Valley's Legends & Legacies

Published in 1996, this is the first of the "Legends & Legacies" series authored by premier Fresno/Central Valley historian Catherine Rehart.A series of short clips on the history of the Central Valley, centered on (but not exclusively of) the city of Fresno, each story is apparently taken from a presentation that Rehart delivered on KMJ radio. It is therefore not difficult to guess which radio station received its own kudos on the air and in this book for being Fresno's "first" radio station (featuring, on its opening night in 1925, such acts as "Spike Henessey and his Rainbow Ballroom Band, the Crockett Mountaineers of Fowler and a song called *Radio Love* written by two Fresno women").This particular format has given the author more leisure to explore nooks and crannies of Fresno history than did the format of her illustrated history of Fresno County ("The Heartland's Heritage").In evaluating "Heartland's Heritage", I had bemoaned the lack of detail given to the history of famous architectural landmarks such as the Water Tower and the Pacific-Southwest Building, but each of these buildings and many more is given its own separate treatment in this book.Actually, architects and designers will find a wealth of information about the famous residences in Fresno such as the Meux Home, the Collins Home, the Swift Home, and many more. The amount of detail lovingly furnished about these residences suggests that these aspects of Fresno history are the author's personal favorites.I had expressed dismay that "Heartland's Heritage" did not delve deeply enough into the world of sports, but this volume has several sketches with a sports theme.Rehart mentions that Fresno's first baseball park was at the Southern Pacific Railroad reservation at Ventura Avenue, and she exults that with the proposed site for the new baseball stadium being adjacent to this location, "baseball in Fresno has come full circle".Is she talking about Grizzlie Stadium's current location on Tulare and H Streets or was a different location being considered in 1996? Grizzlie Stadium is close enough to the railroad tracks that the engine's whistle can often be heard on game nights or game days, but I'm not 100% certain that the stadium is actually "adjacent" to this location. Still, the notion is a very appealing historical abstraction.The passage of time has overtaken at least one or two of Rehart's other observations. She mentions that the Pacific-Southwest Building was the largest structure between San Francisco and Los Angeles until the Del Webb Building (now the County Building) was erected in the 1960's. But the nearly-completed Federal Courthouse (ground was broken after this book was published) will edge out the Del Webb Building by a few feet.However, I'm delighted to have confirmed my supposition that the courthouse, Del Webb Building, and Pacific Southwest Building will respectively rank 1-2-3 and I am equally delighted with the revelation that the three giants are all wi