Articles written by terry ommen
Sorted by date Results 26 - 47 of 47
Goshen - The Land of Promise
There is something special about the little town of Goshen and I believe much of its uniqueness is connected to its history. When the railroad pushed its way through the San... — Updated 2/19/2020
The Short and Exciting Life of Havilah - Land of Gold
Before Kern County began in 1866, much of the area within its current boundaries was part of Tulare County. One of those areas was the mountainous region lying between the Kern... — Updated 9/2/2019
Staging in the San Joaquin Valley
The stagecoach was a common mode of transportation in the southern San Joaquin Valley in the 19th century. For the most part, it served its purpose in getting a traveler from one pl... — Updated 8/11/2019
Harnessing the Kaweah River
In 1850, Lt. George Derby, a topographical engineer with the U.S. Army, and his party explored the Tulare Valley (now called the San Joaquin Valley) looking for a good site for a... — Updated 6/11/2019
The Man Who Made History - Literally
Thomas Hinckley Thompson was born in Dundee, Illinois on October 1, 1841. During his life, this bright and talented man did many things and did them all well. He was an engineer,... — Updated 5/28/2019
Sequoia National Park-The Race to the Big Trees
In this part of the San Joaquin Valley, it's easy to take the word "Sequoia" for granted. After all, the famous national park is in our backyard and the word is used everywhere. It... — Updated 10/9/2017
Famous Showman Had His Start in Tulare County
He was a western man through and through. Lean in frame, he stood 6'5" and wore buckskin clothing. He was a crack shot, an expert on horseback and when performing, he made rodeo... — Updated 10/9/2017
The Pixley Eucalyptus Experiment Goes Bust
One of the groves of eucalyptus owned by the Eucalyptus Timber Corporation. Circa 1911. John McCubbin standing by his tree. Circa 1926. (Photo courtesy of the Reedley Museum.) The... — Updated 7/26/2017
Tulare County Gets Exposure at the Exposition
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was by most accounts one of the most successful events in California history. The ten-month fair was held in 1915 and during its 288-day... — Updated 2/27/2017
The Deadly Pixley Cotton Strike
As the amount of irrigated land in California increased in the early 1900s, so did the need for farm workers. The workers came, and unionization soon followed. Job actions became co... — Updated 8/28/2016
Tulare County Claims Famous Statue
Tulare County is known for many things including high mountains, rich agricultural land and giant sequoias, but as a rule it is not known for art. However, there is one exception -T... — Updated 6/24/2016
The Garden of Eden Had Its Critics
There's no question about it, the beautiful land that became Visalia was a travel agent's dream. Situated in a huge oak forest with meandering streams, native grasses and wild... — Updated 5/2/2016
The Wire Comes to Visalia
In the mid-19th century, communication with the outside world for little remote settlements in California was a challenge. Mail delivery was slow and important news would take... — Updated 1/22/2016
The Phantom Tulare Lake
Beginning about two million years ago, our valley was home to a huge freshwater lake. For hundreds – perhaps thousands – of years, it provided native people with food, and for a m... — Updated 9/16/2015
Famous Suffragists Pack Hall in Visalia
As they traveled from town to town, the two famous advocates passionately pushed for women's right to vote. Because of their celebrity status, they made news everywhere they went,... — Updated 7/18/2015
The Raid on Kingston
The little outpost began as Whitmore's Ferry on the Kings River. It later made a name for itself as a stage stop on Butterfield's Overland mail line in the 1850s. By 1861, when the... — Updated 5/14/2015
Visalia Becomes the Tulare County Seat
The Tulare County election of 1853 marked the beginning of the end for the tiny settlement of Woodsville. When Tulare County was formed from the southern section of Mariposa County... — Updated 1/9/2015
Lt. Derby Explores Tulare Valley
George Horatio Derby was a brilliant man whose short 38 years of life was packed with adventure and accomplishment. During his life, this West Point graduate was a newspaper... — Updated 10/17/2014
Making Tracks into Tulare County
Long before the golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah in 1869, the people of Tulare County had their eyes on railroad transportation. Compared to buggies, iron horses offered... — Updated 8/21/2014
The Mussel Slough Tragedy
The settlers of Mussel Slough had worked hard to make their farmland some of the best in Tulare County. They dug miles of irrigation ditches and built homes, barns and roads,... — Updated 8/21/2014
The Emergence of Kings County
In 1852, nearly 25,000 square miles of land on the south end of Mariposa County was carved off creating Tulare County. The new county's boundaries stretched from the Los Angeles Cou... — Updated 6/17/2014
Stagecoach Days and Ways
In 1850, when California became the 31st state in the union, it was isolated and far from the population centers to the east. Mail service was slow, and the steamships delivering... — Updated 2/20/2014