DELANO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

DELANO, CA

Delano / Sierra theater (# 2442) Heading from Bakersfield to Fresno, I decided to wander into various small towns along the way to see what I could see. This is Delano, an agricultural town of 50,000, 30 miles north of Bakersfield. One of the things that often amazes me in these towns is the reminders of the time when all of these smaller cities were fairly independent and people shopped and entertained themselves in town, rather than going off to the somewhat large places nearby. Harking back to those days, they often have movie theaters that look more elaborate than what you would now expect. This is the Sierra theater, that opened in 1946 with 894 seats! It apparently closed in 2008, but the signs under the marquee suggests that it might still be rented as an event space. Source: <a href="https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3841" rel="noreferrer nofollow">cinematreasures.org/theaters/3841</a> <b>Update:</b> Turns out I had taken a picture of this in 2015 and nothing has changed, but the older picture was from a different angle and shows more detail: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/donbrr/20101548373">www.flickr.com/photos/donbrr/20101548373</a>
Delano / Sierra theater (# 2442) Credit: DB's travels

The Delano Historical Society is a non-profit organization located in the city of Delano, California. Founded in 1983, the society's mission is to preserve the history and culture of Delano and the surrounding area. The society operates a museum that showcases artifacts, photographs, documents, and other historical items that tell the story of Delano's rich history.

The museum is open to the public and offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the city's past and the people who shaped it. The museum's exhibits cover a range of topics, including the early days of Delano, the growth of the agricultural industry, the influence of the United Farm Workers union, and the contributions of local residents to the community.

In addition to its museum, the Delano Historical Society offers a variety of educational programs and events throughout the year. These include lectures, tours, and workshops that focus on different aspects of Delano's history. The society also maintains an extensive collection of historical documents and photographs that are available for research purposes.

Overall, the Delano Historical Society is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning about the history and culture of Delano and the surrounding area. Through its museum, educational programs, and research resources, the society helps to preserve and celebrate the rich legacy of this vibrant community.

DELANO HISTORICAL SOCIETY is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in DELANO CA. US MID #8400602940

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Western (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington). Total revenue from most recent IRS 990 Form: $ 34,248 from tax period 201212 (YYYYMM).

Delano / Sierra theater (# 2442) Heading from Bakersfield to Fresno, I decided to wander into various small towns along the way to see what I could see. This is Delano, an agricultural town of 50,000, 30 miles north of Bakersfield. One of the things that often amazes me in these towns is the reminders of the time when all of these smaller cities were fairly independent and people shopped and entertained themselves in town, rather than going off to the somewhat large places nearby. Harking back to those days, they often have movie theaters that look more elaborate than what you would now expect. This is the Sierra theater, that opened in 1946 with 894 seats! It apparently closed in 2008, but the signs under the marquee suggests that it might still be rented as an event space. Source: <a href="https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3841" rel="noreferrer nofollow">cinematreasures.org/theaters/3841</a> <b>Update:</b> Turns out I had taken a picture of this in 2015 and nothing has changed, but the older picture was from a different angle and shows more detail: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/donbrr/20101548373">www.flickr.com/photos/donbrr/20101548373</a>
CA Tulare Lake before/after (# 0774) The road here is CA-43, a main north-south route through the agricultural sections of California’s Central Valley. Where I’m standing is fairly close to what was, and will become again, Tulare Lake. This Google <u><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/XmTNnAKrKdQjCCkNA" rel="noreferrer nofollow">Street view</a></u> shows this same stretch of road in June of 2022. The water in this picture, taken April 16th, is mainly snow melt from the Sierras and with temperatures rapidly rising, it is expected that this flooding will be much more extensive in the next few weeks and through the summer (including covering the road). Up until agricultural development Tulare Lake was a very large lake that covered broad stretches of the San Joaquin portion of the Central Valley. The lake lasted until the late 1800’s when agriculture (and related development) began sucking all of the water from the streams and underlying aquifer. Portions of the lake return about once every 20 years when there is more rain and snow (as there was this year), than the existing system can handle. With the return of floods, farms and the homes of farm workers and farmers got flooded out….
CA Tulare Lake history (# 0779) A point just a little over 2 miles northwest of the previous two pictures, where the size of the lake was already a good bit larger; here’s a Google <u><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/2ep3rKPLMV94hGQq5" rel="noreferrer nofollow">Street view</a></u> from April, 2022, from the same spot. To get a size of Tulare Lake in relatively recent history, here’s a video of it in <u><a href="https://abc30.com/tulare-lake-archive-footage-heavy-rainfall-severe-flooding/12988670/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">1942</a></u>, another time when the snow in the Sierras was heavier than than the canals, percolation basins, and reservoirs could handle.
CA Tulare Lake response (# 0774) Just ahead of where I had stopped, Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) and local crews had closed off a county farm-to-market road due to damage from flooding.
California HSR/Amtrak San Joaquin at Wasco Viaduct (# 1918) A lucky find on the way home, a southbound Amtrak California <i>San Joaquin</i> coming out from under the High-Speed Rail (HSR) Wasco Viaduct. Click <u><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/donbrr/51330779357">here</a></u> for more information/reflection on the HSR.
California HSR/Amtrak San Joaquin at Wasco Viaduct (# 1920) A lucky find on the way home, a southbound Amtrak California <i>San Joaquin</i> coming out from under the High-Speed Rail (HSR) Wasco Viaduct. Click <u><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/donbrr/51330779357">here</a></u> for more information/reflection on the HSR.
6-10-21, Western Rails SD9m 1886 Ex. Central of Georgia 207, then Southern 199. To Norfolk Southern 59. Leased by Western Rail to JD Heiskell at Pixley, CA.
6-10-21, Western Rails SD9 602 History of this unit unknown. Owned by Western Rail (WRIX) and leased to JD Heiskell at Pixley, CA.
California Central Valley cotton (1587) The amount of cotton on the roll, and the amount of cotton still on the bushes left me curious. Since the last time I saw cotton being picked was in Georgia when I was a teen in the 1960’s and the field was full of people picking by hand, obviously things have changed tremendously. Youtube, predictably, has lots of videos of the process, here’s some short ones I found interesting: How the mechanical picker works: <a href="https://youtu.be/U4pNeBr7L8g" rel="noreferrer nofollow">youtu.be/U4pNeBr7L8g</a> Growing, and all the chemicals used: <a href="https://youtu.be/lCidlr_pbI4" rel="noreferrer nofollow">youtu.be/lCidlr_pbI4</a>
California Central Valley cotton (1586) Right near where I had been taking pictures of the construction of the California High Speed Rail construction, I saw these giant rolls of some white material, wrapped in plastic. The rolls were bigger than my car, and I (stupidly) thought it must be some material that was going to be used in construction. I was a little slow in realizing that I was standing next to a cotton field, and this was freshly picked cotton.
California HSR/BNSF freight Wasco Viaduct (1578) What I was not able to photograph when here in 2021, a conventional BNSF freight headed under the High-Speed Rail (HSR) Wasco Viaduct. Click <u><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/donbrr/51330779357">here</a></u> for more information/reflection on the HSR.
California HSR/BNSF freight Wasco Viaduct (1579) What I was not able to photograph when here in 2021, a conventional BNSF freight headed under the High-Speed Rail (HSR) Wasco Viaduct. Click <u><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/donbrr/51330779357">here</a></u> for more information/reflection on the HSR.

Contact DELANO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

DELANO HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
330 S LEXINGTON ST
DELANO
CA
93215-3602

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DELANO HISTORICAL SOCIETY Information

MID # 8400602940
Name DELANO HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
Alternate Name DELANO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Classification Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Western
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) 956193311
NTEECC A82
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM) 201212
INCOME 38,078
REVENUE 34,248
LAT/LONG 35.754982, -119.240777
CODES FIPS State Code: 06
FIPS County Code: 029
US Census Tract: 005003
US Census Block: 2004