Dear Friends, Supporters and Members,

One question I routinely am asked is about my lineal connection to local photographer, Claude C. “Pop” Laval. Well, he was my great-grandfather. Father to Claude, Jr. – the prolific inventor – and grandfather to my dad, Jerry, and Claude, III – philanthropist and businessman.

There are way more images in the Fresno County Historical Society’s Archives than the ones the Pop Laval Foundation lends to FCHS but, since more than 30,000 of his pictures are scanned – thanks to Sue Loucks, Susan Pappas and Joe Conway, we do use them frequently until we get the FCHS photographs into the same type of database – with the help of your donations and memberships, of course!

This month happens to be Pop Laval’s 140th birthday and we thought it appropriate to tell you a little bit about this special man who fiercely loved this adopted Valley of his and wanted everyone else to see why they, too, should honor this exquisite land he called home.

A more than century ago in Braddock, Pennsylvania, Claude C. Pop Laval purchased a $20.00 cracker box camera from a friend who couldn't seem to make it work.

He quickly discovered that a key component was simply put in backwards and once reversed, created for himself a fine piece of equipment that he used to make magic on for the next 65 years.

Never could he have imagined his amazing pictorial effort of nearly 100,000 images, would make up one of the most extensive photographic collections ever by a single American photographer or that his work, his vision and his art would come to be considered am acclaimed treasure of the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. Pop was just having fun and trying to make a living!

The son of Fresno immigrants, Pop was born in 1882 New York, the only surviving son from a family blessed with a rich and colorful heritage. His father, Constant, was issued an early patent for the nitrogen-silver process used to create mirrors. Mother Josephine, a formidable woman, ran her husband’s business for many years prior to moving West with her three daughters.

Young Claude showed his potential from an early age as he secured his first job as an architect and a civil engineer at just 14 without even a high school diploma. By 1906, Pop had decided to turn his photographic hobby into a career and spent the next five years perfecting his craft at the prestigious R.W. Johnston Photographic Studios in Pittsburgh.  

He founded Laval Commercial Photographers – setting himself up in an abandoned barn behind his mother’s Van Ness home by knocking out cow stalls and laying a floor. Because this primitive space could not be made light secure, and since his big chemical pans would not fit inside, Pop often had to wash murals and jumbo prints with a mop and garden hose outside the barn at night.

During these early years, Pop began working with a hand-cranked motion picture camera – the first of its kind in the region. His footage of events was commonly sold to syndicated news services and shown at theatres, usually the following evening. Between 1914 & 1915 alone, Pop shot 50,000 feet of movie film and hundreds of still photos, many on a new panoramic view camera.

His work was soon featured across the state. Sixty-four, hand-tinted enlargements, each 40 inches by eight feet, adorned the San Joaquin Valley and California State Buildings at the San Francisco Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. A massive 14-foot by 34-foot mural of Fresno’s most productive vineyard at the time was displayed at a separate expo on Treasure Island. Pop also introduced the Valley to a clean, smokeless flash which attracted a clientele previously reluctant to pose. It didn’t take long for Pop’s reputation as the best in town to earn him the majority of local business.

From the teens through the 1950s, virtually every special event was memorialized by Pop or one of his photographer partners. Regular clients included: The Fresno Morning Republican, The Fresno Bee, Sun-Maid, Budd & Quinn and the San Joaquin Light & Power Company. Yet it was Pop’s personal photos, listed simply as “Our Files,” that most vividly captured the evolution of the Central Valley. He sought out and experienced the region’s unique majesty, joy, suffering and love with a vision that dramatically illustrated how pictures can truly express a thousand words.

Pop’s feat is even more remarkable considering the extremely cumbersome equipment of the times: 45-pound cameras made of heavy wood, 50-pound tripods and delicate 8-inch by 10-inch glass plate negatives.

He was commonly seen in any number of precarious positions just to capture that perfect angle. When commissioned by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to photo reconnaissance the upper reaches of the Kings River Canyon in August on 1928, Pop, an avid outdoorsman, led a pack trip expedition with over 1,000 pounds of equipment and climbed by deer trails to an altitude of 10,000 feet.

Laval is credited with the Fresno area’s first aerial photographs, and he spent much time in airplanes and hot air balloons. His unparalleled experience and professionalism led to several massive aerial mapping projects including a U.S. Department of Agriculture job from 1937 – 1939 that covered more than 20,000 square miles of California farmland.

For more than five decades, Pop chronicled local life. In the early 1960s, an arsonist’s fire in his home workshop nearly destroyed this priceless archive. More than half the collection survived, along with some movie footage, his original journals and much of his equipment.

Now the Laval Family Trust holds the remaining materials which have been archived by The Pop Laval Foundation for the past two decades.

And we are thrilled to share them with you as would Pop. Happy Birthday Pop Laval! It is an honor to be your great granddaughter and to have the responsibility to keep your legacy alive for the many generations of children yet to come.

Warmest Holiday Wishes,

Elizabeth Laval

President, Fresno County Historical Society

P.S. Don’t forget to pay tribute to our veterans on November 11th. They truly do appreciate your acknowledgement of their service. Go Army, Beat Navy…

CHRISTMAS AT KEARNEY RETURNS NOVEMBER 25th

This holiday season, the Society will bring magic back to the Kearney Mansion Museum & Gallery with our annual display of Christmas at Kearney. The Mansion will be filled with decorated trees, each representing a local decorator's interpretation of a treasured toy for our Timeless Toys theme. 

From November 25th through New Year's Eve, guests will learn the history of classic toys, each of which are more than 50 years old, still loved by children today. Many listed in the Nation Toy Museum's Hall of Fame. Additionally, guests will tour the Kearney Mansion and learn the story of M. Theo Kearney and the Fruit Vale Estate. Special events are planned during the month, including a Meet & Greet with Santa and Holiday Tea Parties.

Many thanks to our local decorators and organizations that will bring their creativity and talent to decorating our trees this year: Susan Kampsen, Carli White, Marisela Hernandez, June Boyce, Marilyn Fields, Kathy Burk, Darden Architects, The Cultural Arts Rotary, Kat Nielsen, Julie Harrison, Amanda Welsh & Karen Olson and Andrea Bendure.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND SECURE YOUR TICKETS

November 25, 2022 beginning at 1pm 

Be among the first to enjoy our Timeless Toys Holiday Display on this Grand Opening day. We will offer a guided tour of the Mansion featuring over a dozen beautifully decorated trees each representing a different beloved toy. Guided tours will be offered to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm through the end of the year. Private and Group Tours are available during the week by appointment only.

December 3rd & 4th from 10am to 3pm

Meet Santa at the Kearney Mansion Museum and create a unique family memory in a gorgeous setting this year. Bring your family to take pictures with our Victorian Santa and enjoy a self-guided tour of this historic home decorated with themed Christmas trees and antique toys that just might not be on your children's wish list! Hot chocolate & Christmas cookies are included with your admission this day as well. If you would like to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate, you will receive a free admission to the Mansion and Museum. 

December 10th at 11am and 3pm

It's tea time at Kearney Mansion once again. Our annual Holiday Tea Party is back by popular demand. You and your guests will enjoy the elegance of Holiday Tea served in the Mansion Dining and Reception rooms surrounded by Christmas trees. The event includes a guided tour of the Mansion and a Gallery talk. This event will fill quickly and space is limited. Don't miss it!

TICKETS & INFORMATION

ROOTS OF THE VALLEY:

THE BEST OF FRESNO COUNTY - HISTORICAL EDITION

Recently, social media has been inundated with pleas to vote – not for a particular candidate or proposition – but for a business or an individual who would then earn the right to call themselves “Best Of” some category for the next 12 months. So, we thought it would be fun to look back at some possible winners from the past. See what you think about THESE winners in OUR opinion!

Best Amusement Park: Zapp’s Park - This magnificent recreational facility, owned by Mr. & Mrs. John Zapp, was located on the southwest corner of Olive and Blackstone. Amenities included a large swimming pool, giant roller coaster, Ferris wheel, small zoo (with lions & bears), pony carts and a dance platform. Mrs. Zapp was a former circus performer who had enchanted both Mr. Zapp and his pet performing bear - 1911.

Best Sports Reporting: On October 12, 1915, men gathered in Downtown Fresno to “watch” Game 4 of the World Series between Philadelphia and Boston. A telegraph operator inside the Griffith-McKenzie building was receiving up-to-the minute reports from Braves Field and as play evolved, he would light the appropriate location on the outdoor scoreboard, much to the crowd’s delight. The only way to experience virtually live updates in the days prior to radio and television, boards such as this one were displayed on various edifices annually during the “Fall Classic” until the late 1920s.

Best Bellboys: Hotel Fresno - Uniformed Bell Boys stood in front of the main entrance of the Hotel Fresno, ready to usher guests to their rooms and to carry their suitcases. They had been trained to give service and to make each guest feel welcome. A stay in a fine hotel meant a level of amenity that made a visit not only enjoyable, but also gave visitors a feeling of being pampered.  

Best Lobby: Hotel Fresno - The hotel was crafted by Edward T. Foulkes, a significant figure in our community’s architectural history. He brought to the project a sense of urban elegance and sophistication. In fact, the Hotel Fresno’s lobby was designed to resemble the Palace Hotel in San Francisco’s “Garden Court.” The hostelry’s elegant two-and-one-half story reception area featured rich wood paneling, a huge fireplace, a pipe organ and a cantilevered glass ceiling hung with four chandeliers. A grand ballroom and elegant formal dining room opened off the lobby on the ground floor.

Best Bread: Kleen-Maid - Long, long ago, people only made bread by hand and often in unsanitary conditions. Kleen-Maid Bread was purportedly crafted in the one factory that was not afraid to invite the public to come and see their bread made due to the pure and sanitary nature of their plant. But what is the story of sliced bread? For centuries, each time you wanted a sandwich or a piece of toast, you had to get out a knife and slice a piece of bread for yourself. That all changed in 1928 when Otto Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa, invented the world's first bread-slicing machine. Kleen-Made as apparently an early adopter of the process despite the increased cost.

Best Butcher: Frisco Market – With their sand floors (you can guess why) and huge array of freshly cut meats in an open aired environment, the Frisco’s white-shirted staff was standing by to serve all your carnivorous needs.

Best Delivery Service: Palace Market – The Housewives’ Dream! Just phone 248 for all your needs.

Best Ice Cream: Benham – The largest and most modern ice cream factory on the Pacific coast in 1915. Every appliance and every feature that could raise the quality of ice cream was installed. The machinery that was used was kept more immediately clean than any kitchen or home freezer. At no time did any ingredient come in contact with human hands. The fame of Benham’s ice cream had made it a favorite in every home across the Valley. Considered ideal as a dessert, healthful as a food, more economical than to make ice cream at home. Phone orders accepted! Five regular flavors included maplenut, lemon, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry with specials on Sunday!

Best Store Window – Gottschalks – 1937 Shirley Temple Display

Every little miss just had to have the same outfits as the ubiquitously adorable Shirley Temple and, naturally, our favorite department store, Gottschalks, would be the only place to go to find the perfect school clothes each year. In that time, who didn’t want their daughters to resemble the little cutie Temple?

Best Golf Apparel: Ladies Play in Full Woolen Attire at the Sunnyside Links

Only the most fashionable golfing garb was worn by Mrs. Porter and friend at Sunnyside Country Club - February 23, 1920. Anyone who lived in Fresno County at the turn of the 19th century and hankered to play a round of golf learned to plan ahead. The closest golf courses were more than 150 miles away. In 1911, Sunnyside founding fathers George C. Roeding, C. C. Teague, Frank M. Romain, Harvey Swift and A.W. Goodfellow built nine holes on rough turf with sand and oil greens. It is estimated that the length of the first nine holes was no greater than 2,500 yards. The course’s design was primitive compared to generally accepted golf course standards. Each hole’s “flag” was a metal crossbar with a piece of carpet attached to it for smoothing footprints and snake tracks on the greens before putting.

Best Seed Sack Fashion: 1926 – There are no words…

Best Local Camping: Roeding Park 1918 – Complete with Ma’s rocking chair! In 1903, Frederick C. Roeding donated 72-acres to the City of Fresno for a municipal park. He hired well-known California landscape architect Johannes Reimers to create the park’s design. George C. Roeding, Frederick’s son, provided most of the plantings from his Fancher Creek Nursery. The park is known today for its many varieties and species of trees and shrubs.  By 1929, additional donations and cashes of Roeding land brought the total acreage to 159.

Best Off-Road Two Wheel Drive

What “Best ofs” would YOU like to see? Let us know and we will include one in each issue of The Grapevine!

“Ooooh, I do love a good intrigue!”

And a good intrigue is exactly what those who attended one of the series of Mystery Dinners received! Riveting questions and wild theories abounded as everyone scurried to answer the question “Whodunit!?” after the demise of one restaurateur and hotel owner, Al Dente. A precious very few were able to sift through the red herrings and bountiful clues to figure out the who, how and why of the mystery! Truth-seekers wandered throughout the Mansion premises, noshing on delicious tastes and merry cocktails during the event, in attempts to put together who the rascal was that did the deed, how they did it and more importantly, the motive behind it all! It was a sight to behold, so many amateur sleuthers, digging through clues and details and sharing that information with each other in many cases, in hopes of unveiling the evildoer!

We want to extend our thanks to URHere theater troupe for bringing our mystery to fantastical life! And thank you to The Painted Table and Pardini’s for providing the delicious food and beverages.

The Fresno County Historical Society thanks all of our attendees for making the past five days incredibly memorable.  We are already looking forward to next year’s whodunit!

MAKING HISTORY EVERY DAY:

Sanger Principal Joins BMX Hall of Fame

By day - Sanger's Randy Stumpfhauser is a school principal. But this weekend he'll cement his legacy with his first love and career path, entering the BMX hall of fame in Tulsa, Oklahoma alongside his family.

"I started in 1986. I was nine, and there was a track here in Sanger called Apache Land," Stumpfhauser said. "It had just opened and after my first race, I was just hooked."

Stumpfhauser began to chase his dream of going pro. "I remember looking at all the pros and top amateurs in the magazines and definitely wanting to compete with them," Stumpfhauser said. He finally made his mark in 1995 at a national bicycle league race in Columbus, Ohio.

"I remember bringing home the prize money they would put cash in an envelope, and I remember having that in my backpack on the plane ride home and being super stoked," Stumpfhauser said.

"Stumpy" or "Stumpdog" as he became known in the sport began to rack up accolades. Like winning the Golden Crank for rookie of the year. "It got to a point at the end of that year where you start having to look at 'I really have to work hard at this' if I want to compete with the best so getting a training program, working with weights," Stumpfhauser said.

Perhaps his greatest feat, becoming the oldest racer to ever win an ABA No.1 pro title at age 32. But a series of bad crashes in France and Spain got him thinking about life after racing.

"At the time starting a family you know three young kids at home. I had to make a really hard decision," Stumpfhauser said. "I still had an invitation to the Olympic trials, but I pulled my hat out of the ring at that point. I didn't want to get hurt and jeopardize my family."

That's when his new career path started. "It's just something, I liked working with kids and I liked math." Stumpfhauser would go back to school to get his credential and become a math teacher. And just like his BMX career, he moved up the ranks.

"I never would've thought of being a principal." Now the principal of King's Corner, a private Christian school in Sanger.

"I was used to working hard during the week and seeing immediate results on the weekend," Stumpfhauser said. "Working with kids isn't really like that. In character, in attitude." Now the results of his racing efforts are finally realized at the hall of fame.

"No regrets on the track. I gave it my all," Stumpfhauser said. "I always thought my God-given ability to do this was a blessing. I always just gave it my all."