Search still on for old Patterson photos

Old photos are like close relatives and old friends. We love to visit with them whenever we get a chance. Our memories of the past can be rekindled, and we can spend hours with them.

I’ve been interested in old photos since I was a kid looking through the family photos, especially in my grandma Carr’s basement. Some were large and some were small, but I wanted to look at all of them. I especially enjoyed snapshots of family members doing things.

Shortly after the Patterson Township Historical Society was formed, “Jack” Patterson, the town founder’s son, gave the historical society more than 150 photographs, many of which his father, T.W. Patterson, had taken. This began the society’s large collection of the earliest days of the town, which is about to celebrate its centennial this summer.

In preparation for the celebration, the historical society is busy at work on a photo history of the town to be published this summer.

However, we are missing a number of photos that we hope exist somewhere.

In the earliest days of the town, T.W. Patterson took his own photos of the new town as it was being built. He had a special panoramic camera, and he developed his own film in his Fresno mansion. The camera and many negatives were later destroyed when the mansion burned.

Next came Bill Hurd, a very early Patterson resident. He, too, took his own photos on glass plates and later on film. We have copies of many of those, which show the earliest days of the town’s growth. He took many photos of early snow scenes around town.

There were also commercial photographers who traveled from town to town in those early days and made photographs for those willing to pay for them. Because of these photographers, we have a lot of photos of the inside of early day businesses.

Unfortunately, the Patterson Irrigator wasn’t able to publish photos in most issues, as it was expensive and was technically difficult. So we don’t have a lot of photos from about 1920 to 1950. That’s a big gap in the recording of Patterson’s history.

We need to depend on snapshots by individuals for those years. And we need to hear right away if you have some of those.

We hope that any of you who have lived here a long time, or have a relative who has, will look through your collections and see what photos you have that show scenes of downtown, schools, church, parades or other activities. Even family activities are important. Maybe you have family photos of Horse Thief Bend parades in the ’40s.

When you find them, you can bring them to the museum by appointment, and we will scan them into our computer to share on this occasion of Patterson’s 100th birthday. Please call me at 892-5037 for an appointment.

One photo we don’t have is one of the Tee Garden Golf, a miniature golf feature that was just west of the Ford garage about where the large office building is now. In the ’30s, Manuel Azevedo hauled the small building to his Las Palmas Avenue and First Street commercial area and incorporated the building into his bar. That part of his business was destroyed by fire in the ’70s. The complex has been replaced with new businesses and storage facility.

Please don’t be shy about showing us your photos. We might have to say we can’t copy them, but it would be better if we at least get to see them. I can assure you that I will enjoy your family or community photos even if we don’t use them. And who knows, maybe in another 25, 50 or 100 years, your photos will be important to future residents to show what Patterson life was like.

Claude Delphia is one of a group of Patterson historians collecting and researching Patterson’s past. He can be reached at claude37@comcast.net.