February 22, 2023 - Allensworth

 

 Title: February 22, 2023 - Allensworth

Hike Info : Description

Hike Info:

Type: Car

Description:

Today is the first Central Valley Hiking Group Meetup event which we have wanted to go on since the pandemic started which has not been canceled. So we are excited to go and to add to that, we will be going with Cathey and John. Double Good.

I get up at 6:30. Sherri a bit later, but we are able to leave the house by 8am, getting to the meeting place by 8:15. We are able to start shortly afterwards. Most of the group will meet us at Allensworth State Park. Cathey is driving us down there. It does seem strange to not be driving, but I enjoy being in the backseat with John.

First Baptist Church

We arrive at the park about 10 after 10. There are two initial impressions. The first is a sense of wide openness, of the beauty of a green expanse with clouds hanging from a blue sky. The second is looking at the whiteness of the soil. To me I wonder what, if anything will grow in this alkali soil. How desolate is this place during the summer with the heat, when the plants turn from their vibrant green to a brown-golden if you are a poetic type?

Stain Glass from the Church

Sarah, the ranger, is waiting for the thirteen of us. The first order of business is to see a dramatic video about how Allensworth started. It is informative as well as appealing. After watching the 35 minute presentation, it is time to go on a tour which John and Cathey have arranged for the group.

Usually individuals are free to roam the grounds and look inside of the buildings. But because we are on a tour, we are able to go into several buildings. The first one is the First Baptist Church. This is a replica of the building. The old one was structurally sound but torn down in 1967 after not being in use for 10 years. Most of the pews are replicas, but there are two of the original ones. One of the interesting aspects is that part of the stage area covers a baptistry which can be uncovered when needed. There is a rebuilt stain-glass window, which still has some of the original glass. 

 

 

 

Sample Stove

Stockell House

Our next two stops are the Hackett House and Stockell House. Interesting to see the interior of the houses. The first thing which strikes me is how small the bedrooms were compared to today’s rooms. In my house, the bed maybe takes up a quarter to a third of the floor space. These houses the bed was about half. If there were two beds in a room, there was only a narrow passageway between. The houses were filled with period antiques. But the decorations for the most part are not original, but more to give a sense of feel. Outside of these two houses, I saw some coyote tracks in the alkali soil.

 

 

 

 

Hindsman Store

Milk Separator

Sarah next took us to the Hindsman Company General Store. This store is set by the railroad tracks. There was a second general store just down the street from this one. Both the Hindsman store and the Baptist church had the WOW factor going for them. Hindsman was a two story affair. All were stocked with period pieces. What caught my eye was the milk separator-separating out the cream and the whey. This was because of seeing a snippet of one being used in the video. It looked like the store was stocked with most things which you would need to live in somewhat isolation.

 

 

 

Gas Run Water Pump

The Santa Fe tracks ran right by the store. It used to be the main stop for the area until Santa Fe ran the line over to Alpaugh-a white community. Today, you can still get a ticket to Allensworth on Amtrak, if you can convince 19 other friends to go with you.

Since we are talking about the train tracks, close by is the Allensworth Hotel. The hotel is not for general use now-sometimes workers such as the CCC crews which come through-will sometimes stay there. There were seven rooms for guests. The person who owned the hotel was not a resident, but hired caretakers for it. I was curious if only Blacks stayed there or did others as well. The ranger was not sure, but the thought was since this was the train stop for a good long ways and there was no prohibition concerning race, chances are the races mingled here.

Sarah asked if we were up to one more place. The answer was yes, of course! So she took us to Scott and Grosse Drug Store. In some ways things have not changed, just the type of prescriptions. Sarah pointed out a sign which the druggist would look at. It listed an ailment and the remedy. That is how the druggist knew what to give. A bit more informal than today. Sarah also noted that if there was a medical issue which could not be attended to here at Allensworth, the person would need to go to Delano-about 13 miles away. This would be a strong incentive not to get into trouble.

Seems like we visited a dress shop after this, but I do not have a name to it. We then walked by the library. This was the first public library in Tulare County. Mrs Allenwsworth took it over when a store vacated it. After this, we migrated back to the cars. As we look towards the northwest we can see that the timing is good. Looks like rain will be coming in a littlewhile

Cathey then took us to meet with several others at the Bravo Farms restaurant at the Tulare Outlet stores. I had a pesto chicken sandwich while Sherri had a cranberry turkey sandwich. Pretty good. Cathay got us back to our vehicle by about 4pm and we ended up at home at 4:30-there was some construction on our route.

Glad we went today. It was good reuniting with our friends from the Central Valley Hiking Group.