Wm B. Richardson 1936 General Account 66 Tulare County—Created April 20, 1852. Commandante Fages, while hunting for deserters in 1773, dis- covered a great lake surrounded by marshes and filled with rushes, which he named Los Tules (the tules, Scir- pus Lacrustus). In 1813, Captain Moraga on his exploring expedition passed through the valley of this lake, and named it “Valle de los Tulares” (valley of the tules), from which this county took its name. Home of the great Sequoia and General Grant national parks and Mount Whitney, whose summit is the highest point in the United States, Tulare also is noted as one of the wealthiest farming counties in the nation. Approximately 100,000 acres are planted to deciduous fruits and grape vines. Kaweah, Tule and Kern rivers and Deer Creek furnish abun- dant water for irrigation and have been harnessed for generation of elec- tric power. The orange is Tulare’s outstand- ing crop with raisins, peaches, olives, prunes, figs, plums, apricots and wal- nuts in the order named. About 1,- 193,000 acres are given over to farm- ing, making Tulare rank sixth in the state. It is second in acreage irri- gated. Sequoia Park, or California Big trees, attracts thousands of tourists. It covers 604 square miles and has twelve beautiful groves of redwoods, among which is the Giant Forest of 3200 acres containing 500,000 stately trees, 5000 of which measure more than ten feet in diameter. The Gen- eral Sherman redwood is the larg- est living thing on earth, and next is the General Grant, a giant se- quoia in Fresno county, the oldest thing on earth. There is as much lumber in this tree as can be obtain- ed from 20 acres of average Califor- nia pine forest; enough to erect 40 five-room homes. A train of 30 cars would be required to transport the trunk alone. From the top of Mount Whitney an awe-inspiring panorama of moun- tain peaks, the Devil’s Amphithea- ter, redwood groves and Death Val- ley, 300 feet below sea level, is re- vealed. Allensworth, noted for its grain, alfalfa, cotton and vegetables; Cutler and Orosi, with their raisins, grapes, oranges and lemons; Dinuba, center of the Alta Irrigation district; Ex- eter, great agricultural district; Lindsay and Porterville in the orange belt; Springville, gateway to moun- tain resorts, and Tulare, great valley shipping point, all add to the wealth and fame of Tulare county. Visalia, the charming county seat, founded in 1853 by Nathaniel Vise, bear hunt- er, is noted for its attractive homes. Population: 77,442. Area: 4856 square miles. Portwill Evening Recorder Jan. 2, 1936.