in.’ [They’re referring to I.N. Kenawyer, a packer who went on the trip with them]

“We went back, but we estimated it would be 15, 16 hundred feet… one of the best picture days that we’ve had, the temperature was ideal. It was interesting. But it’s never been thoroughly explored. I always carry a fish line in my pocket. I dropped the line down the hole while holding one end and it never touched the bottom, so we didn’t know how deep it was. And we know there was an opening above, for the reason we had found big stones that had come down and.. And uh, adjoining this is what Dick called the ‘little beauty.’ And that’s where this guy tried to get in … getting to that little beauty, which was just around the entrance to Boyden cave. That’s another one that hadn’t been explored. They couldn’t get into it. Oh, they got in a little bit, but that’s as far as they got. Then they all came out. It’ll be explored.

“Now, I have never been in this thing since the forest took it over. By comin’ back to finish Boyden, … J.P. Boyden [a logger and namesake of the cave,} looked for the cavern and explored it extensively. He lived in the cave for a decade while working at nearby Hume Lake. It was eventually acquired by the federal government in the year 1883. He later died of hypothermia before completion went down there one day and he couldn’t make it out. He died on that side of the hill. He’s buried there, I can’t tell you where the grave is. There was snow on the ground, and his old pup stayed with him and hollered and woofed until we finally looked for him. That’s where they found him and that’s where they buried J.P. Boyden.

“And that’s Boyden’s cave. I’d like to have time to go find old Boyden’s grave and put a marker on it. Denver Church is gone now, so he couldn’t tell me about it and I don’t know if Earl Church could, though he might. I don’t know. That’s the story of Boyden cave - far as I know. But it’s wonderful. The temperature’s ideal…. So that they had no water to contend with. Well Boyden, you got to find {the grave} now. If I had a picture, I could almost show it to you.”

ARCHIVES SPOTLIGHT
By: Cami Cipolla, Education Director

Hello friends of the Archives!

Over the last several months we have been accessioning items donated to the Archives from the estate of Samuel Thomas Terrill.

Upon his passing, Mr. Terrill willed the items within his estate to the Historical Society. A photographer by trade for most of his life, Mr. Terrill traveled all over the world collecting items, taking photographs and creating memories. His story began right here in Fresno. Due to family circumstances, Mr. Terrill was raised by his aunt and uncle who traveled extensively for their jobs, taking him with them. He developed his passion for photography through travels to Africa, Asia and beyond. Mr. Terrill videotaped and practiced photography for news stations, magazines and for documentaries until he retired. He also developed a passion for books, particularly the classics, and of course, photography.

Mr. Terrill had a passion for history and was a long-standing member of the Historical Society, driving him to will the contents of his estate. Shelsea, our Archives Assistant, and I were fortunate enough to spend time cataloging the items of particular historical significance, learning about his life and his memories. Within his estate are the artifacts, books, photos, film reels and memories of his life over the decades. He had quite an extensive collection of old cameras and equipment, kept in pristine condition.

During his travels he amassed items like wooden implements from Africa, each exquisitely carved and displayed with care as well as small figurines carved from bone from South America. Passed to Mr. Terrill from his aunt was a beautiful iron hutch filled with items she treasured from their time in China and Japan, along with little mementos like coins from different countries and souvenir coins from the World's Fair in Seattle in 1962.

Mr. Terrill was a lover of the sea, sailing ships, all things nautical - especially the crafting of old ship replicas.

He filled his home with the models of various grand historic ships that he built with care and precision and put proudly on display.

The executor of the estate told me that Mr. Terrill was a man that believed to live life to the fullest, to enjoy each day, and find things that you are truly passionate about. Words of wisdom.

Cheers friends!

July 29th - Fields of Fresno Ag Tour

August 26th - Fields of Fresno Ag Tour

September 30th - Sip and Smoke

October 7th - Fields of Fresno Ag Tour

October 18th - 20th - Time Travelers' Education Days

October 21st - Time Travelers' Country Faire

October 26th - 29th - Mystery at Kearney Mansion

November 24th - December 31st - Christmas at Kearney: Holiday Tales

December 2nd - Members' Holiday Reception

December 3rd & 4th - Meet & Greet with Santa

December 6th - Kearney Council Dinner

December 9th - Holiday Tea Party

Tickets and Event Information

MAKING HISTORY EVERY DAY:

Renzi sculpture saved from fire, tagged with graffiti, gets a new home. Where’s it going?

Reprinted from Tim Sheehan, The Fresno Bee, June 23, 2023

A 288-square-foot terra cotta sculpture by noted Fresno artist Clement Renzi survived a fire that destroyed a former bank building in central Fresno, only to be vandalized with graffiti.

Now undergoing restoration, Renzi’s “A Day in the Park” may ultimately gain a new home in the future terminal expansion at Fresno Yosemite International Airport under a resolution approved Thursday by the Fresno City Council.

The bas-relief sculpture, comprised of multiple clay tiles, has been donated to the city by Stephen Fagbule, who owned the Fagbule Glass House on Shields Avenue east of Blackstone Avenue.

The sculpture was created in 1981 and covered part of the building’s north wall facing Shields Avenue. The building, originally a bank and later a banquet hall and event center, was largely destroyed by a fire in late January 2023, sparking efforts to salvage the artwork to make way for the demolition of the structure.

The City Council formally accepted Fagbule’s donation of the sculpture on Thursday. Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz told The Fresno Bee on Friday that the pieces are being stored in a city warehouse. He said the “best estimate is under $50,000” for the city to move, store and restore the sculpture but emphasized that a final price tag is not yet known.

The sculpture depicts children and adults playing and enjoying trees in a park setting. It is one of dozens of pieces of public art created by Renzi and on display in Fresno and throughout California.

Notable Renzi creations in Fresno include his 1964 sculpture, “The Visit,” and 1973’s “The Yokuts Man,” both on Fulton Street in downtown Fresno; a 1983 statue of boxer Young Corbett III in front of Selland Arena on M Street; his 1968 sculpture, “Brotherhood of Man,” on the M Street side of Courthouse Park; “The New Book,” a 1964 piece at the Fresno County Library’s main branch on Mariposa Street; 1970’s “Christ the Healer” at Saint Agnes Medical Center in northeast Fresno, and many others.

Renzi was born in 1925 in the Tulare County community of Farmersville. According to a biography on clementrenzi.org, he served in the U.S. Navy in the closing days of World War II, then attended the University of California, Berkeley. He later studied at the Academy of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria, and in New York before he and his wife, singer and teacher Dorothy Renzi, returned to California and settled in Fresno. The artist died in 2009.

“Clement Renzi was a renowned local American sculptor whose figurative works depict people, humanist relationships, animals and birds and have been popular with collectors in more than 60 public venues, including many here in the Central Valley,” the City Council’s resolution approved Thursday states.

The resolution directs the administration of Mayor Jerry Dyer “to find a suitable location at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport” to display the sculpture, “with preference being within the new terminal.” The terminal expansion project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025.

“The Fresno Yosemite International Airport promotes a welcoming environment for passengers to relax and enjoy the artistic talents found in California’s rich and culturally diverse Central Valley,” the resolution states, “and maintains a vibrant arts and culture program designed to enrich traveler experience through contemporary art, music performances, and other cultural activities.”

Art is an important component of plans for the terminal expansion, which will create a new concourse and other facilities to accommodate the airport’s growth. “We’ll have a number of locations in the terminal expansion for art,” Henry Thompson, the city’s airports director, told the City Council in a June 5 meeting. “Some of that will be for murals, some will be for paintings, sculptures, etc. We haven’t narrowed that down exactly yet.”

The airport site for “A Day in the Park” isn’t necessarily a done deal. “We are evaluating that (City Council) request and the feasibility of it being incorporated as part of the airport’s public art program in the terminal expansion,” Vikkie Calderon, an airport spokesperson, told The Fresno Bee on Friday. “A final decision has not been made at this time.” While the council’s direction is new, Calderon added, “terminal design is complete, and construction is just beginning” on the expansion project.

If no suitable space for the Renzi piece can be found at the airport, the council’s resolution directs the administration to return to the council to discuss other placement options.

An outdoor piece created by Fresno artist Caleb Duarte is due to be installed this summer on the elevator shaft of the airport’s parking structure, facing the main terminal building.

The design of Duarte’s piece is reminiscent of the mural it faces on the exterior of the terminal building, Raymond Rice’s 1962 work, “Sky and Ground.” That piece, crafted from Venetian glass, is a 128-foot mural The Fresno Bee once described as “an abstract approach to the aeronautical theme.”