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13 Things You Didn't Know about the Woodlake Valley Chamber of Commerce

June 25, 2016, 3:31 pm
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Welcome to Woodlake, “A City With True Western Hospitality.” Woodlakers are proud of their city and will celebrate 75 years of incorporation September 23-25, 2016. The City Council has worked diligently to beautiful the city and bring in new businesses.




But where does the Woodlake Valley Chamber of Commerce fit into the picture?
According to Grasshopper.com, Chambers provide services for businesses to “get your name out there, create networking opportunities, establish a sense of authority, and be affordable....typically $300-$400 per year.” Join the Woodlake Chamber for the cost of  ONE lunch for three at the Runway Cafe ONCE A YEAR!




Here are 13 things you may not know about the Chamber.


  1. Our slogan:“The Woodlake Valley Chamber of Commerce exists to promote and advance businesses that lead to a stronger community,”
  2. Our networking meetings: 2nd Tuesday of each month
  3. Our events: the Woodlake Car Show in July, the Miss Woodlake Banquet in November
  4. Our address: We have two: the mailing address, P.O. Box 550 and the physical address, The Woodlake Valley Cultural Museum, 140 N. Magnolia, Woodlake, CA 93286
  5. Our phone: # 559-564-3559
  7. Our funding sources: membership and fundraisers
  8. Our yearly membership rates: $35 for small businesses, individuals and nonprofit organizations up to $100 for large businesses.
  9. Our representatives: 10 volunteers on the WVCC Board of Directors, Miss Woodlake and her court
  10. Our 2016 fundraisers: the Western Week Jail, Car Show, Raffle to win a trip to Maui
  11. Our fiscal responsibilities: monthly utilities and upkeep of the Woodlake Valley Cultural Museum, maintenance of the Woodlake sign on Highway 198
  12. Our projects: docent staffing at the new Woodlake Valley Cultural Museum and raising funds to fix the Woodlake sign on Highway 198
  13. Our involvements in other organizations: Woodlake Pride, Kiwanis, and the Sequoia Tourism Council



As with any endeavor, members get out of the organization what you put into it. Michael Bremmer stated, “Only when you actively participate, volunteer, and join committees do you truly get the opportunities to form valuable business relationships.”



“According to a 2012 study conducted by the Schapiro Group, 49% of consumers were more likely to think favorably of a local business if it was a member of the local Chamber— and 80% were more likely to purchase a product or service from a Chamber member.”


Brett Bastello said, “Having a link from the Chamber.org website is an authoritative reference point for search engine relevancy. Chamber websites are often very powerful and robust, so a direct linkage tells Google your site is also important by association.”


Our volunteers do a lot for Woodlake, giving time above and beyond their work schedule to make these events and monthly opportunities to network in the Woodlake community. If you want to be part of the excitement that IS Woodlake, join the Chamber today, and come to our monthly meetings to get acquainted and let your voice be heard. ---And help us fix and beautify our sign!
Buying a donation ticket of $10 supports both the museum and the sign.
Woodlake Valley Chamber of Commerce needs your support to make Woodlake a better place.



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How to Celebrate the Summer in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

June 29, 2016, 6:29 am
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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 
News Release
For Immediate Release:  June 28, 2016
Contact:  Dana M. Dierkes, 559-565-3131, dana_dierkes@nps.gov



Celebrate the Fourth of July and Summer at 
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, CALIFORNIA – Celebrate the Fourth of July and the rest of summer at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Before you arrive, check the parks’ website at www.nps.gov/seki for updates, including:  


Campgrounds:
  • First-come, first-serve camping at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is expected to be very limited and fill early over the holiday weekend and regularly on weekends during the summer. To learn more, visit: www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm.
  • New to the Campground Reservation System: Standard campsites (1-6) people may be available in Sunset Campground in Kings Canyon National Park from July 1, 2016 - September 6, 2016. Sites not already reserved will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis for one night only. To reserve a campsite in the parks this summer, visit www.recreation.gov or call 1-877-444-6777.
  • Moraine Campground in Kings Canyon National Park (Cedar Grove area) is temporarily closed. The parks’ staff has been in the process of removing a large number of dead trees caused by insect infestation and several years of drought. Moraine Campground is targeted to open sometime in early July.
  • Permits are required for overnight trips in wilderness—www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/wilderness_permits.htm.


Fire Restrictions: For everyone’s safety, fireworks are not allowed in the parks! To learn more how fire restrictions could affect your travel to the parks, visit www.nps.gov/seki/learn/news/stage-2-fire-restrictions-in-effect-june-28-2016.htm.

Parking / Shuttles: Parking will be very limited in the parks during the Fourth of July holiday weekend and during the summer season. Come early to avoid long lines and to secure a parking space. Consider using a shuttle inside the parks or taking a shuttle into the park from a local community.
  • For example, parking in the most popular area of Sequoia National Park (Giant Forest) usually fills by 10 a.m. each day on a holiday weekend. Consider parking at Wuksachi Lodge (overflow lot), Lodgepole Campground (overflow lot), Dorst Creek (amphitheater parking), or Wolverton Picnic Area and taking the shuttle to other sites.
  • Parking is extremely limited in Kings Canyon National Park’s Grant Grove area this summer due to restaurant construction. Park your car in the Big Stump Picnic Area or leave it at your hotel or campground if staying in the parks.  
  • Sequoia Shuttle: The Sequoia Shuttle operates seven days a week, both inside and from outside Sequoia National Park, through September 11, 2016. A round-trip ride from outside the parks costs $15.00 and covers the park entrance fee. All shuttle buses are wheelchair-accessible and stroller-accessible. Visit www.sequoiashuttle.com or call 1-877-BUS-HIKE. Once at the Giant Forest Museum, you can ride the free in-park shuttles—www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/parktransit.htm.
  • Big Trees Transit: Through September 5, 2016, Big Trees Transit offers shuttles from the cities of Fresno and Sanger to Kings Canyon National Park. The shuttle serves the Grant Grove area—including the Grant Grove Market, John Muir Lodge, Grant Tree Trail, and Big Stump Picnic Area. Reservations required to ride from outside the park—1-800-325-RIDE (7433)—www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/parktransit.htm.


River Safety: Don't let their beauty fool you...rivers can be deadly! Drowning is the #1 cause of death at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Most drownings happen from May through August.
  • Even when temps in the Central Valley are hot, river water is extremely cold, as it comes from melting snow in the mountains. Cold water quickly induces hypothermia--which dramatically reduces your ability to react in an emergency.
  • Many drowning victims have fallen in accidentally on slippery rocks at the river's edge or have been carried away by currents, which are especially strong in spring.
  • Never swim or play by the river alone.
  • Watch children carefully--drowning occurs without a sound.
  • Stop by a park visitor center to inquire about river conditions before going in the water and heed the advice for your safety.


Crystal Cave: Buy a ticket to Crystal Cave in advance at www.recreation.gov. Purchasing tickets at least 30 days in advance is advised. Tours sell out during peak season. The cave is expected to be open through November, weather-permitting. The cave is managed by the Sequoia Parks Conservancy—www.explorecrystalcave.com.

Food Service/Markets: Food service in King Canyon National Park’s Grant Grove Village is limited as a new restaurant is being built: pizza, burgers, BBQ, etc. For information about hours and opening/closing dates for food service and markets inside of the parks, please visitwww.nps.gov/seki/learn/news/newspaper.htm. (See pages 8-9.)

Lodging (Inside and Outside the Parks):  www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/lodging.htm

Visitor Centers: Hours vary--www.nps.gov/seki/learn/news/newspaper.htm (See page 2.)

Gas: Gas is not available inside Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. 

Upcoming Activities and Events: For details about ranger-led programs, visit www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/rangerprogsched.htm. To learn more about the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, visit www.nps.gov/seki/learn/news/index.htm.

Fee Free Days: No entrance fee is needed to visit the parks on following days listed below. Fees for camping, reservations, concessions, and fees collected by third parties still apply.
  • Aug. 25-28, 2016 - National Park Service Birthday Weekend
  • Sep. 24, 2016 - National Public Lands Day
  • Nov. 11, 2016 - Veterans Day
  • Dec. 11, 2016 - Celebration of the Nation's Christmas Tree (Free entrance at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks only)

– NPS –

Dana M. Dierkes
Public Affairs Specialist / Branch Chief, Communications and Outreach
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
559-679-2866 (cell) 

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How Walt Disney Might Have Tamed Mineral King and Changed the Demographics of the Kaweah Valley

December 4, 2017, 8:01 am
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A few months ago Virginia McKee gave me a stack of newspapers that her mother Lenora Graves had organized. This morning I just finished browsing the 53rd year 35th issue of the Woodlake Echo printed Thursday, Sept. 2, 1965.


Interestingly the article, “Excitement Soars on Mineral King Development” took only about ⅓ or a page in length ⅓ of the width. So if my math is correct, the editors determined that a story of this magnitude only needed about 1/9 of the front page coverage. The picture took up a little less than 1/4 of the page.

Did they take the idea seriously? Were they against the idea? How many of the 500 attendees at the Grand Opening were Woodlakers?

Do you know what took more room on the page?

The headline picture shows Disney’s idea of a theme park in Mineral King. Walt Disney presented a multi-million dollar project along with projects from six other bidders.

Approximately 500 persons came to the grand opening to listen to the six bidders, the most famous of whom was Walt Disney. He made his presentation with this large drawing and distributed a folio containing pictures and plans. His project included 14 ski lifts, parking for 2,500 cars, two large hotels, 10 restaurants and cafeterias, an ice rink, shops and a conference center, all while retaining the need to preserve Mineral King’s natural beauty.

The other interesting plan had a total cost of about $55 million. Robert Brandt, the husband of actress Janet Leigh, planned an entire mountain community. This miniature city included a hotel, numerous family apartments, dormitories, a shopping center, theater, several restaurants, a chapel, and a village hospital, a ski lift complex with a capacity of 7,7500 passengers per hour. They also included a ski jump, Olympic sized swimming pond, year-round tram and an ice rink.

Disney did acquire the property, but the park, which some Woodlakers hoped would fulfill Gilbert Steven's dreams of becoming a resort town, never became a reality According to Linda Hengst, an avalanche in 1969 put an end to all the plans. The Sequoia National Park site explained.

“Mineral King is a subalpine glacial valley located in the southern part of Sequoia National Park. The valley, at an elevation of 7,500 to 8,000 feet, lies at the headwaters of the East Fork of the Kaweah River. The granite peaks rising above the valley reach heights of 11,000 feet or more. Mineral King is 25 miles (and 90 minutes) from Three Rivers, California, and State Highway 198 via a winding, narrow road.
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In the 1960s, a proposal by the Walt Disney Company to build a ski resort in the valley was halted by preservationists and Mother Nature herself. In the winter of 1969, a massive avalanche wiped out the Mineral King store and post office, all of which were by then on Disney property. In 1978, the valley became forever preserved as part of Sequoia National Park.”

I can’t imagine that this would have been a success considering Disney's idea of preserving the pristine quality of the site coupled with the long windy road that goes up to Mineral King.
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Lenora Graves' Collection of Newspaper Clippings

December 15, 2017, 7:09 am
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Virginia McKee loaned me her mother's collection of newspaper clippings.  Among the Lenora Graves saved Woodlake Echo, Visalia Times-Delta, Valley Voice and Sun Gazette articles organized into old file folders. The news articles are valuable today because old copies of the Woodlake Echo were destroyed. A few years in the 1950s have been preserved on microfilm. You can look through these at the Visalia Branch of the Tulare County Library.


The articles Virginia gave me are not in chronological or alphabetical order. I kept the items in their original order and took inventory of each file folder as well as listing the loose full editions papers that were also in the assortment that Virginia loaned me.

The pictures in this post are linked in the inventory. It takes a long time to digitize each of these articles, which will preserve them as long as the cloud is a viable storage. As I scan the materials, I will attach them to the inventory. You will not be able to edit the document. So bookmark this post or the inventory document link as it will be updated automatically for you.  ---Ah the magic of Google Docs.

One caution about using Google Docs that you may not know. If you have a Google Account, you can save the document to your own account, but it is no longer a shared document, so you will not get the updated links when I add additional resources.

Here is a sample of one entry. As you can see, the links at the end of the description take you to the digitized newspaper article. Page 1 is highlighted and is shown below the listing.

  1. We always lived well here on the ranch Emma D. Welch 1906-1997 Page 1Page 2

As you browse through the inventory sheet, if you see something that looks interesting to you, simply message me on Facebook or through this blog. As the requests come in and I have time, I will digitize the clipping and add it to the inventory list so that you can access it.


This inventory is a research tool for writers, researchers or individuals interested in Woodlake history. If you have articles you want to share with me, please feel free to contact me. I will inventory them at no charge in a separate Google Doc by the contributor. If you want the articles digitized, I will charge a fee for that as it is very time-consuming.

This year a group of teachers along with Lauri Polly, our illustrator, and graphic artist have been working on a Junior Docent Guide for the Museum. Our deadline to finish is January 31. This Guide includes many old photographs, including some that were not found in the book, Images of America Woodlake. 

Next year a group of teachers and want to start on another project of writing series of children's biographies about various influencers in Woodlake. If you have unpublished information about someone in Woodlake's past who made a positive contribution to the community and you want to share pictures or documents, please contact me. Also, let me know if you are interested in doing some of the writing for our next project.
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How You Know What in the World the Woodlake Chamber of Commerce Does and How It's Different Than the City or Other Groups

December 18, 2017, 7:09 am
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Welcome to Woodlake, “A City With True Western Hospitality.” Woodlakers are proud of their city which celebrated 75 years of incorporation in 2016.

Woodlake Service Organizations Are Important to the Life of the Town

Although the Woodlake Chamber of Commerce is a service group, it could be considered an umbrella organization. Members of the Chamber consist of businesses, volunteer service organizations, as well as the city and school governmental organizations.

Service and community organizations add the human touch and provide services that the city and school don't have staff, time or connections to do.


Woodlake School service organizations, the Key Club and Builder's Club, sponsored a Turkey Run for families in Woodlake. 

Community and service organizations are run by volunteers and usually raise money through membership fees and fundraisers. Each group focuses on different services for the community.

For example, Kiwanis works primarily in conjunction with the Woodlake Schools. Rotarians, on the other hand, work with business to provide more humanitarian services. Lions aim to create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world and to promote the principles of good government and good citizenship.

Sometimes these organizations cooperate to do something big in the community. For example, Kiwanis plans and organizes the July 3rd Blast. However, businesses contribute funds, and all the organizations in town work many hours to make sure the community can enjoy the event free of charge.

Community clubs have regular meetings and keep minutes and records. Some of them have a tax-exempt status that allows donors to deduct their contributions from their tax bill in April. Minutes and records for community service organizations are not public records.
WHS Volleyball team assists in Kiwanis One Day of service to the Woodlake Botanical Gardens. Woodlake Pride members coordinate and direct efforts for the Kiwanis event to prune the City Rose Gardens. Other service organizations like the Woodlake Chamber are represented as well.

City Governments Have Different Functions Than Service Organizations

The City attracts new businesses, some of them controversial, with the hope of keeping the city solvent and growing. Unlike service organizations, cities get their operating money through taxes and government grants, like sales taxes and state grants like Measure R.
Couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign in an Avila tourist shop. Signs like this pop up everywhere now that growing recreational cannabis is legal in California. In a controversial vote, it took only a few voters in November to approve the city's authority to tax the cannabis dispensaries which are now legal in Woodlake. 

The city creates laws and regulations to improve the city and attract new businesses. The City of Woodlake has bimonthly city council meetings to pass resolutions and get public input. All of the minutes of these meetings are online and available to the public to read.

Woodlake Public Schools is another government agency that operates for the good of Woodlake citizens. The state of California and the Woodlake School Board determine what the schools must do for their students. School funding comes primarily from state taxes and is based on average daily attendance.

Some parents opt out of sending their students to local schools and forfeit having input on a local school board. Their students miss opportunities to make connections and tie into the local community.

Businesses Provide Goods and Services For The People Living In And Visiting the Town

Even though Woodlake is close to Visalia and other towns, to have well-stocked stores within the city boundaries is more convenient. Not all businesses serve retail customers. According to Manta there are 570 businesses in Woodlake. Many of those are ranches or individuals outside of the Woodlake city limits. Even so, the number of different companies in and around the small town of Woodlake surprised me.

Woodlake Chamber President Rudy Garcia "arrests" Rite Aid manager, Yolanda for doing a great job in Woodlake.

Chambers of Commerce

The Chamber of Commerce is unique among the community service organizations. The Chamber's job is to promote businesses by creating alliances and networks between them.

According to Grasshopper.com, Chambers provide services for businesses to “get your name out there, create networking opportunities, establish a sense of authority, and be affordable....typically $300-$400 per year.”

The Woodlake Chamber is much more reasonable than most Chambers. Join the Woodlake Chamber for the cost of  ONE lunch for three at the Runway Cafe ONCE A YEAR!

As with any endeavor, members get out of the organization what they put into it.


Michael Bremmer stated, “Only when you actively participate, volunteer, and join committees do you truly get the opportunities to form valuable business relationships.”

“According to a 2012 study conducted by the Schapiro Group, 49% of consumers were more likely to think favorably of a local business if it was a member of the local Chamber— and 80% were more likely to purchase a product or service from a Chamber member.”


Brett Bastello said, “Having a link from the Chamber.org website is an authoritative reference point for search engine relevancy. Chamber websites are often very powerful and robust, so a direct linkage tells Google your site is also important by association.”

The Woodlake Chamber regularly posts announcements from their members. Anyone can like or join the Woodlake Facebook Page. The Woodlake Chamber's Facebook page has nearly 700 Likes and Followers, about one-tenth of the population of Woodlake. When linked to the various Woodlake Facebook groups, announcements on Facebook typically reach 1,200 to 4,000 viewers without costing the Chamber any money.

15 Facts You May Not Know About the Woodlake Valley Chamber of Commerce.

  1. Our slogan:“The Woodlake Valley Chamber of Commerce exists to promote and advance businesses that lead to a stronger community,”
  2. Our Board meetings: 2nd Tuesday of each month
  3. Our events: the Woodlake Car Show in July, the Miss Woodlake Banquet in November, and occasional mixers in various business locations
  4. Our address: We have two: the mailing address, P.O. Box 550 and the physical address, The Woodlake Valley Cultural Museum, 140 N. Magnolia, Woodlake, CA 93286
  5. Our phone: 559-564-3559
  7. Our funding sources: membership and fundraisers
  8. Our yearly membership rates: $50 for small businesses, individuals and nonprofit organizations up to $125 for large companies.
  9. Our representatives: 10 volunteers on the WVCC Board of Directors, Miss Woodlake and her court
  10. Our 2017 fundraisers: the Western Week Jail, Car Show
  11. Our fiscal responsibilities: monthly utilities and upkeep of the Woodlake Valley Cultural Museum, maintenance of the Woodlake sign on Highway 198
  12. Our projects: docent staffing at the Woodlake Valley Cultural Museum, the Woodlake Queen Program, attending or hosting ribbon cuttings for new businesses, event photography, social media publicity
  13. Our involvements in other organizations: Some of our members are also members of other agencies around the city and the state such as Woodlake Pride and Kiwanis. We participate in events by other organizations such as the Woodlake Lions Rodeo Week and parade.
  14. No paid staff: Most Chambers of Commerce in Tulare County have at least one paid staff member and answer to the City Council. Woodlake Chamber of Commerce does not have any paid staff.
  15. Two Year Terms of Office: The Executive Board of the Chamber of Commerce serves for two-year terms. The President and Treasurer come up for re-election in 2018, while the Vice President and Secretary came up for re-election in 2017. Officers may serve more than one term if they choose and are nominated and re-elected.
Woodlake Pride Berry Festival
Volunteers do a lot for Woodlake, giving time above and beyond their work schedule to make events and monthly opportunities to network in the Woodlake community. They make lifelong friends that make their lives more informed and connections that promote their businesses.
Grand opening of the Woodlake Valley Cultural Museum honoring the builder, John Wood
If you want help to create a better Woodlake, join the Woodlake Valley Chamber of Commerce today. Come to the monthly meetings to get acquainted and let your voice be heard.


Woodlake Valley Chamber of Commerce needs your support to make Woodlake a better place.


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Resource Give Away

February 15, 2014, 2:25 pm
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After being a teacher and a consultant for over twenty years, I produced my first original "How To" give away.  It took hours of editing to produce.   If you are interested in being on my email list, and getting free PDF articles from time to time, you can email me at tchistorygal@gmail.com.


The article is "Ten Tips for Editing Before Your Editor Reads Your Novel." Editing takes me three times as long as writing!  WOW!
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The History of the Woodlake Area from Roy Lee Davis Part Three

February 13, 2014, 3:39 pm
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In Part One we learned that the first rural settlement of "Stringtown" disappeared.  In Part Two we learned about the beginning of the church and school, and whether the first school public or private?

Part Three

In the 1880s, Reverend Satterfield bought the Horse Shoe Ranch, now the north part of Sentinel Butte Ranch.  That decade Jake Bierer came to work for Mr. Waugh.  He and Waugh planted figs in what later became the Mori orchard. Later, Bierer became a well borer and water wizard.  In the 1880s, more irrigation ditches were constructed, and once again Watchumna Ditch Company controlled most of the water in Bravo Lake.  In 1888 Jude Steven Nye, who had retired from the bench in Oakland and was an ex state senator, came to Woodlake where he bought a ranch.  Nye's daughters, Myrtle and Harriet, married the two youngest Davis sons, Thomas Houston and Phillip, respectively.  Nye died on the Davis Ranch in 1906.  In 1889 he told of driving through a bed of continuous wildflowers eleven miles long from his ranch.  The following year, 1890, the Kaweah Lemon Packing Company was founded by Dan Overall, D.J. Giddings, Adolph Lewis, S.C. Brown and William Hammond.  Wesley Ragle set out the first oranges in the Naranjo district about that tie.  In 1893 Reverend Satterfield's granddaughter, Annie Mackey and her husband John Wesley Brown came to Horse Shoe Ranch.  John Brown planted oranges and lemons on Horse Shoe Ranch which he and Annie later inherited from Reverend Satterfield.  Also, in the 1890s Jake Bierer married Janie Place and the Canans arrived and bought Joshua Lindsaey's land.  Probably the most important development of the decade was the founding and naming of naranjo.

Naranjo was named by land owners Harry Brown and Senator Fred Harding (ex Illinois senator).  Harry Brown built the Naranjo store in 1918.  Harry Brown also built the Hein house which was unique in having gas lights.  By 1903 the Mt. Whitney Power Company was delivering electricity to the Woodlake Valley.  Harry Brown also had the first car in the Woodlake area, but he couldn't drive it, so had a chauffeur.  Harry Brown also planted oranges for both Senator Harding and Mr. Pattee, in the Naranjo district.  Fred Harding's great niece, Justine Robinson now lives in his home.  Her mother inherited Harding's property in 1914 at which time Justine Robinson's parents, Captain and Mrs. Forest Lancashire, came to Woodlake to manage the property.  Justine was raised there and attended the Naranjo school.  Meanwhile (3 years after the Lime Kiln Post Officed moved away to Lemon Cove), in 1902, the Naranjo Post Office was established in the store.  In the first decade of the 1900s, Woodlake saw many milestones.

In 1904 the Redbanks Orchard Company was formed with Dr. Squires and Phil aker bought the south slope of Colvin Hill and set out early peaches, Demsen Plums, and grapes.  When this fruit was ready to harvest, they built a packing house and hired William Murray to manage it.  The Visalia phone exchange had a line out there and the Davis's, Blairs, and Brothertons built exchanges on to it. By 1906, the Visalia Electric Railroad was extended to Terminus Beach, which became a popular local resort; it was located just downstream from our present Terminus Dam.  In 1907, the Elderwood Colony was founded.

Elderwood was named by its founders:  Jason Barton, J.W. Fewell, and Adolf Sweet, who had bought and subdivided land on the east side of Cottonwood Creek.  Near the Elderwood Colony, on Badger Road, J.P. Day had a small store.  In January 1908, a U.S. Post Office was established therein with J.P. Day as postmaster.  People fondly recall it as the Elderwood Post Office, but post office records show it only as Woodlake.  But the most significant event of 1907 was the arrival of Gilbert Stevenson, the "Father of Woodlake."

Stevenson bought both John W. Brown's Horse Shoe Ranch and the adjoining Waugh property.  He named this large ranch, Sentinel Butte.  He drilled wells and built a cement reservoir.  Later, Stevenson had the largest, individually owned, orange ranch in the world, 1,500 acres.  In 1917, 149 cars of fruit - oranges - went to market from Sentinel Butte Ranch.  But Stevenson dreamed of and platted a town.  He hired one Henry McCracken to manage his ranch while he bouth land south of Elderwood and laid out his town, which he called Woodlake.  In the fall of 1910, the year Stevenson laid out his town, D.B. Day, a contractor, and Charles Lare, a carpenter, arrived to work for Stevenson.  The Visalia Electric Line had been extended to Woodlake that April.  D. B Day built his family the first house in the (on Palm) Woodlake townsite, but his big project was building Stevenson's "Brick Block", a block sized building to house businesses.  Meanwhile John Lee Pogue directed the laying out and grading of the streets.  Thomas Crawford laid five miles of concrete/cement curbs and sidewalks.  Steve Webb, a realtor who had first come to Woodlake area to see Stevenson about 1909 was back to stay.  He bought more land for Stevenson, the land west and north of Bravo Lake for which Stevenson had truly grandiose dreams as a ...

What did Stevenson, the "Father of Woodlake" dream of doing in the Woodlake area?  Find out in Part Four.
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The History of the Woodlake Area from Roy Lee Davis Part Four

February 14, 2014, 9:04 am
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In Part One we learned that the first rural settlement of "Stringtown" disappeared.  In Part Two we learned about the beginning of the church and school, and whether the first school public or private?  Part Three explained the founding of the Elderwood Colony and the coming of "The Father of Woodlake." In Part Four we will find out what the Father of Woodlake, Stevenson, dreamed for Woodlake and whether or not his dreams came true.

(Steve Webb) bought more land for Stevenson, the land west and north of Bravo Lake for which Stevenson had truly grandiose dreams as a resort.  Webb's office was in the brick building overlooking the Bravo siding where the train stopped.  This enabled him to corner every newcomer as he stepped off the train.  One of these was De Witt Cole.  Cole, teaching in Southern California, had been so impressed with a talk about the Woodlake area that he had bought forty acres of orange land sight unseen.  At first he worked as a carpenter in Woodlake.  Soon his wife and daughter joined him.   Zelda Chase ran a boarding house where folks stayed until their homes were built.  Of course, priority construction went to the business block building.

In early 1912, the first business in the "brick building" or "brick block" opened. M. H. Mills, a Quaker with a wife and two children, operated a grocery store.  A. P. Haury had the dry goods store in adjacent quarters.  One year later, in 1913, Mills sold out to Haury who then cut an archway throught the partition which separated the two stores.  Later the post office resided in a partitioned-off portion of Haury's dry goods store.  The post office was initially moved into the town in 1913, by the simple expedient of Steve WEbb and postmaster J.P. Day loading the"Post Office" into a wagon one evening and reinstating it in the drug store that night.  The drug store was jointy owned by Frank Mixter and Arthur Schelling of Exeter.  Schelling, a pharmacist, ran the Woodlake Drug.  Chandler's restaurant was also located in the "brick block." In January 1914, the First National Bank of Woodlake received its charter and opened in the "brick block" building with W.S. Bean as cashier/manager and James Henry Blair as president.  Both men remained with the bank in those capacities until it folded in 1932.  It reopened as the Bank of America in 1938.  J.W. Otto ran a hardware store. South of the tracks, W. R. Clevenger had a livery stable and Gordon Day was Woodlake's blacksmith.  In 1911, while Woodlake was being built, Gibson Campbell, a bank clerk, arrived with his invalid mother (who soon died) and his sister; he became the bookkeeper of the Elderwood Citrus Packing House.  Campbell's hobby was landscaping and he landscaped the grammar school D. B. Day built in 1913.  He also landscaped his own home and helped and advised others on landscaping their homes.  In 1913 Woodlake received tow or more firsts.

Dr. Pinkley came to town and set up office upstairs in the brick block building.  One year later he left and Dr. and Mrs. J. F. Pringle arrived.  Dr. Pringle took over Pinkley's practice.  Also in 1913 the Woodlake Echo was born.  E. H. Snedeker, a publicity man for the Visalia Morning Delta, arrived in Woodlake to sell a full-page ad in his paper's progress edition.  He sold the ad but was persuaded to edit and print the first Echo - in the Morning Delta's offices.  The real newspaperman arrived in Woodlake and took over the Echo.  His name was John G. Ropes.  The Ropes had three children:  Gladys, Richard and Edwin.  When John Ropes retired in the 1930s, Gladys and Richard continued to run the paper.  Edwin became a dentist and served Woodlake in that capacity for many years.  The high school was established one year after the Echo.  Gilbert Stevenson, meanwhile, was working on his scheme for the lake.  He had the sides/levies built up to make the lake deeper.  He bought a steam boat to run excursions on the lake;  then he bought two more.  He planned a great hotel on the west bank and an excursion train to run all the way around the perimeter on the banks.  He planned three islands in the lake: each for a different purpose; one for a bandstand and dancing, one for bathing, and one for something else.  But all these dreams came to naught when he ran out of money and went bankrupt.  At least his dreams for the lake were lost.  His town lived on.  Eugene Menefee, in his History of Tulare and Kings Counties, published in 1913, said of Woodlake ... "between Naranjo and Redbanks and near the north Shore of Bravo Lake, is a town whose growth during...its existence has been so phenomenal as to merit special attention.  The town is now solidly and substantially built, having a handsome two story hotel with pressed brick front, several shops, a large concrete garage, a general store, a newspaper, a bank and other features.  During the present year an auction was held ... (for town lots) and quite high prices were realized.  Cement sidewalks and graded avenues are in evidence here as the suburbs of a large city.  Handsome residents are building in great number."

In its 1914 Progress edition, the Visalia Morning Delta reported of Woodlake, "Less than two years old, it has a population of three hundred with five miles of cement sidewalk and curbing, a national bank, a $35,000 store block ... two churches and a school. ...  108 scholars ... Post Office receipts of 1913 were double those of the preceding year.  Shipments of fruit by the Electric Railroad this season numbered thirty-four.

Thus ends the progress of Woodlake from 1853 to 1914.  Thank you to Sally Pace for bringing this document to me from Roy Lee Davis to share with all of you.
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