An email reminded me that the inactivity on the blog may lead a person to believe that the project has been abandoned but this is not so. I have had great success and disappointment at the same time. Several individuals had declined to be interviewed. I think that some believe that what they do remember is unimportant and what they have forgotten is important but this is not true (as I always tell them). Two individuals that I know of have passed away and their memories with them. I am deeply saddened that I did not get to them in time.
I have conducted three very successful interviews, all of which produced information that can not be found in a newspaper or public records, only in a memory. I was overjoyed to learn that so many past Tagus Ranch residents have wonderful stories to share. Each interview makes it easier to create an image in my mind as to how it must have been to live on the ranch. I am currently seeking additional interviewees, with the help of Linda at the Tulare Historical Museum. I am working at full speed now that my draft thesis project is due in June. I know that no matter how many more interviews I am able to conduct I have at least documented enough to create a picture of the past. Social history is always so hard to capture once too much time has passed but this time, I believe I have succeeded with the help of many others.
Tagus Peach Label
About Me
- Aubrie
- Fresno, California, United States
- I am a graduate student at California State University Sacramento. My Grandparents worked on Tagus Ranch during the 1930s and 1940s. I want to record the social history of the Ranch community for future generations to enjoy.
5 comments:
Adelaide Merritt was my great-great-grandmother on my mom's side! Her oldest brother, Hulett Clinton Merritt Sr. managed various business enterprises under the name Pacific States Corporation- one such enterprise was the Tagus Ranch, which my great-grandfather (James William Moller) managed for almost four years.
Hulett Clinton Merrit Sr.'s oldest son Hulett Clinton Merritt Jr. managed the ranch until his death. I'm sure you have that information!
lynda and Aubrie my mother lived there at tagus ranch when she was little she would love to go to this reunion they have and would love to tell her stories
I lived at Tagus from 1947 to 1961 at which time I joined the USAF and served four years. My parents lived and worked there after moving from OK. It was a pretty rough and tumble place. We worked in the fields and really didn't have it too bad as we had a permanent residence which is kinda' important if you are a redneck seasonal worker.
My Mother-in law who is 90 told the story last weekend of growing up at Tagus Ranch 1944-1946.
They lived in barrack housing with a Red Star on the front. Any help with this would be wonderful. We are trying to figure out if her Father was a POW or just working in the ranch. She said that she planted and cared for the peach trees. She said that when they left the ranch they lived in Tulare for many years. Her Mother lived there until she was 100. They were told as children to never talk about living at Tagus Ranch. They were living near Tulsa, OK and their Father went to Tagus Ranch several months before the family went.
Thank you for all the work you are doing. I am so glad that I found your site!
My Mother-in law who is 90 told the story last weekend of growing up at Tagus Ranch 1944-1946.
They lived in barrack housing with a Red Star on the front. Any help with this would be wonderful. We are trying to figure out if her Father was a POW or just working in the ranch. She said that she planted and cared for the peach trees. She said that when they left the ranch they lived in Tulare for many years. Her Mother lived there until she was 100. They were told as children to never talk about living at Tagus Ranch. They were living near Tulsa, OK and their Father went to Tagus Ranch several months before the family went.
Thank you for all the work you are doing. I am so glad that I found your site!
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