Comments on: Californian Heritage Photos

Californian Heritage Photos

peacay — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 09:59:41 -0800

San Joaquin Valley & Sierra Foothills Photo Heritage

Includes (among other things): portraits, workers, railways, disasters, group shots, parades , native Americans and some curios.
(nearly 3000 images accessible)

By: the Real Dan

the Real Dan — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 10:51:15 -0800

I've never seen a rabbit roundup before! And I liked Mrs. Fisk on skis.

By: DawnSimulator

DawnSimulator — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 12:44:43 -0800

Ah, just the inspiration I need to dig back into my historical fiction project on Azorean Portuguese dairy farmer immigrants in the SJV....

By: ontic

ontic — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 13:01:05 -0800

Very cool, thanks peacay.

By: deborah

deborah — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 17:57:44 -0800

Nice find, peacay!

By: Heywood Mogroot

Heywood Mogroot — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 18:10:32 -0800

The Central SJV is an interesting place. Boring as hell (think American Graffiti), yet the crown jewels of the Sierras (Yosemite, King's Canyon) are just an hour to the east. LA is 3 hrs south, SF is 3 hrs north, Big Sur and Monterey is 2 hrs west. Freezing fog in the winter, blazing heat in the summer (but it's a dry heat :), the weather sucks. But the damn thing is so flat, dirt dirt dirt for as far as the eye can see (between the coastal range and the Sierras). Only the historical accident of train stations dictate where the cities are, and even within the cities the organization of wealthy enclaves and slums is arbitrary (scrape off the house and the dirt and the view is the same with a $1M mansion and the $60k shotgun shack). Historically, wealth has been fleeing downtown Fresno and relocating north. But now it has hit the river bluffs on the San Joaquin river, and whether the expansion can continue into Madera County is anyone's guess. Given its shitty interior location, Fresno was the last city to see the California land price boom, but speculators have finally moved in and land values have doubled or tripled in just 3 years.

By: PY

PY — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 22:31:10 -0800

I had associated it with Steinbeck, but just checked and it seems that's nearby Salinas Valley. Though parts of The Grapes of Wrath may have taken place in SJV. A few of the black and white agricultural photos make me think of the movie. The wing walking photo ("curios") is neat. I wonder where the photographer was situated.