LAUGHLIN, MARY, LEO AND FRIENDS ON THE KINGS RIVER IN HANFORD
(The following is taken from my book which you can read in total on my web page)
...At a later date, Leo was caught bootlegging whiskey and was taken into custody during the time Neola Lohse worked at City Hall. He said, "Hello niece," as he was being taken in. Nervously she turned her head and pretended not to recognize him.
Elmer visited Lee (as his bros called him) in jail on occasion.
Lee worked for Theo Lohse off and on but work wasn't his "bag”. He enjoyed traveling a lot more. Lee was also in the service in WWII.
Grandpa's home had a large barn with a lean-to on one side. Leo and Vernon who, although uncle and nephew, were only a few years apart in age, used the lean-to for keeping a menagerie of little animals they found—turtles, rabbits, etc.
In the early 1950's Vernon Lohse remembers that the barn still stood. It had been painted a barn-red with white trim (the original home was no longer there by this time.)
Across from the original home was the San Joaquin Nursery. It consisted of 60 acres from Hume Avenue to Hunter. The nursery stock, trees and vines were planted to the edge of a slough.
Elmer Lohse often hunted the slough and one day shot two ducks. He left them with Grandpa. (Grandma had already left by then for Modesto.)
Mr. Robinson, whose parents, Ida and J. M., sold Loughlin his property, remembered the McDonalds as neighbors in Hanford.
“I remember McDonalds who lived about a quarter of a mile from us. I lived on Houston, one-quarter mile west on the south side. The McDonalds were in the Hanford School District . . . The summer of 1914 my father set up a cutting shed and drying yard for apricots and peaches at the corner of llth and Houston. Mrs. McDonald, Mary and Bess cut fruit there. Bessie would have been only nine at the time. It appears as if the family must have been going through trying times. Leo worked in the orchard and drying yard. I don't remember the rest of the family but believe Mr Mc and the older boys must have worked for someone as the 20 acres they lived on was all grass pasture and I remember only a few cows there
probably the ones they brought from Estrella. I remember also when my father paid off the help for the fruit season that year he went to the bank in Hanford and brought back a bag of silver and a bag of gold and sat at the kitchen table checking the tallies and paying everyone in coin.”
Young Robinson who lived on Houston only a block away, used to accompany Bessie and Leo on their way to school. They, on foot, and he on horseback. They had a two-mile walk to school. The children went to Hanford Elementary while he, living in the county area, went to a county school.
Early enrollment records placed Bessie in grade 8A on September 15, 1913, and Leo in 6A. Around 1914 grandma came back to Estrella where Ellie and Ted were living. Ellie had been badly gored by a bull and her mother looked after her for several weeks. Young Mary, my mom, was made responsible for Loughlin and the other children and had to do all the cooking and housework, even though she was only of elementary school age. Letha was so impressed that she made Mary a graduation dress.
Times were very lean for the McDonald family in Hanford, but grandma's outlook was remarkable. Her favorite saying was, "Something will show up." Locke, Bob and some of the other children helped out. Lockie, in fact, lived in Hanford from this time on until the time of his death.
Bessie had a sow and Theo Lohse bought it from her. Later when the Lohses left to visit the coastal area, Ted sold it to a man that resided in nearby Layton.
Elmer Lohse raised ducks. When he returned home each night he had to hunt them up on nearby farms as they wandered off throughout the day. He would drive them back home and he and his dad, Theo, would take them to town and sell them to the Chinese in Hanford's large Chinatown. There was always a lot of gambling in Hanford. Lockie used to gamble a lot with the Chinese.
STEREOPTICANS
"San Louis Obispo Tribune-July 18, 1885
"Deplorable Shooting
Early in the day of Tuesday last, the telegraph reported a desperate affray on the Estrella Plains.
....which immediately resulted in the death of Ed Stockwell and Clinton Brooks and the slight wounding of William Pepper and Johnny Mac Adam."
San Louis Obispo Tribune---January 5, 1885
"Miss Agnes Mac Donald who has been spending a few days as a guest of friends in Leemore returned home this morning and resumed her duties as clerk for The Great American Tea Company."
Hanford Weekly Sentinel---June 4, 1918
"Frank Mac Adam and wife came out from the Devil's Den country and are stopping in town for a few days."
Hanford Weekly Sentinel---February 25, 1889
"Miss Katie Mac Donald has accepted a position in Scally and Williford's store."
Hanford Weekly Sentinel---July 5, 1885
"Allan Mac Donald, an employee at the local cannery was stabbed with a fruit knife shortly after noon today by Lutinda Walker an infuriated young colored girl"
Hanford Weekly Sentinel---Feb.26, 1884
"F.P. Mac Adamhad a force of 65 Indians and Mexicans employed in sheering
sheep at the corrals located at the Kings River Bridge. The sheep sheering will last about two months longer. They are now sheering on an average of 2500 sheep
per day."
San Louis Obispo Tribune---March 30, 1881
"Mr Louchlin Mac Donald went to Salinas last week to attend the funeral of his late father-in-law, Mr Peter Mac Adam who was accidentally shot by his partner, William Makin."
San Louis Obispo Tribune---June 15, 1878
"Our friend, L. Mac Donald of the Estrella was in town during the week. We saw him have a private conversation with the County Clerk and from the looks of the document it was a ...well,read the marriage notices next week."
Hanford Weekly Sentinel---November 15, 1886
"Manager Jack Mac Adam has secured some scenery for the opera house and it will soon be put into use. Mr MacAdam is to be congratulated on this new move for the bettermentof the opera house"
