Bravo Lake before the levees were built.
A brief history of the City of Woodlake.
Bravo Lake before the levees were built.
The Woodlake area was originally the home of the Yokut and Wutchumna Indians who lived around Bravo Lake. They were peaceful tribes, who made homes of tree bark and wood with roofs made from thatches of lake tules. They lived off the many herds of elk and antelope that would graze the areas wild vegetation growing along the local lakes and rivers. The Antelope Valley just north of Woodlake was once ceremonial grounds where hundreds of Indians would gather to hold annual ceremonies to mourn their dead. There are still many artifacts being found in the areas foothills to record their history. The first white settler was a miner named Tom Davis who started a cattle ranch in 1853. Ten years later a Reverend Jonathan Blair brought a covered wagon train from Missouri and founded a settlement along the lake called "String town". In 1867 a terrible flood wiped out most of String town and the settlers moved on. The lake used to stretch as far north as Castle Rock and the majority of Woodlake's eastside is built on lake bottom. The area became a significant agricultural producer during the 1870's when ranchers moved in and began raising cattle and sheep. Irish cowboys used to drive their cattle from here to Carson City, Nevada where beef was slaughtered and sold to miners. Portuguese sheepherders from this area transported wool by wagon to The Port of Stockton. About this same time, grain also became an important crop for the area and was transported to Traver to be milled.
It was about this time Bravo Lake received its name. It seems two Irishmen named Swamp John and Thomas Fowler (for whom the town of Fowler was named.) were at the lake one morning and got into an argument as they often did. When their boss saw this he was so angered that he pulled out a six shooter and ordered the two men to settle it once and for all. The brawl lasted most of the day and a large crowd of the Yokut Indians gathered to watch. And every time someone would land a punch, the Indians would yell Bravo, Bravo, and there on that day the lake was named.
In 1880 the nearest town was still Visalia, although there were by this time enough families in the area to warrant a school. It was called Lone Willow School and was a converted sheep shelter on the Wutchumna ditch. The teacher was paid fifty dollars a month fifteen of which was deducted to cover room and board. The school term only lasted six and a half months so the children were available to help with the crops.
The first orange trees were planted in this area in 1878 and by the turn of the century citrus and other fruit were becoming the areas primary crops. The first store was built in 1900 at Naranjo, which is three miles east of Woodlake. It housed a general store and a small post office.
In 1919, the Visalia Electric Rail Road began offering passenger service five times daily between Exeter, Lemon Cove and nearby Red Banks. And that marked the real start of Woodlake.
Woodlake was named and founded by a Los Angeles land developer named Gilbert F Stevenson. Stevenson got himself into the land developing business by subdividing ten acres of land at Hollywood and Vine streets in Hollywood, California. He also was known for building the famous Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, and developing the town of Wilmington near San Pedro, California.
Stevenson envisioned the area setting and location as ideal for a planned recreation community centered around Bravo Lake. In 1912, he purchased 13,000 acres of land and built a two story commercial complex on the corner of Valencia and Naranjo streets, which is the main intersection in town currently. He then laid out the city's infrastructure including the city streets, water and sewer lines. And then he billed Woodlake as the "Fastest Growing City in Central California". Which was true during the first few years.
Stores were constructed, homes built, schools churches even a telephone company and a bank were established. A doctor set up a practice, and a newspaper began operation, and a highway from Exeter to Woodlake was built. Stevenson even donated three miles of right of way to bring the Santa Fe Railroad to Woodlake. The bridge over the St. Johns River was built by Stevenson and referred to as the Stevenson Bridge.
Mr. Stevenson then turned to his pet project, which was the development of Bravo Lake. He planned to construct a levee around the lake and construct seven islands that would have had restaurants, dancing pavilions, bathhouses and boathouses. Stevenson had plans to connect the islands by a series of bridges carrying a narrow gauge railroad. Excursion boats were to be docked near a luxury hotel overlooking the water a garden of rare flowers, shrubs and trees were to be planted around the banks highlighting an amusement park.
Stevenson actually did get started; he built the levees, began landscaping, imported swans and operated excursion boats at ten cents per trip, which were called Stevenson's Navy. However, the Woodlake Development was not making the money Stevenson had hoped for and the depression and a costly lawsuit with the Wutchumna Water Company marked the end of Mr. Stevenson's developing. He later passed away a pauper.
Meanwhile the town that he started continued to grow. In 1928, the Fire department and the Cemetery District and the Woodlake Chamber of Commerce were established in the early 1930's. Natural gas was finally piped in 1938. The city was originally incorporated in 1940, and after a legal battle with the Wutchumna Water Company over boundaries the city was disincorporated and then reincorporated in 1941 with Bravo Lake outside the city boundaries when the town officially became a city in 1941; it had one policeman, one garbage man and one city clerk. If someone wanted water service, the city clerk would close office, and he, the garbage man and the Police Chief would go out and dig the line. The Police Chief would park his car beside a payphone on the main drag and sleep in the car. In 1943 the first mosquito abatement district was established, ending a serious problem caused by the lake.
In the early forties, the Bakersfield Box Company began operations where the Baker Brothers Packing House is currently located. Industry helped the town to prosper and Woodlake actually had more businesses than it does now. Woodlake had a skating rink, a movie theatre, several clothing and shoe stores, auto agencies and restaurants. However, in 1950 Bakersfield Box closed there Woodlake plant and the town went into an economic slump that it is still trying to recover from.
A special thanks to LeRoy Bennet of Woodlake Hardware and Mrs. Marrion Legake for the use of all the great historical Photographs.
Copyright 2002