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Fresno County Cultural Trail LbNA #7973

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 22, 2004
Location:
City:Fresno
County:Fresno
State:California
Boxes:12
Planted by:Sierra Sally
Found by: NonMuggleFam
Last found:Apr 1, 2021
Status:FFFFFFFFaFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Apr 22, 2004
Fresno County is blessed with many different cultures. To honor some of those cultures I’ve made a series of 12boxes to commemorate 12 of the predominant cultures. Two of the sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, most are either beautiful, historic, a museum or all of the above. This is a good series for kids as most of the boxes are pretty easy to find. Here goes…

Box 1 – Dala Horse (Reported missing 8/06)
Mystery town, Fresno County
Go to a town in Southern Fresno County with a royal sounding name along Hwy 99 between Fresno and Visalia.
Look up for the huge Swedish Coffee Pot above the town. It’s on the East side of Hwy 99.
Go to the base of the Coffee Pot and read the plaques about who made the coffee pot
Walk W 18 steps/9 paces to a tree
The box is in the fork of the tree. Please cover it back up with leaves and such when you are finished.

Box 2 – Portuguese Festa (Reported missing 8/06)
Selma
Each small town in the valley has a Portuguese Hall and they celebrate the Portuguese Festa with great food and a great party. If you haven’t partied with Portuguese people then you haven’t really partied.

From Box 1 - Go North on Simpson/Golden State Blvd which is West of Dala Horse box
Turn Right on Nebraska Ave (over the tracks)
Go to the SE corner of Nebraska and Dockery (less than 1 mile) where the Portuguese Hall is located. I believe it says Azores Society
Since this place is locked up pretty tight, walk across the street to the SW corner and look for the bent fence pickets along Dockery.
The box is under the small bush just in front of the fence where the fence is bent.

Box 3 – Khanda
Fowler
Many Indian People have moved from the State of Punjab, India to the Central Valley. The farming is very similar to that in Punjab. The Punjabi people that I have befriended are the most amazing farmers and businessmen. Most of these immigrants are of the Sikh religion, and the symbol for the Sikhs is the Khanda. This box is close to a brand new temple along Hwy 99.

From box 2 go back to Golden State Blvd and head north to 2nd St.
Turn Left on 2nd and get on Hwy 99 North
Exit Clovis Ave and go back under the highway which would be South / Left
Turn West/ Right on Adams
Turn North/ Right on Minnewawa
Minnewawa turns into Lincoln when it gets close to the freeway
The Temple will be on the Right just after the curve
The box is along the side of the road in front of TruTrailers
Look for the Electric Pole near the SE Corner of the temple land. The box is at the base of the pole covered by rocks on the West side of the pole.
This is the closest I could get the box; the temples are very active places.


Box 4 – Armenian Cross reported missing 1/3/07
2226 Ventura Street corner of M St and Ventura, Fresno
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church (1914) was the first church built in the tradition of Armenian church architecture in the United States. The Armenian Genocide was carried out by the "Young Turk" government of the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1916 (with subsidiaries to 1922-23). One and a half million Armenians were killed, out of a total of two and a half million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Most Armenians in America are children or grandchildren of the survivors, although there are still many survivors living in the valley. (Quoted from http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/armenian/facts/genocide.html)

From Box 3 – Back on Hwy 99 North exit Ventura Blvd and park on the corner of M. St and Ventura.
This Church is on the Register of Historic Places and is quite beautiful. The box is on the NW corner about waist high in the evergreen tree. Please wedge it in good!

Box 5 – Santa Fe Basque Hotel (Alive 9/07)
Santa Fe and Tulare St, Fresno
This hotel, restaurant and bar are on the Register of Historic Places as well. The Santa Fe Hotel is one of the oldest and most important Basque institutions in Fresno. Historically, Basque hotels constituted a network of ethnic establishments through which Basque immigrants could enter and move about the United States with a maximum of protection and a minimum of culture shock. As was the custom, the Santa Fe Hotel was built near the railroad station. For its old-world clientele, the Santa Fe Hotel was both a way station for the newly-arrived immigrant and a haven for the unemployed. The hotel also was the base of operations for the Basque sheepmen in town on business. Since it first opened, it has helped its clients earn their living, providing local employment information. Sheep ranchers in need of herders usually began their search at the hotel.

From Box 4 – Continue NE on Ventura
Turn Left on Santa Fe (right after P St) if you go over the tracks you’ve gone too far
The Hotel is on your Left across from the Depot the place is now called Shepard’s Inn
From the front door walk to your right (North)
Go around the side around the trash enclosure to the area with all the air conditioners to your left
The box under the first air conditioner (NW side) stuck to the underside with a magnet.

Box 6 – Mexican Eagle (missing 11/07)
The valley has many immigrants from Mexico and Central America. This museum explores the cultures of these amazing, hard working people.

From Box 5 – Turn Left/South on Tulare St
Immediately turn Right on P St
Turn Left on Fresno St go past the Old Fresno Water Tower (Letterbox)
Turn Left (South) on M St
Turn Right into the parking that is on the NW corner of M and Tulare St. Park at the far end of this lot.

From your car walk West and look for the Toltec. He's staning in a star. He gazes right over the top of the letterbox which is in the point of the star.

Box 7 Hmong Dancer (missing 8/06)
Hmong, an ethnic hill people who were recruited by the CIA to fight communists in Laos during the Vietnam War. When the war was over, they were forced from their homeland and became refugees. Many have moved to Fresno, and Fresno is all the richer for their arrival.

From Box 6 walk North in the Park around the courthouse. Past the Peace officers and Martin Luther King Jr. Next after passing 5 rings, you'll see a statue honoring the Lao and Hmong peeople and their sacrafices made to help America. After reading the inscription, look past the statue toward the building for a Flag Pole. That flag pole honors the Disabled American Veterans. Just to the left of that plaque and right in front of the pole is the box in the bushes.

Box 8 – African American Historical & Cultural Museum of the San Joaquin Valley (Reported missing 8/06)
1857 Fulton St, Corner of Fulton and Sacramento
Hours
Museum has displays depicting the lives and times of leading San Joaquin Valley African Americans from the 1800s to the present. Also displays of African artifacts, paintings and antiques and traveling exhibits.

From Box 7 – Right (West) out of the parking lot onto Tulare St. Right (North) onto Van Ness Ave.
Left (West) onto Calaveras
Right (North) onto Fulton
Turn Left(West) on Sacramento and park.
The Museum is on the SW corner of Fulton and Sacramento
Go toward the front door, stop and read the granite plaque just before the entrance
The box is stuck to the fence next to the wall on the left side of the granite plaque at the bottom. Please be super careful, there are usually lots of people across Fulton at the Salvation Army.


Box 9 – Museum of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia
3233 N. West Ave, Fresno
Hours: M-S 12 noon - 4pm
A genealogy library and museum trace the history of Fresno’s Russian immigrants of German descent.

From Box 8 – Continue W on Sacramento, Turn Right on H St, this street goes along the tracks and becomes Weber then it turns north and becomes West St.
Continue North on West just past Shields Ave, turn left on Andrews and park
From the front door of the Museum walk to your Right inside the courtyard area toward the iron gate
From the Gate on the inside of the courtyard count 4 bricks along the top of the fence
The box is under the bush on top of the 4th brick.

Box 10 Greek Dancer– (reported missing 8/06)
Probably the most popular well known Greek person in Fresno is Kopi our weatherman/anchor man on a local station. He's a fun character Oppa!

From Box 9 – Go back to Shields and Turn Left (East) on Shields.
Go under Hwy 41 Turn Right (South) on Fresno, Turn Left (East) on Clinton, Turn Right (South) on Orchard. Turn Right (West) on Yale and park. This is the St. George Greek Orthodox church and is so beautifl. After admiring it from the front gate, walking back to your car, look in the bush around the tree on the SE.

Box 11 Shin Zen Friendship Garden (replaced 4/8/06) Woodward Park, Fresno
Hours:M-F 5pm to Dusk, weekends 10am – Dusk
$3/person if you visit the garden (not mandatory to get the box)
$3/car entry fee into Woodward Park.
A beautiful Japanese Garden complete with stone lanterns and a teahouse dedicated to Fresno's Sister City Kochi, Japan, as a symbol of friendship and international brotherhood, and for the promotion of cultural relations between the two cities. Includes a thatched-roof teahouse, only one of the two authentic teahouses in the Continental United States.

From Box 10 – Back onto Hwy 41 North (reverse the directions that you just came from)
Exit Friant Road, turn Right (north) on Friant
Turn Left (West) on Audubon to the entrance of the park
If you don’t want to pay the $3/car fee, park and walk to the garden about 1 mile round trip. otherwise pay the fee and drive to the Japanese Garden.
In the Parking lot walk over to the large sign that tells the hours. There is a large rock NW of that sign. The box is on the Eastern side of that rock. Please be sure to wedge it underneath to hide it well.

Box 12 – Native American Letterbox (replaced 4/8/06)
Table Mountain Casino – Millerton Rd, Friant
A beautiful drive past the Friant Dam and Millerton Lake to a great casino. The Table Mountain Rancheria is your host. Don’t forget to visit the gift shop to see amazing Native American crafts for sale.

From Box 11- Back to the corner of Audubon and Friant Road. Turn Left (North) and go 15 miles to the Casino. Friant road turns into Millerton Road at Friant Dam, just stay to the right when you see the dam.
Drive into the driveway at the stop light.
Park in the first parking lot to the left.
Walk toward the casino toward the bridge that crosses the creek. At the flags to the left of the entrance to the bridge walk 30 steps/15 paces along the large rock to a tree and a rose bush.The box is hidden under the tree in the rocks.