Читать книгу History of Fresno County, Vol. 6 - Paul E. Vandor - Страница 35

One of the earliest settlers of rapidly-developed Coalinga, and among the best known of all the sturdy pioneers in the San Joaquin Valley, is Wilson Kinney who, with his wife, enjoys the esteem of a large circle of friends. Mr. Kinney was born in Ohio on November 28, far back in 1847, but from his ninth year was raised in Shelby County, Ill., on a middle-west farm. At that time the country was wild and barren, in fact it was little less than a wilderness; so that when he grew old enough to rent land and farm for himself, he found it hard work of the most genuine sort.

In 1875 Mr. Kinney removed to Ralls County, Mo., and there, in New London, he conducted a store and a restaurant. Three years later, he pushed still further West, to Black Hawk, Colo., and later he settled at Leadville, where he undertook teaming to the mines. There, also, conditions were wild and enterprise difficult; but such had been Mr. Kinney's training in the past, fortunately, in parts of our great country also in the making, that he came to the great gold and silver regions by no means a tenderfoot, and was able to dare and do when others might have failed.

In 1882, Mr. Kinney made one more removal and landed in California, where he at once chose Fresno County as his location. For five years he engaged in farming near Kingston, and then he bought one-half of section 29 of railroad land in the Coalinga district. He improved the land and farmed it to grain for eight years.

In 1895 Mr. Kinney located at Coalinga, when the town was just starting. He built the Grand Central Hotel and livery stable, and conducted the same for many years. He applied to all his operations the golden rule, and so became one of the best-known men in the Coalinga district. For many years he gave his time and best attention, as a school trustee, to educational progress.

For three years he absented himself from Coalinga. He had been prevailed upon to remove to Redwood City, and he threw himself heart and soul into business undertakings there; but in 1905, the more imperative call to the town in which he had had his greatest success, and some of his friendliest associations led him to return to Coalinga, and here he has been living since.

Now he and his wife are retired from active labors, and live quietly, the center of one attention or another from their several children, Mr. Kinney having married, in 1873, in Shelby County, Ill., Cynthia Field, who was born in Gibson County, Ind., in 1853, but moved to Illinois. William J. Kinney, the oldest son, was born in Illinois, but lives at Coalinga, and is the father of two children. Charles L., who was born in Colorado, is married, has one child, and lives at Taft. Arthur W., also a native of Colorado, is now a farmer in Nevada. Albert E., a native son, was once a bookkeeper in the First National Bank of Coalinga and later located in Oklahoma, and from that state he enlisted as a sergeant in the United States Army. A daughter, the fifth in order of birth, is Mrs. Carrie B. Whitmer; she was born in California, and has one child. The youngest of the family is Robert H., who is a native son, is married and has one child, and is a resident of Richmond, Cal.