Reedley

It was in 1888, four short years after he first came to Fresno County to farm wheat, that Thomas Law Reed made a deal with the Southern Pacific Railroad. In exchange for a half-interest in 360 acres of Reed's farmland, the railroad would build a depot along its east side branch and help develop a townsite. The town was Reedley. See what happened when settlers arrived. Watch as homes are built, as businesses are started, and as schools and churches are founded. Witness farmers cultivate the region's rich soil, and with irrigation, grow a bounty of crops that they will ship near and far. View a place of dusty streets and simple wooden buildings transformed into a modern 20th-century community. Meet the people of Reedley as they work, learn, worship, and celebrate. This book is Reedley's family photo album.

Author Kenneth Zech, a retired member of the Reedley College faculty and a charter member of the Reedley Historical Society, presents a remarkable selection of images of early Reedley carefully selected from the historical society's collections. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Reedley history, Zech takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the town's exciting past.