The Good Life - Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults

In its heyday, the little town of Traver had quite a reputation - not just for one thing, but several. Huge amounts of wheat were shipped by rail from there and as a result the... — Updated 4/10/2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 mountains of eastern Tulare County are a series of peaks and valleys known as the Sierra Nevada. Named by the Spanish, the 400-mile long chain translates into "snow-covered... — Updated 1/1/2017

When the automobile first appeared in Tulare County in the early 1900s, it was pretty clear that the county was in for a big dose of the Wild West. The roads, if you could call... — Updated 10/27/2016

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 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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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 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

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

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