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About halfway between Fresno and Visalia, Reedley is in California’s agriculturally productive Central Valley. Early settlers in the state came looking for gold but soon found an agricultural paradise. As they had done on the Midwestern Plains, farmers discovered that wheat could thrive in the moderate temperatures and abundance of sunshine in the Central Valley. One of these farmers was Thomas Law Reed, a Civil War veteran from Ohio who came to California in the 1870’s, eventually finding his way to Fresno County. Reed had enlisted in the Union infantry at the age of seventeen, following in the footsteps of his two brothers. He was part of the army under the command of William Tecumseh Sherman which marched through the south burning Atlanta and destroying Confederate infrastructure. Reed was wounded during this campaign and lost his brother Daniel who died at the Battle of Bentonville in North Carolina just a few days before the war ended. Reed originally settled in Yolo County near Sacramento where he grew wheat and barley. By 1884 he had moved his family to Fresno County to a plot of farm land next to the Kings River. Reed slowly expanded his operation, purchasing 1,200 acres in 1886, land which would later be used for Reedley Community College. With the building of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the new town, appropriately named Reedley, prospered. Wheat demand, however, dwindled in the 1890’s and Reed would have been financially ruined if not for his investment in a new product, oil, which had been discovered near Bakersfield. Likewise, Reedley farmers diversified, growing grapes, apricots, almonds and citrus. Before long, Reedley came to be known as the “World’s Fruit Basket.” Today, Reedley retains its agricultural heritage with the local economy largely dependent on local farmers.

It’s certain that a Reedley tutor will get you caught up on your most difficult academic subjects so you can take time to enjoy Reedley and the surrounding areas. Opened in 1979 the Reedley City Museum features a wide variety of objects relating to the early history of the Central Valley. The museum houses a collection of Yokut Native American basketry dating back to the early 1800’s. Museum exhibits also focus on the history of agriculture in the valley and daily life in Fresno County at the turn of the 20th century. The museum also contains photographs and documents chronicling 130 years of Reedley history.

After a devastating fire in 1902 wiped out Reedley’s two main blocks, Danish merchant Jesse Jansen organized the rebuilding of the city’s downtown. Included in those new buildings was the Jansen Opera House, a multi-purpose building which hosted various events including stage shows, political speeches, square dances and, of course, operas. Remodeled in 1986, the Opera House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is known as Reedley’s River City Theater. The theater is home to an acting company which has presented classic plays and musicals such as West Side Story, Of Mice and Men and Les Miserables.

It’s only about an hour’s drive along Highway 180 to Kings Canyon National Park. Established in 1940, the park’s main attraction is the General Grant Grove of giant sequoias featuring thousand-year-old trees which are among the largest in the world. Carved out of massive glaciers during the ice age, Kings Canyon is much like nearby Yosemite Valley. The area is a hiker’s heaven, not only for multi-day backpacking excursions, but also for one day treks. Elevations vary throughout the canyon with Hume Lake below 2,000-feet and the General Grant at 6,500-feet. The park is open from spring to fall with closures in the winter months.