Founded
in 1874, Grangeville is the oldest existing community in Kings County. It was
the trade and social center of western Tulare County, with a post office, town
hall, library, school, hotel, two general stores, drug store, doctor's office,
steam-driven flour mill, blacksmith shop, gunpowder plant, several saloons,
cemetery and a large Chinatown. Grangeville was on the main stagecoach line
between Stockton and Los Angeles.
When the Southern Pacific Railroad bypassed Grangeville in 1876, the thriving community dwindled in size and importance. Many homes and businesses were moved to Lemoore and Hanford, which were along the new railroad line.
A history of Grangeville is not complete without mentioning the two water ditch companies which turned the barren desert into productive agricultural land. In 1873, the People's Ditch Company formed with enough water taken from the Kings River to irrigate 15,000 acres, and the Last Chance Water Ditch Company had sufficient water to irrigate 25,000 acres.
The picture to the right is the The Grangeville Hall built by the local farmers organization called the Grange in 1874. This picture was taken around 1940 of Vic Boschetti. Over the years the hall served as a school, library, meeting place, theater, dance hall, and eating place. At one time it was famous for its chicken dinners, and the Grangeville Hall Association could seat and feed 300 people at a time. It was located on the northeast corner of 14th Avenue and Grangeville Boulevard. The Hall was dismantled in 1952.
Photo Credit: Rod Ritchie
