The Allensworth Hotel

The Allensworth Hotel was situated in the town section within easy walking distance of the Santa Fe Depot and the Central Valley Road. At the time the hotel was built, Allensworth enjoyed the business of transient businessmen, drummers, ranchers and tourist. Considerable traffic through Allensworth came via rail and the Central Valley Road. Central Valley Road is parallel to the railroad and connected to the northern and southern ends of Tulare County. Unlike the typical county road, this dirt road had an oiled surface. Before Santa Fe completed a spur track to Alpaugh, five miles west of Allensworth, the town had a regular freight business. Grain grown on the Tulare Lake Basin, west of town, was shipped from the Allensworth depot until the Alpaugh spur, completed in 1914, diverted the grain business. In 1913, the December 27th issue of the Iakland Sunshine referred to a grain warehouse standing approzimately 100 yards from the railroad, as the largest between Los Angeles and San Francisco, with a 50,000 sack capacity. Commercially grown grain from nearby ranches was stored at the warehouse until it was shopped out on the Santa Fe. Laborers and ranchers involved in handling the grain were a ready source of business for the hotel and other commercial establishments. The Allensworth Hotel, opened around 1910 under the proprietorship of Mrs. Clara Morris and her husband John Morris, functioned continuously for several decades under a number of different managers. Mrs. Morris operated the hotel until sometime around 1915. Other proprietors of the Allensworth Hotel during its first two decades were:

Clara Morris and her husband John, moved to Allensworth from Bakersfield where they had operated a successful catering business. During the Morris’ five year tenure at the Allensworth Hotel, John Morris, a machinist, serviced well digging machines, traction engines, and various other mechanical irrigation equipment widely used in the local agricultural business. Mr. Morris’ machine shop was located in the rear of the hotel. A night’s lodging was available to travelers for $0.75. Local residents often used the facility also. In particular, the youth used the hotel’s dining room and played piano for their periodic parties. Furniture would be moved and tables stacked so that there was ample space for the evening frolics. On these occasions, young men would be invited from Tulare.

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