Hanford

Images of America: California

by Robin Michael Roberts

Hanford, created by the Southern Pacific Railroad and named for paymaster James Madison Hanford, is located in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley near the San Joaquin and Kings Rivers. Incorporated in 1891 and named the seat of Kings County two years later, this city has grown from humble origins to become a center for business and government while also maintaining its agricultural tradition in ranching, dairy farms, vineyards, and other crops. The story of Hanford is captured here in vintage photographs that detail its history from the Tache tribe of the Yokut Indians, who were first to inhabit the region, to the coming of the railroad and the infamous Mussel Slough tragedy that led to monopoly reform laws, and finally to the building of the town itself.

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2005

Reviews

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume from Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series, the focus is on my hometown of Hanford, California. With heavy use of photographs and artwork, Roberts gathered together material on Hanford's earliest years with information on the Yokut Indians, exploration of the Central Valley, and early settlement. There's a great deal on other nearby settlements such as Kingston, which has since died to nothing, and the infamous Mussel Slough Tragedy with its shoot-out between settlers and representatives of the Southern Pacific Railroad. This volume ends on 1900.[return][return]The pictures are fascinating, especially those of downtown Hanford where I can recognize many buildings. My own family isn't relevant to this book--my grandparents' families didn't come to the area until the 1920s--but I love seeing the area as it once was. Arcadia Publishing has done an invaluable service in creating these books on small town America.