August 1, 2026

 Fresno County Swimming Party, 1911, Dagmar Frisselle center, surrounded by many admirers.

A Message from the President

Dear Members, Supporters, and Friends,

Well, things have certainly “hotted-up” in all directions – here in the Valley and across the globe. Politics, ongoing conflict, war, temperatures, fires, prices, and so much more are testing us as Americans and as citizens of the world. Again, as the mother of an active-duty officer in the Army, my personal opinions are undoubtedly colored simply by the safety of our brave men and women in uniform – however, we all know that is what they signed up to do and no matter the challenge, our troops will rise to the occasion.

In any case, I thought we could all use a little cool down in this newsletter – and we deserve it! Over the years, people often ask me if I have photos of some of our famous watering holes (not liquor-serving establishments) as there are so many fond memories of family outings, picnics, and fun in the sun. So, let’s use our best backstroke to head to years gone by and check-out where we might be on this 108-degree day.

A century ago, hot summers in Fresno County made swimming a natural form of recreation, and the rivers and canals, while dangerous, offered the only opportunity for respite. Naturally, people barely had indoor plumbing, let alone air conditioners or electric fans. The modesty police didn’t care much what the temperature was – petticoats and no ankles on display still ruled propriety.

Most of the time, irrigation ponds on agricultural concerns, such as vineyards, provided both privacy and pleasure to our heat-fatigued population. However, men and women often bathed separately as the male species preferred to sunbathe in their birthday suit – not at all suitable for the demure young ladies of the time.

The first public swimming pool opened in the early 1890s at the Fresno Athletic Club followed in 1918 by the indoor Fresno Natatorium which became a trendy favorite during the 1920s. Stroud’s Pond, located in a community park northeast of Selma was founded in 1892 as one of the first public swimming facilities in the county. In the 1920s, the Coalinga Sulphur Baths offered a swimming pool as well as medicinal baths.

But how could we not stop for a visit to Zapp’s Park…

This amusement paradise once stood on the southwest corner of Olive and Blackstone in Fresno. For just over a decade, beginning in 1907, Zapp’s Park offered patrons, young and old, the finest entertainment in the region including a large swimming pool, giant roller coaster, Ferris wheel, Merry-Go-Round, a small zoo, pony carts, and a dance platform. In the zoo were lions and bears, as well as wild birds of various kinds. Tables scattered along the lakeshore lured families to relax and enjoy an evening picnic during hot summer evenings. No entrance fees were charged although a dime was required to rent a bathing suit!

This magnificent park was owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Zapp. Mrs. Zapp was a former circus performer who often appeared in parades downtown with her two beautiful white horses. Mr. Zapp was also a familiar sight, always accompanied by his pet performing bear. 

Sadly, other than a bar that held court in the nearby area, not much is known about the disposition of the park after Leota and John passed away in 1921. A local mystery of history continues to wonder where the Ferris wheel may have been taken. The dammed canal was excavated, and Zapp’s Park was no more. 

The waters at Zapp’s were deep enough to be treacherous as this article from the Fresno Herald newspaper in 1912 recounts:

“PHOTOGRAPHER SAVES BOY FROM DEATH AT ZAPP'S PARK” 

    “Claude Laval Rescues Don Porter From Lake With Difficulty” 

“Donald Porter, a boy who resides at 225 Mariposa Street, was rescued from drowning in the lake at Zapp's Park yesterday afternoon by Claude Laval, the photographer, who WAS taking some photographs of the lake at the time the boy fell into the water. 

“Young Porter was sitting on an old chair fishing off the edge of the bank. Without warning, the chair collapsed and the boy fell into the water. The lake at this point is considerably over the boy's head, and being unable to swim, he was on the verge of drowning when Laval, hearing the splash, dropped his camera and plunged into the lake, clothes and all. 

“The photographer reached the boy as he came to the surface the second time, and, with some difficulty, hauled him safely to shore. Swimming was made hard for Laval, because of the weight of his water-soaked clothes. Young Porter didn't wait to recover his fishing rod and line, but hurried home at once.”

In the early years of the twentieth century, public pools were still a rarity. For many hot county families, canals and small irrigation ponds provided a much-needed respite from the searing summer heat – July 12, 1919. Pop Laval Collection 

The things you never knew! Irrigation canals have also proven treacherously tempting for a brisk swim, even to this day.

About a decade later, another pool, which would evolve into a landmark, began to take shape: The Historic DeVaux Estate – Future Home of the Fig Garden Swim & Racquet Club

Delbert, Rose and their daughter Margaret moved from San Francisco to open the first Chevrolet dealership in the Central Valley area in 1916 as Delbert was a personal friend of Louis Chevrolet. They soon began construction of their beautiful home in a then-distant rural area at the corner of Maroa and Rialto. The home was completed in 1919 with stunning landscaping with both the first underground sprinkler system and the first private swimming pool.

In the mid-1920s, Delbert had a falling out with Louis Chevrolet and lost the automobile dealership.

With the closing of their automobile agency, Delbert and Rose saw an exciting opportunity to remain in their precious home and make it an income-producing asset. They decided to rent their small private pool and the surrounding park-like grounds to private parties. Since it was so popular, that same year they built a second larger pool called the “Del Mar Rose,” named after Delbert, Margaret, and Rose DeVaux.  

During World War II, the pool was used by the Army for water survival training by troops being sent overseas. The original small pool and surrounding areas served as an Officers’ Club for Camp Pinedale and Hammer Field servicemen.

One of the most prominent features of the DeVaux Estate was a large water tower that was visible for miles.

In 1962, the ten visionary founders bought the seven-acre estate from Rose DeVaux. They lovingly converted this historic community treasure into the member-owned and family-oriented FIG GARDEN SWIM & RACQUET CLUB.

In the meantime, there were several other favorites that folks will likely recall.



The Blackstone Swim Park was opened in 1946 on the west side of Blackstone between Harvard and Terrace. It had a 200 foot by 100 foot, 850,000-gallon oval shaped pool which could accommodate 500 swimmers. The deep end was in the center as a safety measure. Near the center was an island with diving boards and a slide. The sign was designed by Ted Kaden of Olsen Signs and the "bathing beauty" was based on a picture of his daughter JoAnn. It was demolished in 1962 to make way for the Fresno Automotive Center.

By 1954, the need to teach youngsters how to swim became apparent. I really like this brief article because it settles once and for all where the pools were located – everyone has their “own - no doubt about it” recollection. Now all will be sure. 

“Swim Course Forms Go To 5,000 Children”

“Registration forms for the 1954 Fresno County Red Cross Chapter swimming, and water are in the hands of approximately 5,000 children in the Fresno City Schools. Shannon M. Jones, the coordinating chairman of safety services for the Red Cross, said parents of that number of youngsters indicated in a recent questionnaire their willingness to have their children participate in the program which will begin June 21st.

“Jones said the number is about four times as many as had indicated a desire to participate at this time last year. ‘It seems very likely that we will have considerably more than 10,000 in the county program this year,’ he said.

“Children must be at least 6 years old to participate. Parents should report with their children on June 14th or 15th to one of the following pools: Blakeley's Pool, 234 South De Witt Stret, near East Tulare Street; De Vaux's Pool, 4722 Maroa Avenue; Edison High School pool, 540 California Avenue; North Maple Plunge, 2540 North Maple Avenue; San Joaquin Memorial High School pool, 1406 North Fresno Street; Swim Park pool, 2525 Blackstone Avenue; Weymouth pool, 1644 West Whites Bridge Road; Airways pool, previously Hammer Field; and Dr. W. W. Leslie's private pool, 4222 Van Ness Boulevard near Ashlan Avenue.”

Opened on April 15, 1934 on Whitesbridge Avenue, the Weymouth Pool was a popular place for the entire family, especially after water slides had been added. The Plunge, Blakely’s and the Airways Pool were but several other County hot spots to keep cool. The Fresno Bee

Blakely's on Tulare is a fondly remembered swim spot, with many sharing stories of summer fun and adventures such as this report from the Fowler Ensign newspaper in 1959.

“Twelfth Birthday Is Celebrated By Irene Hiyama At Party” 

“Irene Hiyama was honored on her 12th birthday anniversary Saturday afternoon, June 15. The invited guests met at the home of the honoree's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kazuo Hiyama on East Adams Avenue and from there journeyed to Blakeley’s pool in Fresno where swimming and playing volleyball were enjoyed throughout the afternoon.

“At 5:30, a delicious supper consisting of hamburgers, chili beans, relishes, potato chips, soft drinks, birthday cake, and ice cream was served to the guests. After swimming a while longer, the guests returned to the Hiyama residence where the honoree opened her many lovely gifts and games were played before the tired but happy guests departed for their homes. Attending the enjoyable affair were Gerry Kawano, Amy Tokubo, Loraine Miyake, Arlene Hashimoto, Karla Muller, Carole Sarkisian, Norma Karle, Sharon Sutter, Annie Kimura, Reba McHam, Judy Fitzgerald, Irene, Dean and Bernice Hiyama and Mrs. Hiyama of Fowler; Mrs. K. Nakagawa and children, Midori, Steve and Minnie of Reedley.” 

These are some familiar names from the Reedley crowd! 

Wonderland Swim Pool, claiming to be the most modern, was situated at Blackstone and Shaw and Soupy’s Lakeside Pools was located at the far north of Fresno in the 1960s at Blackstone and Bullard Avenues. 

Some history of Soupy’s: Owned and operated in the 1960s by Soupy and Vernice Holmes (the land itself was owned and leased to the Holmes by the Funch family). Lakeside provided many young people with some of their fondest summertime memories. It was paradise. Soupy was a teacher and later became a principal; his wife Vernice was the manager of Fresno State’s Bookstore. The Holmes’ were known for being thoroughly dedicated to teaching children how to swim. Their place was a safe haven, and they saw to it that kids minded their manners and had a great time. 

Many memories linger fondly in the minds of Fresnans as this recap from Natali Carrera shows:

“On my recent dive for more info about Lakeside, Fresnan David Cannon shared, ‘I lived directly across the street from Lakeside on Bullard. My parents brought season passes for us every summer. I practically lived there as a kid. I could just walk across the street anytime they were open. My one regret is that I didn’t think to take photos of it because somehow, I thought it would be there forever. I’ll never forgive (Montgomery) Wards for building over it.’

“Fellow Fresnan Dan Waterhouse reminisced, ‘Soupy taught me how to swim at Lakeside, and my mom ran it for him between 1965 and 1969.’ He describes it as wild at points, during a time in which there were feuds between people from Clovis and others from Pinedale, and he remembers the Pinedale kids backing his mom up while she made sure order was kept!”

This HAS to be the best advertisement of all time...

The Holmes’ must have been legends!

Now that we all want to go swimming, head down the newsletter, at your leisure, of course, to learn all about bathing costumes. A lot will surprise you – especially one First Lady who dared to dunk.

Stay healthy and try to ignore that Halloween and Christmas decorations are all ready to swallow us whole.

Warmest Wishes,  

Elizabeth Laval                                    

President
Fresno City & County Historical Society 

FIELDS OF FRESNO AG TOURS

Dairy Tour: From Cow to Carton to Cone

Saturday, September 12, 2026

By Shelsea Avalos, Ag & Community Tours Coordinator

Satisfy your sweet tooth and your sense of adventure with a day the whole family can enjoy! Dairy farming has long been an essential part of life in the Central Valley, but how much do you really know about the cows and people behind the dairy products on your table? Can you tell a Jersey cow from a Holstein? This September, step behind the scenes to meet some of Fresno’s happiest cows, explore the journey from farm to dairy case, and discover the care, science, and hard work that go into producing the milk, cheese, butter, and ice cream enjoyed every day. Top off the adventure with a delicious ice cream treat at Kearney Mansion.

The day begins at RAW FARM, a fifth-generation family-owned dairy founded by the McAfee family in 1998. What began as a vision for a pasture-based dairy has grown into one of California’s most recognized raw dairy operations, producing milk, cream, butter, kefir, and cheddar cheese from a single Central Valley farm. Although RAW FARM products are now found in hundreds of stores, the operation remains rooted in Fresno County and continues to be managed by the family behind the brand.



Guests will board a tour wagon for a guided visit led by RAW FARM founder Mark McAfee. Along the way, they will meet Jersey and Holstein cows and learn how milk moves from the dairy barn through chilling, filtering, testing, packaging, and distribution. Visitors will also discover how the farm approaches herd care, seasonal grazing, water recycling, food safety, and cold-chain delivery. This stop offers a rare opportunity to hear the farm’s story directly from its founder while gaining a closer look at what it takes to move milk from “grass to glass.”

Fresno State’s 1,000-acre campus farm laboratory will offer guests a closer look at the Manuel Mancebo Jr. and Katye Mancebo Dairy Production Unit, one of the university’s largest student-run agricultural operations. Here, students gain hands-on experience caring for an all-female herd of Holstein, Jersey, and Brown Swiss cattle while learning every stage of modern dairy management.

Led by Dr. Jessica Townsend Graybeal, an assistant professor in Fresno State’s dairy science program with a background in animal genetics and reproduction, guests will explore how the herd is fed, milked, monitored, and cared for throughout the year. Individual cows can produce roughly eight to nine gallons of milk each day, depending on breed, offering an impressive look at the scale, science, and student dedication behind Fresno State’s dairy program.



From the Fresno State Dairy Unit, guests will continue the experience with a walk across campus to O’Neill Park, passing additional farm animals and agricultural facilities along the way. Located within Fresno State’s agricultural grounds, the park offers a shaded and inviting setting for a catered lunch from Max’s Bistro. Surrounded by the sights of the university farm, guests can relax, enjoy their meal, and take in another side of Fresno State’s hands-on agricultural education before continuing the day’s dairy adventure.



From Fresno State, guests will make a brief stop at the Gibson Farm Market, where they will have the opportunity to browse and purchase Fresno State-grown produce, meats, dairy products, and other locally made goods connected to the university’s agricultural programs. This campus favorite offers another look at how student learning, agricultural production, and farm-to-market experiences come together.

The day will conclude back at Kearney Mansion Museum with an exclusive Ampersand Ice Cream Social. After meeting the cows and learning how dairy products move from the farm through production and distribution, guests can enjoy a locally made ice cream treat and relax on the historic grounds of Kearney Mansion.

This family-friendly agricultural adventure begins with check-in at 7:20 a.m. at Kearney Mansion Museum, where guests will enjoy a light breakfast before boarding the motor coach. The tour will travel to RAW FARM and Fresno State for a day of behind-the-scenes dairy experiences, agricultural education, local shopping, and opportunities to meet the animals and people behind Central Valley dairy production. The motor coach is expected to return to Kearney at approximately 2:25 p.m., followed by the ice cream social from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m.

From comparing Jersey and Holstein cows to learning how dairy products are handled, tested, and prepared for market, this tour offers a closer look at the care, science, and people behind the dairy foods enjoyed every day. Gather the family, bring your curiosity, and join us for a day of farm stories, campus agriculture, local flavors, and a sweet finish at Kearney Mansion.

Tickets are limited, so purchase yours soon to reserve your place.

Have questions about the tour? Reach out to me directly:



Shelsea Avalos

Agricultural & Community Tour Coordinator

savalos@valleyhistory.org

Proudly made possible by:

A New Chapter for a Tower District Landmark

By Cami Cipolla, Director of Educational Services and Community Engagement

One of Fresno's most beloved historic buildings has been given a new lease on life.

For more than a century, the Severance Building has been a cornerstone of the Tower District's vibrant arts community. Generations of dancers, musicians, performers, and audiences have passed through its doors, making memories and contributing to the creative spirit that continues to define one of Fresno's most distinctive neighborhoods. Today, thanks to a shared commitment to historic preservation and the arts, this iconic landmark is once again poised to inspire future generations.

Originally constructed in 1922 by the Severance family at the corner of Wishon and Floradora avenues, adjacent to the Shrine of St. Therese, the building became home to the Severance Ballet School, where it remained a cornerstone of dance education in Fresno for more than 80 years.

Over the decades, the building evolved alongside the community it served, later becoming part of the California Arts Academy, hosting dance instruction, theatrical productions, and community events. The upstairs ballroom welcomed countless performances, including the long-running Rocky Horror Picture Show, while numerous local theater companies and arts organizations found a home within the historic walls.

Although time eventually took its toll on the building, its importance to Fresno's cultural landscape never diminished. In 2016, the space entered a new chapter as the home of Fresno Music Academy & Arts (FMAA), an organization that has served the Tower District and greater Fresno community for decades through music education, theatrical performances, and the Arts Annex Gallery.

In 2026, after months of uncertainty surrounding the structures future, local businessman David Brodie purchased the Severance Building with a singular vision, to preserve it as a center for the arts. Rather than seeing the historic property converted into offices or apartments, Brodie recognized its enduring value as a place where creativity, education, and community could continue to flourish.

Plans for this landmark include transforming former dance studios into teaching and rehearsal spaces while preserving one studio for lessons and unique events. The beloved upstairs ballroom will once again serve the community, hosting theater productions, concerts, social dances, community gatherings, and private events. The Peace Rocks Foundation has also joined restoration efforts, helping ensure the building remains a permanent home for the arts.

For Debi Rudd, owner of Fresno Music Academy & Arts, the project represents more than restoring a historic space, it is about preserving a community tradition. Having served the Tower District for nearly fifteen years, she understands the key role the arts play in bringing people together.

"Art makes people better. Art and music...make people engage more with other people," Debi explains.

Her words beautifully capture why historic preservation matters. Restoring historic buildings is more than saving bricks and mortar. These places preserve the stories of our community while creating opportunities for new memories to be made. They become spaces where education, creativity, and human connection continue to thrive.



The Severance Building stands as a reminder that preservation is not simply about honoring the past, it is about investing in our future. As restoration continues, this Tower District landmark will once again serve as a place where artists create, audiences gather, students learn, and the community comes together.

Its story is far from over, and Fresno is fortunate that another chapter is just beginning.

TIME TRAVELERS RETURNS FOR 2026-2027

DON'T LET YOUR CLASS MISS THE VALLEY'S MOST POPULAR LIVING HISTORY FIELD TRIP

RESERVE SPACE FOR YOUR CLASS TODAY! 

By Debbie Unger, Tour Manager

History isn't meant to stay in a textbook; it really deserves to be experienced. 

Give your students the opportunity to step into California's past through Time Travelers, the Fresno City & County Historical Society's signature living history field trip at Kearney Mansion Museum. This immersive educational experience transforms history into an unforgettable adventure, where students learn by doing, through interactive activities, engaging demonstrations, and experiential learning stations. 

From meeting historical interpreters to discovering what daily life was like in California's early days, Time Travelers connects classroom lessons with real-world experiences that students will remember long after the school year ends. 

Teachers across the Central Valley return year after year because the program supports curriculum standards while creating meaningful, memorable learning opportunities—and the 2026–2027 season is already generating strong interest. 

2026–2027 Time Travelers Dates 

• September 17, 2026  
• October 8, 2026 
• November 12, 2026 
• January 21, 2027 
• February 11, 2027 
• March 11, 2027 
• April 22, 2027 
• May 13, 2027  

Each program date has limited capacity and reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Many sessions sell out well in advance, so don't wait to secure your preferred date. 

Make history the highlight of your school year. We can't wait to welcome your class to Kearney Mansion Museum & Gallery for a day filled with discovery, curiosity, and hands-on learning.

To book your visit please email Debbie Unger, Tour Manager, at dunger@valleyhistory.org.  

Made possible by the support of:

UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF COURTHOUSE PARK

Debbie Unger, Tour Manager

Step into the story of Fresno.

Every street has a story—and some of Fresno's most remarkable chapters begin in Courthouse Park.


Join the Fresno City & County Historical Society every Friday and Saturday for the Courthouse Park Walking Tour, an engaging, guided journey through the historic heart of downtown Fresno. Tours depart promptly at 11:00 a.m. from The Archive on Kern, where your adventure into the city's past begins.

As you wander beneath the shade of Courthouse Park's mature trees, you'll uncover the people, places, and pivotal moments that transformed a small agricultural community into the thriving city we know today. Along the way, admire the park's historic architecture, discover the stories behind iconic landmarks, and gain a new appreciation for the visionaries, pioneers, and community leaders who helped shape Fresno's identity.


One of the tour's most meaningful stops is the David of Sassoon Monument, honoring the enduring legacy and significant contributions of Fresno's Armenian community—a story of perseverance, culture, and influence that continues to enrich our Valley today.


Whether you're rediscovering your hometown or exploring Fresno for the very first time, the Courthouse Park Walking Tour offers a fresh perspective on the city's rich heritage. It's the perfect way to enjoy a beautiful morning outdoors while connecting with the stories that continue to define our community.


Space is limited, and reservations are required. Gather your friends, lace up your walking shoes, and experience downtown Fresno through the eyes of history. You may never look at Courthouse Park the same way again.

ARCHIVAL SPOTLIGHT: 

A Spear, and a Pointed Question

By Donald Spencer MSc., Archivist. 

Hello Friends of the Archives, 

One of the most rewarding parts of working in an archive is that history has a way of surprising you even when you least expect it. As is common with old collections, no matter how carefully cataloged or organized, they have been cared for over the decades, there are always new discoveries waiting to be made. Sometimes those discoveries are tucked away inside a box with an unfamiliar number. Other times they are hidden in plain sight. This month, during an ongoing reorganization and revitalization project of our larger object collections, one such mystery quite literally came to light. A long, wooden shafted, metal tipped spear that had been quietly resting within the archive for years made itself known. At first glance, the object raises more questions than it answers. It is well crafted, substantial in size, and clearly belonged to, or was a part of, something of significance. Yet, as it is with artifacts that in rare occasions fall into disassociation, rediscovering the providence of the item is an exciting part of archival work.

Currently, my leading, and to be transparent, favorite theory, is that the spear belongs to one of the Fresno City & County Historical Society's oldest artifacts, the Lady Justice statue from the original Fresno Courthouse. When the courthouse was constructed in the late nineteenth century, it was celebrated as, "The grandest and noblest edifice that has ever been planned and contemplated in this valley." As Fresno County rapidly expanded, so did the courthouse in equal fashion. Wings were added to the structure, elegant granite stairways were placed at the entry, and a magnificent dome eventually crowned the building, making it one of the city's defining landmarks. After nearly a hundred years of use in downtown Fresno, a survey produced in 1961 revealed significant structural integrity issues throughout the aging building. A new courthouse was constructed leading to the demolition of the beloved and revered previous edifice in 1966. During the removal of its great dome, the Lady Justice statue sustained damage before eventually finding a permanent home in the collections of the Fresno City & County Historical Society, where she has remained for decades. Fortunately, the Society has two other intact Lady Justice statues in our collection, both of which are on loan for display at the Fresno Historical Museum located at the Fresno Fair Grounds, in conjunction with the Cupola, and various other courthouse artifacts belonging to our collection. Yet, we have one final Lady Justice in our archive, whose shattered visage may have held the spear in her hands atop the beautiful old courthouse. As research efforts go into finding images to determine this, I hope to one day see this statue brought back to her former glory, as a pristine symbol of justice and Fresno heritage.  

Of course, we must also follow the evidence wherever it leads. While the spear appears to be a promising and hopeful match for Lady Justice, additional research is needed before any definite conclusion can be reached. Historic photographs of the courthouse will be carefully examined to determine whether the statue originally carried a spear or if this spear belongs to another story. Thinking analytically, the spear may very well not belong to the Lady Justice statue, even though that is my hopeful wish. In reality, there are many other possibilities of its origin. The spear could have been an architectural ornament from another civic monument, public sculpture, ceremonial staff, parade piece, base of a flag, or theatrical prop. Until the evidence is fully examined, the mystery remains open. That uncertainty is part of what makes archival work so fascinating and always leads to more history being discovered and available to the public.

Many people imagine that history is simply reading old books or preserving dusty artifacts, but in reality, it is often detective work. Every unidentified object presents an opportunity to ask questions, compare photographs, search old newspapers, and piece together clues left behind by previous generations. Sometimes the answer is exactly what we expected and other times the investigation uncovers an entirely different story; one that teaches us something new about Fresno, about the people who came before us, and even about how archives themselves preserve history in the past. Perhaps that is the greatest wonder of artifacts and collections. History is never truly finished, as there are always new questions to ask, forgotten stories to rediscover, and unexpected treasures waiting patiently to reveal themselves. 

Ultimately, if you have old artifacts, whether from the original Fresno County Courthouse or not, we would love to hear from you. Sometimes the missing piece of history is not found in another archive; it is waiting in a family's scrapbook or tucked away in a box at home. Working together, we can continue uncovering Fresno's remarkable past, one discovery at a time. 

ROOTS OF THE VALLEY:

The Evolution of the Bathing Costume

Over the past few months, we have been seriously immersed in our local and national history as we continue to celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial. With so much heat outside, this month, we decided to take the plunge – into swimwear across the ages – including the latest fashions for a cool dip right here in the Valley. Grab an iced beverage and dive in with us…

Swimwear is loosely defined as a category of garments often worn when participating in aquatic activities, such as swimming or bathing. Swimwear is expected to fulfil varying requirements. For competitive swimmers, a streamlined and tight-fitting garment which reduces friction and drag in the water is favored to enhance propulsion and buoyancy. For recreational use, swimwear needs to be fashionable while also maintaining its functionality, for example protecting the wearer’s modesty and withstanding the effects of elements such as water and sunlight.

In the eighteenth century, sea bathing was believed to have considerable health benefits, thus it was encouraged for both women and men. However, immersing oneself completely was discouraged. This was deemed particularly important for women as activity in water was not seen as sufficiently feminine. For bathing, women would wear loose, open gowns, which were similar to the chemise. These bathing gowns were more comfortable to wear in the water, especially when compared to more restrictive day clothes.

If you can believe it, the bathing gown pictured here is from 1767 and belonged to Martha Washington, the wife of then-Continental Army commander, and later the first U.S. president, George Washington. The blue and white checked gown is made from linen and is in an unfitted shift style. Small lead weights are sewn into each quarter of the dress, just above the hem. This was to ensure the dress did not float up in the water, helping women to maintain their modesty. It is known that Martha Washington travelled in the summers of 1767 and 1769 to the famed mineral springs in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, to absorb the apparent health benefits.

In the 19th century, the popularity of recreational aquatic activities surpassed the desire to bathe for health benefits. With this, the loose-fitting chemise gowns became increasingly fitted and more complex, replicating the silhouettes of women’s fashion.

The number one priority for women who took part in water-based activities was to maintain their modesty. While bathing for health benefits fell out of fashion, women still tended to bathe or paddle in water. This was because vigorous exercise in water was not considered ladylike. Women’s swimwear had to reflect this notion of remaining proper, as defined by contemporary society. Bathing outfits would consist of a bathing dress, drawers and stockings, often made of wool or cotton. These fabrics would become heavy when wet and were hardly suitable for any vigorous activities.

During the Victorian period, known for its strict moral values, women frequently used bathing machines when getting in and out of the sea. Bathing machines were little houses on wheels that would be drawn in and out of deeper water by horses. They provided women with a place to change in privacy before making their way directly into the sea.

Into the 1880s, women continued to wear bathing dresses. These garments had high-necks, long-sleeves, and knee-length skirts. Linen and wool fabrics were still used. Women often wore belts at the waist to replicate the popular silhouette of the time. Under the bathing dress, women would wear bloomer-like trousers to maintain their modesty.



An alternative female swimwear garment, popularized towards the end of the Victorian era, was the Princess suit. These were one-piece garments where the blouse was attached to the trousers. On top, women wore a mid-calf length skirt which diverted attention from the wearer’s figure. The garments tended to be dark colors, which meant onlookers could not tell if the garment was wet. The suits were not the most practical, restricting the wearers’ arm movements and weighing them down in the water.

The Princess suit was a catalyst for the considerable changes to women’s swimwear that was to come. Most obviously, the Princess suit was the beginning of the one-piece swimsuit for women. Changes began to happen quickly as women’s activities in water began to be more socially acceptable. Firstly, in the 1890s, the trousers of the Princess suit were shortened so they could not be seen under the skirt. The material that was used to create a Princess suit moved away from flannel, which became heavy when wet, towards serge and other knitted materials.

During the twentieth century women’s swimwear underwent significant transformations as a result of the material advancements and increasingly liberal fashion trends.

In the early nineteenth century swimming emerged as a competitive sport. However, its popularity was not solidified until its first appearance at the Olympic Games in 1896. Women were permitted to compete in swimming for the first time at the 1912 Olympics. Annette Kellerman, a swimmer from Australia, can be credited for shifting social attitudes towards acceptance of female participation in swimming and beginning the modernization of female swimwear. Kellerman was dubbed “the Australian Mermaid” because of her swimming capabilities. She was known for swimming the English Channel and famed for her performances in Hollywood movies.

In 1905, Annette Kellerman was invited to perform in front of the British Royal Family, however her swimsuit was prohibited as it was tight-fitting and revealed the lower half of her legs. Kellerman refused to compete in an inconvenient and ill-fitting garment which would meet their modesty standards, so she instead sewed black stockings onto her swimsuit. Kellerman encountered trouble again when she competed in Boston. Her swimsuit was deemed to be of indecent exposure; however, this was overruled in her favor as the judge agreed that heavy and ill-fitting swimsuits were impractical garments for swimming. This incident was widely publicized in the media, and while Kellerman’s action could have had a liberating effect on female swimwear, it unfortunately led to a crackdown on female immodesty in some parts of the world, with police working to enforce strict clothing conduct policies.

In the 1910s, Jantzen, originally known as the Portland Knitting Company, was the leading producer of bathing suits. This was the start of technological advancements in the materiality of swimwear. At first, Jantzen produced what they referred to as “woollen suits” for rowing clubs. This became very popular and so Jantzen marketed it to a wider audience. It was not until 1921 that Jantzen referred to the garment as a swimsuit. Speedo, the Australian clothing company, started to experiment with swimwear in 1914. For both sexes, the all-in-one garments tended to have short sleeve or vest style tops with long legs. Whilst social reform had begun, the commercial sector lagged behind. Therefore, both Jantzen and Speedo continued to market their all-in-ones as bathing suits throughout the 1910s.

Following the First World War, women’s swimwear trends began to differ across continents. In America, women favored a practical and sporty look while European women opted for sleeker swimsuits which cut closely to the body. Another key difference between the two fashion trends was that women’s swimsuit fashions were accessible to a very large middle class in America, whereas in Europe there were clear class divisions on what women could or could not afford to buy for wearing to the beach. An affluent woman could set herself apart by wearing a silk jersey swimming suit, instead of a knitted one. 

While the maillot costumes worn by women were improvements on what they had to wear before the turn of the century, they still had their impracticalities. Due to the materiality of the garment, the knitted swimsuits tended to become misshapen when wet. The fabric absorbed a great deal of water resulting in the elongation and sagging of the swimsuit. These issues often jeopardized the modesty of women’s swimsuits.

During this period, swimwear began to feature in magazines as fashionable garments as fashion designers turned a hand to creating swimwear. Coco Chanel created a one-piece swimsuit, woven from a boucle fabric, that could have almost passed as unisex. Chanel’s foray into swimwear brought it into modern fashion. 

The 1930s gave way to the health and fitness movement. To maintain their figures, women were encouraged to participate in exercise, though only in ways that were deemed lady-like. Swimming was one of these exercises, which also gave women the opportunity to experiment with tanning. Towards the end of the 1920s, tanned skin was no longer a marker of the working class but instead became fashionable.

The boyish silhouettes were a thing of the past as women sought more shapely figures. Wool was favored for its slightly elasticated qualities. Swimsuits had thin straps allowing women to catch the sun on their shoulders. There is a ribbed midriff panel which would have provided extra support and enhanced the female figure. The brief-like bottoms maintain the wearer’s modesty.

Lastex yarn was invented in 1931 and was a game changer for swimwear. Typically knitted swimsuits were made from wool which would lose its shape when wet. The introduction of Lastex yarn into women’s swimwear meant the garments would hold their form in and out of the water. Lastex would often be combined with artificial fibers such as rayon resulting in a stretchy and shiny fabric. Swimsuits could now be produced in a much larger range of colors and prints. Furthermore, at the end of the 1940s, Christian Dior launched his New Look which consisted of nipped in waists and full skirts, accentuating the female form. This exciting design shifted the trend to feminine and hourglass figures for women, including in swimwear. 

One of the most significant moments in the history of women’s swimwear was the creation of the bikini in 1946. The design of the bikini is credited to two separate designers who introduced the revolutionary garment at the same time. Jacques Heim, a French fashion designer, created a minimalist two-piece swimming garment in May 1946, called the Atome. Heim’s Atome featured a bra-like top and bottoms which covered the bottom and navel. Later that year, in July 1946, Louis Réard, an engineer turned designer, created what he called the bikini. Réard’s skimpy design consisted of only four triangles of material that were held together with string. The two designs competed for public attention and while Heim’s garment was the first to be worn on a beach, it was the term bikini, as coined by Réard, that stuck.

The rise of the film industry and Hollywood glamour, which celebrated the female form in its entirety, had a big impact on the swimwear industry. In 1952, Bridget Bardot starred in the French film Manina, The Girl in the Bikini. At just seventeen, Bardot was one of the first women to sport a bikini on the big screen. Towards the end of the decade, in 1956, Bardot appeared bikini-clad again in And God Created Women. These appearances brought the bikini into mainstream media, thus beginning the garment’s transition from outrageous and shocking to everyday. According to Vogue, by the mid-1950s swimwear was seen more as a “state of dress, not undress,” illustrating how liberated fashion trends were gradually being accepted, even if society was not quite ready for the bikini.



Towards the end of the twentieth century, women’s swimwear became increasingly bold and colorful, a reflection of the fashion trends at the time. Bikinis and swimsuits were still the go-to swimwear, which now featured high-cut legs, strapless bandeau bikini tops and even matching sarongs. The television show Baywatch, which first aired in 1989, became known for its characters’ bright red, high-cut swimsuits. This style of swimwear re-popularized the one-piece in this new shape.

Now that we know about the ladies, let’s take a peek (literally, at first) at the men? 

No one should be too surprised to know that, since ancient times, men generally were allowed to go au naturel when taking part in a number of activities, including swimming. 

Up until the mid-19th century, there was no general ban on nude swimming, with each local jurisdiction making individual laws. However, in 1737 there’s evidence of the Bath Corporation forbidding nude bathing for males over the age of ten and by 1860, nude bathing was totally banned in the UK at least, with caleçons (drawers) popular as a means to cover up. Since then, men's swimwear has undergone many changes, keeping its distinction from female costumes, which accentuated the female curves. Male swimwear, on the other hand, highlighted masculinity with a no-frills approach and a solid, square look.

Men’s swimwear styles during the 1880s were rather shabby, mimicking traditional undergarments, but gradually more thought went into the designs and improvements were made. The first swimsuits were made from knitted wool with stretchy properties absorbing less water than cotton. Early designs made swimming rather difficult as they weren’t streamlined and despite wool being better than cotton, swimsuits still absorbed water easily. An early Jantzen men’s swimsuit weighed nine pounds when wet, making it difficult to swim and leaving bathers vulnerable to exposure if the suit slipped off under its own weight! Soon afterwards, man-made materials entered the market, first rubber and then nylon a few decades later.

Throughout the decade following 1910, most male swimmers donned tank suits in the water. This was true at Zapp’s Park, on the corner of Blackstone and Olive in Fresno, where rental of a suit would set a lad back one dime.

These were substantial garments in dark, solid colors reaching all the way down to the elbow and below the knees. The Machine Age introduced a more athletic look to men's sports and swimwear. By 1912, the booming business of Bentz Knitting Mills added swimwear to their range and the world started to buy male swimsuits like never before. However, social norms focused on modesty and a sign of the times was the 1917, Bathing Suit Regulations published in America, which were highly detailed on the subject of covering up. Male bathing costumes even had to include a skirting outside the trunks for modesty, or a man could wear flannel knee-length pants together with a vest. 

In the 1920s, the beach was a favorite destination as it became more fashionable to sport a suntan and designs for men’s swimwear became more body-conscious and athletic. British industry responded to the demand for bathing costumes and started mass-producing a one-piece costume called the Speed Suit with fitted trunks. The previously long sleeves had disappeared to be replaced by more generously cut armholes. This one-piece suit, together with swimsuit separates in both solid colors and stripes, enjoyed a large chunk of the market share in men’s swimwear.

With the dawn of the 1930s, a more fitted, high-waisted design in swimwear emerged, influenced by the Art Deco movement. During this decade, Lastex was introduced (synthetic rubber yarn) as well as nylon, heralding a new dawn in swimwear for men. Lastex created something of a nude look as it hugged the figure, flattering different shapes and sizes. Special supports were integrated into the trunks, called Sunaka supports, giving a trim and modest look with added comfort for the wearer. Swimwear was becoming more attractive for men, but they still weren’t allowed to have a bare torso. Public opinion did change under pressure and by 1933 a multi-purpose suit known as the “Men's Topper” had been designed, which, as the name indicates, had a removable top.  

Olympic swimmer Johnny Weismuller helped to promote the B.V.D company’s swimsuits in 1933. Weissmuller had given some input into the design and recommended low cut arms on a tank top, with a naturally fitting waist, coupled with a pair of full trunks. The end product was the very first pair of bathing trunks. Initially these were released in France, since the U.S. still required modesty. Companies producing swimwear for men tried to design their trunks with a more tailored look, to make them more publicly acceptable, with a fly front and a buckle belt. Finally, in 1937, men were legally allowed to swim bare-chested if they so desired, but there was still much controversy surrounding the issue and topless men were often shunned on public beaches. Over time, views of bare-chested men softened, and shorts became the standard swimwear, with those wishing to cover up more opting for boxer-style swimming trunks. 

Men’s swimwear moved in step with the flamboyance of women's costumes from the 1950s onwards. The explosion of the middle classes caused a high demand for swim and leisurewear. Terry-lined cabana sets, which were matching boxer-style trunks and shirts with loud designs including Hawaiian prints, reigned supreme for pool parties now enjoyed by the semi-affluent. Designs were really evolving now with more color and greater attention to detail. 

The 1960s saw a social and fashion revolution. The Australian brand Speedo was also invented, designed by Peter Travis. The now-famous men’s swimming briefs have a name that's synonymous with modern swimwear. With Speedos, men’s swimming trunks became shorter than ever before. The 1969 moon landing also had an impact on fabric styles, with space-age designs in gaudy, psychedelic colors regularly seen on beaches and around poolsides. Some manufacturers produced swimwear in terry cloth, denim and corduroy and a few designs featured belts. 

And you know the rest of the story. For some, or perhaps many, the “good old days” of less exposure is likely nostalgically welcoming - however unlikely those times are destined to return. Although, it seems that the ever-present problem of keeping one’s swimsuit in place when diving into a pool or the ocean remains a conundrum unlikely to be resolved. 

A VOICEPRINT SEVENTY YEARS STRONG

Fresno Community Chorus’ continued impact of collective voices

Provided by Suzanne Bertz-Rosa

An early formal portrait of the Fresno Community Chorus.

In May 1963, Roger Wagner came to Fresno to conduct a Mozart Requiem at Fresno High School Auditorium. Wagner, the founder of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, was by then among the most celebrated choral directors in the country. At that time, the chorus was a community of volunteers who rehearsed Monday evenings in the choral room at Bullard High School and paid $5 a season for the privilege.

Wagner arrived two days before the performance to run the final rehearsals, conducting alongside the chorus’s regular director, Nicola Iacovetti. A man of his stature and schedule did not typically spend two days in Fresno for an amateur chorus, but it seems as if he could hear that there was something special about the Fresno Community Chorus.

Founded in November 1956 under conductor Arthur Berdahl, the Fresno Community Chorus opened its first concert with an oratorio of Berdahl’s own composition. Within a year, the chorus was performing Bruckner’s Te Deum with the newly organized Fresno Philharmonic.

In August 1962, a letter from Board President J. Martin Temple announced to singers across the area the upcoming season and Iacovetti returning for his second year. The chorus, Temple wrote, was “the only community-wide choral organization in the Fresno area.” Rehearsals, still on Monday evenings at Bullard High School, were followed by coffee at 9:15 p.m. 

In 1966, Arthur Huff joined as conductor. A music professor at what was then Fresno State College, Huff was described in the season announcement as “a fine musician who has made a strong musical reputation.” The chorus became formally associated with the college that year, a relationship that would last until 2018.

The chorus joined the Fresno Philharmonic the following spring to perform Carl Orff’s rhythmically blunt and harmonically raw Carmina Burana. Huff stayed twenty-two years, building a repertoire that ran from Beethoven’s Ninth to Verdi’s Requiem to Mahler’s Second Symphony, performed year after year at the William Saroyan Theatre and, later, at Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall.

Huff retired in 1988. Several conductors sustained what he had built through the following decade. Then, in 2002, Anna Hamre, who had joined Fresno State three years earlier as Director of Choral Activities, took over and scaled up the ambition. She made the chorus an auditioned ensemble, formed Coro Piccolo from its finest voices, and pushed the programming toward harder, more demanding repertoire. In November 2004, the chorus presented the American premiere of Mozart’s Mass in C Minor in a reconstruction by musicologist Philip Wilby, who flew in from England to hear it performed.

Carnegie Hall followed in February 2006, and again in April 2009. Between those trips, the chorus toured China. A March 2015 concert gave the Northern California premiere of Robert Cohen’s Alzheimer’s Stories, which Fresno Bee critic Donald Munro praised for connecting audiences “on both a cerebral and emotional level.” A joint performance with the Fresno Philharmonic that same spring, titled Witness and Rebirth: An Armenian Journey, featured the world premiere of Serouj Kradjian’s Cantata for the Living Martyrs, commissioned for the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The City of Fresno designated March 5, 2015, as “The Power of Music Day” to honor the chorus.

The chorus incorporated as a nonprofit in 2009. 

In the spring of 2020, COVID ended sixty-three years of unbroken consecutive seasons, but it could not be silenced. The chorus returned in December 2021, along with all its ensembles; Hamre has described the singers as people who give “their most precious possession”.

Six ensembles now comprise Fresno Community Chorus. The Fresno Master Chorale, still the center, with 150 auditioned singers performing major choral-orchestral works. Coro Piccolo, an elite chamber ensemble performing with precision and quiet intensity in Fresno’s smaller, older venues. Coro Solare, a daytime choir open to anyone who loves to sing, with concerts reaching into elementary schools and retirement communities. Quintus and Altissima, professional emerging-artist ensembles performing music written for and about the present. And the newest addition, Threshold Choir, with three or four singers at a time, brings a cappella music to patients in hospitals and hospice care throughout Fresno.

As part of the 70th season, titled Voiceprints, the chorus will again perform Carmina Burana with the Fresno Philharmonic. For the complete 2026–2027 season information, visit FresnoCommunityChorus.org.

FROM MEMORIZATION TO MEANING: HOW COLLEGE CHANGED THE WAY I STUDY HISTORY

By Mallory Loffler, Archives Intern / UCLA Student - History Major

I am a horrendous test-taker. The second I sit down and the proctor starts the timer, all of the knowledge I spent days, weeks, or even months memorizing and understanding disappears from my mind. My body gets numb, my heart drops, and alarms start sounding in my brain. Then, as soon as I turned in the test after doing my best, everything I could not remember suddenly came flooding back.

After I finished my AP courses in high school, I thought I was done with that feeling. After all, history majors draft papers and make projects–they do not take tests. Or so I thought. I was certain that the AP U.S. History and AP European History testing format was behind me. I graduated high school in 2024, just as AI was rapidly gaining traction and becoming a growing concern in education. At first, I barely noticed its expanding presence. It was not until I arrived at UCLA in the fall of 2024 that I utterly understood to what degree it was reshaping the academic world.

This rise in AI and the concern surrounding its place in education dramatically changed my experience of learning history at the college level. Not only did the type of assessments shift, but the topics discussed and emphasized in my classes were worlds apart from the sugar-coated narratives I had learned of at the small, predominantly white private high school where I grew up. The transition to a large public university, combined with the growing influence of AI, transformed how I experienced history and which stories were considered worth telling.

When I think about the difference between history in high school and history in college, I immediately remember my AP U.S. History class sophomore year. According to the College Board curriculum, we were supposed to have a unit on the Civil Rights Movement. But as the year went on and we fell behind schedule, my teacher had to shorten several units and decide which topics to cut. In the end, the Civil Rights Movement was the only unit we skipped entirely. We spent much of the year learning about the victors throughout history while completely ignoring many of the consequences of their victories. History is often written by the victors, rarely those who lost or suffered. Their stories become the ones most widely known and repeatedly told until society remembers history exactly as they wanted it to be remembered. Meanwhile, the stories of the oppressed, the marginalized, and the people left scarred by those victories become buried beneath the clutter.

That was a recurring theme throughout my secondary education. I found myself learning about white men repeatedly, hearing stories of their triumphs and their supposed divine right to power. Wealth, wars, and whiteness echoed through nearly every textbook I opened. As high school went on, I became skeptical-as any good historiographer must be. I stopped accepting history at face value. Even though I continued to learn history through the perspective of the victors, I wished to understand deeper. I wanted to question what I was being taught and whether it was truly the whole story. When I took my first history class at UCLA, I realized that my skepticism was finally going to be met with answers. Because my historical education had been almost entirely Eurocentric, I assumed a Western Civilization course would simply be a mind-numbing review of everything I had already learned. Instead, after just one lecture, I fell in love with learning history all over again. It wasn’t because something suddenly clicked. It was because I could finally see the missing pieces filling the gaps between everything I thought I knew. My professor introduced Western and Eurocentric philosophy through the perspective of the Wendat Chief Kondiaronk during the early colonial period. He discussed thinkers like Locke and Hobbs while refusing to ignore or excuse their shortcomings. As the quarter went on, the course consistently centered on the experience of those who had been marginalized or harmed by Western expansion and Eurocentrism.

For the first time, I wasn’t only learning about the people who held power. I was learning about those who lived with the consequences of that power. I was finally seeing the other side of history, and for the first time, it felt real. When history is taught through only one lens, thousands of stories disappear. People believe they are learning history when, in reality, they are learning only a carefully selected version of it. That was the most significant difference between high school and college for me. I came to understand that history itself cannot change, but the way we tell it can. The stories we choose to emphasize can either broaden our understanding of the world or reinforce the narrow perspectives we already hold. People deserve to learn real history and real stories. They build compassion, encourage critical thinking, and teach us to appreciate nuance. Ironically, that emphasis on critical thinking is also one of the reasons history courses have had to change so dramatically in the age of AI.

AI can become an obstacle to learning when it replaces the arduous work of analyzing sources, wrestling with conflicting interpretations, and developing original arguments. If students allow a chatbot to do that thinking for them, they do not exercise their curiosity; they miss the intellectual curiosity and intellectual struggle that make studying history worthwhile. Because of that, many professors have adapted their teaching methods to discourage AI dependence. In just my first two years at UCLA, I have watched history courses shift from essays and project-heavy assessments to in-class exams and handwritten essays. My midterms and finals went from six- to ten-page typed papers to blue books, short-answer responses, and fill-in-the-blank tests. More than anything, professors want to know that their students are genuinely learning. As someone who struggles with test-taking, I cannot pretend I enjoy this transition. I miss being able to demonstrate my understanding through carefully researched papers. But despite my frustration, I understand why these changes have happened. In an era where AI can generate answers in seconds, history professors are trying to preserve something far more valuable than perfect essays. They are trying to preserve the ability to think critically, engage deeply with the past, and form opinions that are genuinely our own.

STORIES THAT SHAPED US

By: Renee Delport, Central Valley Community Foundation

"Six Stories that Shaped Us" Initiative marking 60 years since the founding of Central Valley Community Foundation

Portuguese Immigrants Shape the Central Valley

From Fado music and festas to bullfights and more, Portuguese culture has been shaping the Central Valley since the first immigrants arrived here in the 1870s. They were mainly from the Azores, a group of nine islands in the Atlantic Ocean that are part of Portugal. Drawn by abundant farmland, a familiar climate, and steady labor demand, they began building a community that continues to shape the Central Valley’s agricultural and cultural identity.

Portuguese immigrants found work first as sheep herders. Their early success sparked more immigration, with letters home encouraging relatives and neighbors to follow. Many eventually settled in communities such as Lemoore and Riverdale. 

By the early 1900s, as the sheep industry was declining, Portuguese families turned to dairying. Milking cows by hand became their foot in the door to the industry. From there, they became tenant farmers and ultimately purchased land. By 1910, Portuguese-owned dairies were common in Selma, Kerman, Caruthers and Hanford. Their success helped fuel the growth of the dairy industry across the region. Kings County developed into one of California’s leading dairy centers, attracting additional Portuguese settlers over several decades. Today, Portuguese families operate more than half of Fresno County’s dairies.

Alongside agricultural growth, immigrants built strong religious and cultural institutions. Community halls such as the Santíssima Trindade Hall in Riverdale, built in 1924, and the Selma Portuguese Hall, completed in 1983, became anchors for social life. From Spring to Fall, traditional festivals, or festas, keep the culture thriving. Rooted in Roman Catholicism, the festas honor Queen Isabella and keep her custom of feeding the poor. 

Portuguese influence also reached public service: Congressman Jim Costa, whose family roots trace to the Azores, has represented the region in state and federal office for more than twenty-five years.

The legacy continues at Fresno State through the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute, a collaboration across three colleges. The institute documents oral histories, hosts cultural programs, and builds academic partnerships between California and the Portuguese-speaking world.

From early sheep ranches to modern dairies, and from community halls to university partnerships, Portuguese immigrants have left a lasting imprint on the Central Valley. Their story remains visible in the region’s fields, festivals and civic life.

This story is part of the Central Valley Community Foundation’s “Sixty Stories That Shaped Us” initiative to help mark 60 years since our founding. We invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone and this special place we call home. To learn more, visit centralvalleycf.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @centralvalleycf.

This story is part of the Central Valley Community Foundation’s “Sixty Stories That Shaped Us” initiative to help mark 60 years since our founding. We invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone and this special place we call home. To learn more, visit centralvalleycf.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @centralvalleycf.

MAKING HISTORY EVERY DAY

Fashion Fair time capsule from 1970 
preserved during redevelopment project
From ABC 30 Action News, July 21, 2026

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The former Forever 21 building at Fashion Fair Mall is undergoing a dramatic transformation as demolition crews clear the site for a new sports-focused retail concept from Dick's Sporting Goods.

The retailer's planned "House of Sport" store is being built at the mall near Shaw and First avenues. The location is expected to feature a rock-climbing wall as well as soccer, baseball and golf training cages.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

During demolition of the former Forever 21 building, construction crews also discovered a time capsule that had been installed in 1970 during construction of the former Weinstock's Department Store.

Action News previously inquired about the capsule in 2022 after discovering a brass plaque marking its existence.

According to the general manager of Fashion Fair Mall, the time capsule was safely removed before demolition work on the Forever 21 building began.

The capsule is now secured by mall management. As stated on the plaque, it is scheduled to be opened in 2070, marking 100 years since the original structure was built.