YESTER YEARS
Saturday, March 29, 2025
YESTER YEARS CONTENTS
State
BACK IN THE 1800’S
COVER:
PUBLISHER
Hank Vander Veen
EDITOR
Kristina H. Hacker
ART DIRECTOR
Harold L. George
DESIGN
Sharon R. Hoffman
ADVERTISING
Beth Flanagan
WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
Joe Cortez
Christopher Correa
Turlock’s Schools in 1880
Fair View School District, M. B. Kittrell District Clerk
• Turlock had 37 boys enrolled and 24 girls enrolled
• Average daily attendance of 30
• Monthly salary of $80 paid to teachers
• Valuation of lots, school houses, and furniture: $500
Union School District, Levi Jones District Clerk
• Turlock had16 boys enrolled and 8 girls enrolled
• Average daily attendance of 11
• Monthly salary of $60 paid to teachers
• Valuation of lots, school houses, and furniture: $100
Election Results in the 1800’s
Presidential Election 1860 votes cast in Stanislaus County
• John Breckenridge, Southern Democratic, 433 votes
• Steven Douglass, Northern Democratic, 232 votes
• Abraham Lincoln, Republican, 167 votes
• John Bell, Constitutional Union, 67 votes
Presidential Election 1864, votes cast in Stanislaus County
• George B. McClellan, Democrat, 345 votes
• Abraham Lincoln, Republican, 277 votes
Vote for location of county seat, 1871
• Modesto, 893 votes
• Knight’s Ferry, 340 votes
• Oak Dale, 79 votes
• Waterford, 12 votes
• LaGrange, 3 votes
• Graysonville, 2 votes
Presidential Election 1876, votes cast in Turlock
• Samuel Tilden, Democrat, 88 votes
• Rutherford B. Hayes, Republican, 56 votes
Presidential Election 1880, votes cast in Turlock
• Winfield Hancock, Democrat, 90 votes
• James Garfield, Republican, 71 votes
The biggest day in the history of Turlock
Third rate cities like San Francisco will now please take off their hats to the City of Turlock. No longer will these little towns take a shy at us and our dignity, for we have passed the state of the country hamlet, where the corner grocery used to be, and the inhabitants ate cheese and crackers out of the grocery man’s store of these old standbys. No sir! We are IT. If you don’t believe it just tell any resident of Turlock (whether he voted for incorporation or not). Results are assured, and the man who makes the remark had better hit the high places for the country, where the coyote holds his way unskeered and unafraid. The voters did themselves proud. They realized what it meant for them and they worked. The Journal will say that those who were opposed to incorporation have a
few bouquets coming to them for the way they got in and hustled. It was the belief of these gentlemen that incorporation would not be a good thing. We give them credit and believe they did what they thought was right. We believe they were wrong in the matter, but when it was all over and incorporation was assured they were game losers. Not an unpleasant word was spoken, and there were various smiles on tap. Bets were paid and Wednesday everybody had settled down with the genuine Turlock spirit to make this a better city than ever. It was as a town.
The entire ticket is a credit to the voters of Turlock. It was the intention to nominate good men, those citizens who have the best interest of the city at heart, and who will show no favors to any one portion
to the water pump at the end of the
location as
is on the
of this place. Men were elected to the various offices who will be fair, conservative, and keep the public expenditures within reasonable limits. It is our firm belief that they will do this. It is up to every resident to give these officers their support in every way, and this will be done. Other towns ask: “What is the reason for Turlock’s unexampled growth?” The answer is: “It is the Turlock spirit.” If this is it, so mote it be.
This has been a progressive town. It will
be fully as progressive as a city, and the goahead spirit that has put the town on the map will make of it a splendid city, with wealth and unlimited resources at our beck and call. With the best section of country in back of it, with the water system unexcelled and a beneficent climate and a kindly sun to assist in producing boundless crops. Turlock will be one of the best inland cities in California.
Hats off to the City of Turlock. — Turlock Journal, Jan. 24, 1908
California State University, Stanislaus Library Southern Pacific Railroad station in Turlock, circa 1910. Two men wait under a tree, next
station building. The sign identifying the station’s
Turlock
wall, visible to people on a train as it came down the tracks.
Melon
BY KRISTINA HACKER
Children of all ages dressed up and marched down Main Street in the Kiddie Kaper Parade, while later on the same kids tried their luck in the melon rolling race as parents lined up for a cantaloupe eating contest. Were these scenes from Turlock’s inaugural Melon Carnival in 1911? No, they were activities that highlighted the Turlock Melon Carnival’s triumphant return in September 2024.
And, according to event organizer Lori Smith, the fun will return for a second year this upcoming Sept. 20 and 21.
“There was so much joy seeing people having fun doing things like melon eating and watermelon rolling,” said Smith, who said the Kiddie Kaper Parade and melon eating contest were the most popular events at the 2024 carnival. “The public got a taste for it and hopeful it will be bigger and better this year.”
The Turlock Melon Carnival was first organized in 1911 by the Board of Trade in hopes of promoting and marketing the local melon industry and melon shipping businesses. It was an immediate hit with
The 2024 Turlock Melon Carnival royal court: Pictured from left are:
Miss Melon Michelle Padilla, Ms. Melon
Jennifer LaMere, Little
Miss Melon Bailey Tucker, Junior Miss Melon Ava Harris and Mature Ms. Melon Diana Galvan.
Photo courtesy of the Turlock Melon Carnival
Amy
Melon Carnival drew an estimated 5,000 people in
community members and visitors, drawing an estimated 5,000 people. A second carnival was held in 1912, drawing 10,000. In the ensuing years, the carnival was held intermittently until 1925. By 1956, it had transformed into what we know today as the Stanislaus County Fair.
Although the fair continues to be a premier event for the city, drawing tourists and being a major economic driver, the Turlock Historical Society & Museum and countless downtown business owners wanted to turn back the clock.
Activities and events similar to the ones held more than a century ago once again took over the streets of downtown Turlock in September 2024, including melon rolling and the Miss Melon Pageant.
Much like the original Miss Melon Carnival pageants, there were both youth and adult Miss Melons crowned on the downtown stage in 2024. A panel of four judges scored contestants ages five through nine for the title of Little Miss Melon, contestants ages 10 to 14 years for Junior Miss Melon, ages 15 to 21 for Miss Melon, ages 22 through 40 for Ms. Melon and ages 41 and over for the title of Mature Ms. Melon.
Crowned Little Miss Melon was Bai ley June Tucker. Bailey was nine years old and in the third grade at Chatom Elemen tary School at the time of the pageant. She is the daughter of Scott and Rochelle Tuck er, and is the oldest of four children.
Crowned Junior Miss Melon was Ava Harris. Ava was 12 years old and the oldest daughter of Adam and Kiernan Harris.
Crowned Miss Melon was Michelle Padilla. Michelle was 16 years old and at tended Central Catholic High School at the time of the pageant.
Crowned Ms. Melon was Jennifer La Mere of Hughson.
Crowned Mature Ms. Melon was Di ana Galvan of Turlock.
Courtesy of the Turlock Historical Society & Museum
LEFT: Queen Anna Lundell (second from left) reigned during the pageant at the Second Annual Melon Carnival in 1912. Her maids (from left to right) were Jennie Wejmar,
Clark and Esther Samuelson; RIGHT: The great melon rolling competition from the 1910s returned to Turlock at the 2024 Melon Carnival; BOTTOM: The first Turlock
1911.
The 2024 Turlock Melon Carnival competition, a cantaloupe eating race.
Turlock Golf & Country Club still
STAFF REPORTS
Turlock Journal
The year was 1924 and golf was the newest rage across the country. It was so popular that the annual United States Open — one of the most well-known and prestigious golf majors in the sport’s history — had to introduce sectional qualifying for that year’s tournament to reduce the 319 entrants to a starting field of 85. The Turlock region was no exception to the frenzy.
To accommodate the growing popularity of golf in the area was the Turlock Golf and Country Club, whose doors opened for the first time in April 1924. Dozens of golf enthusiasts gathered at the
TGCC to celebrate the club’s 100th birthday last spring. The centennial celebration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony in association with the Turlock Chamber of Commerce and a commemorative tournament.
“100 years is obviously a very long time. And it hasn’t always been smooth,” said TGCC Vice President Corinne Koftinow in 2024. “Over the years, a lot of the challenges we’ve faced are financial. The struggles have been pretty much the same. What the older board members went through back in the day, we’re going through today. It’s just different dollars… But we’ve been able to withstand, and I think we’re in a very good phase right now. It’s wonderful to celebrate this milestone.”
their doors for an extended period of time, among other great challenges.
Operating a locally-owned business is hard enough. But one that requires extensive landscaping and maintenance in a rural area between Turlock, Hilmar and Delhi isn’t for everybody. Nevertheless, Turlock Golf and Country Club has beaten the odds, surviving through World War II, recessions, droughts and a global pandemic that had forced them to shut
Durwood Tell of Turlock joined the country club in January of 1972, making the 91-year-old the longest standing member of the Turlock Golf and Country Club.
“I think it’s the people and the course (that make TGCC special),” Tell explained. “It’s not an easy course, that’s for sure.”
The 18-hole, par-72 course of 6,641 yards was designed by Bob E. Baldock and Jack Fleming. Mr. Aiken, the former greens keeper on the Modesto course and asso-
ciate keeper on several other courses, including the Presidio at San Francisco, was TGCC’s first grounds keeper. Sixty-four members were admitted to the club before its grand opening in April 1924, and 20 more are ready to join as soon as the club decided to take in more members. The club’s 1924 design remains one of the most interesting and challenging courses in the area with 57 bunkers and water coming into play on five holes. On top of all the hazards are an abundance of trees and fairly small greens.
Journal
file
photo
ABOVE: Original Turlock Country Club members pictured in March 1924 include:, Left to right, Ian McDonald, professional instructor; Mrs. A. A. Caldwell; A. A. Caldwell, president; D. J. Walton; Mrs. M. M. Berg, and M. M. Berg ; LEFT PAGE: With the help of the Turlock Chamber of Commerce, Turlock Golf and Country Club members and dignitaries celebrate the facility’s 100th anniversary with a special ribbon cutting ceremony in April 2024.
Turlock’s first Assyrian church celebrates its centennial anniversary
BY KRISTINA HACKER
A part of Turlock’s history was celebrated in February when the Assyrian Evangelical Church of Turlock recognized its 100th anniversary.
The church was the very first Assyrian church in town, with its roots starting in the early 1920s. Articles of incorporation was officially filed for the church in 1924. Five directors were named in the articles of incorporation: Issac Adams, K.H. Shimmon, Sam Arsanis, Elisha Khamis and Joseph Adams.
In the early 1900s, Assyrians started settling in the San Joaquin Valley and Turlock specifically, attracted to the region’s Mediterranean climate. In 1915, while the total population of Turlock was reported at 1,500, there were ten Assyrian families living in town. By 1930, 20% of the Turlock population was Assyrian, according to an article by Fred Aprim published in “Zinda Magazine” in January 2004.
A small group of Assyrians in Turlock began meeting for church services in the home of Rev. David Joseph on the corner of N. Palm and Wolfe streets and in 1924 the first Assyrian church in Turlock was founded.
“All the denominations, they were united back then to come together and go under the umbrella of this church,” said Evangelical Church 100th anniversary organizer Ashour Yadegar.
Two years later, the Assyrian Presbyterians built their own church, then in 1946 the Church of the East built their own church, followed by the Assyrian
Catholics in 1960, according to Yadegar.
A piece of property was purchased on the corner of Rose and Cahill streets for the Assyrian Evangelical Church and a temporary chapel was built — the land was eventually sold to the Turlock School District and Crane School was built at the site. In 1948, the church moved to the corner of N. Palm and Washington streets (renamed to Monroe Avenue).
In 1950, the church was dedicated and several of the local pastors participated in the ceremony, according to a Turlock Journal report.
At the centennial event in February, anthropologist Dr. Arianne Ishaya shared some history of the Assyrian community and the church, and Mayor Amy Bublak was presented an award. A host of Assyrian clergy also shared a word, as well as former Turlock Mayor John Lazar, whose family has a long history with the Assyrian Evangelical Church of Turlock.
at the Assyrian Evangelical Church of Turlock’s centennial event. ; The Assyrian Evangelical Church is Turlock’s oldest Assyrian house of worship; The Assyrian Evangelical Church of Turlock opened its doors to the public for its centennial celebration in February.
FROM TOP: Mayor Amy Bublak speaks
Photos contributed
Turlock Daily Journal, March 10, 1934
Soderquist and son engage in fox farming
Operating one of the most unusual industries and the only one of its kind in the Turlock vicinity, August Soderquist and his son, Edward Soderquist, owners of the Rose Hill hatchery west of Turlock, are engaged in fox farming, producing more than 35 high-grade pels a year, some of which cost several hundred dollars each as a finished product.
Fifteen pair of silver black foxes are kept for breeding purposes on the farm, according to Soderquist. Each pair produces one litter a year which includes from two to six young.
The Soderquists started the farm five years ago with six pair. Twenty-seven foxes were pelted last August on the
ranch and the furs sent to New York for servicing. The young are born in March and April, and are ready to be pelted in late fall. One pair is mated and kept in a pen of approximately 30 square feet with wire stretched over the ground to prevent the foxes from burrowing to freedom.
The young are born in an artificial “hole,” a large kennel. Foxes also use the kennels for refuge when strangers appear, Soderquist pointed out.
The semi-domestic animals are fed calf meat in small portions, infertile eggs, second grade baby chicks, and commercial feeds.
The Turlock climate is conducive to the production of high-grade pelts, Soderquist declared.
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