It was a crucial ferry crossing turned stagecoach stop, turned thriving town. The story of Royal Porter Putnam and the town he founded – you know it as Porterville, today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots.
The discovery of gold near the Kern River in 1853 brought an influx of miners and activity into the southern San Joaquin Valley. It led to the creation of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road, a trail that hugged the east side of the Valley. In 1854, Peter Goodhue established a ferry crossing on the road where it met the Tule River near what is today Main and Henderson streets in Porterville.
In 1858, the Butterfield Overland Mail made a stage stop here, bringing people like Royal Porter Putnam to the area. He began ranching in Tulare County starting in 1858, and in 1860 established a trading post near Goodhue’s Ferry. The flood of 1861/62 caused the river to change its course, carving a new channel to the south.
In 1863, he purchased 40 acres of former swampland from Goodhue and laid out the town, which we know today as Porterville. He built a two-story building near Oak and Main Streets. known as Porter’s Tule River House, it was a store and saloon catering to travelers.
Putnam was a shrewd promoter. He gave away downtown lots to those who would open a business. Soon Porterville was a thriving town. In the 1880s, the railroad arrived, further fueling Porterville’s growth. Putnam didn’t get to see much of it though, he died in 1889, just 52 years old.
